Global Justice and Equity Intern

Program/Department Overview

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is on a journey to integrate justice and equity into its organizational structure, strategies, and values. In 2020, EDF hired a new VP for Environmental Justice and Equity, and in 2021 the organization committed to an Equity and Environmental Justice Vision and a set of principles to guide all work. Since then, the Justice and Equity team has been focusing its efforts on assessing the organization’s current work on environmental justice and equity and the organization adopted its inaugural Justice & Equity Strategic Plan in 2022. The Justice & Equity Strategic Plan aims to strengthen EDF’s ability to achieve its vision of a vital Earth for everyone by systematically integrating environmental and climate justice into the organization’s efforts.

We recognize, however, that concepts of Environmental and Climate Justice are understood, defined, and practiced differently depending on the region. EDF’s work spans four anchor regions (China, Europe, India and the United States) and other regions of impact (including Latin America and the Caribbean, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other countries in Asia-Pacific). Therefore, we need to invest in learning about the environmental justice space in each of EDF’s regions and global mission areas, so that we can understand how and where EDF can best engage. How is environmental justice discussed and defined in each region? What are the major issues? Who are the main actors in each geography and regional context, and what are their priorities? Between 2022-2025, the Justice & Equity Team will partner with EDF’s regional teams to complete landscape assessments across the organization’s regions of impact and work toward a more systematic and impactful integration of justice and equity into EDF’s core programs around the globe.

Overall Function

The intern will contribute to increasing the team and the organization’s understanding of the histories, issues, and cultural contexts that shape how environmental and climate justice are understood, defined, and practiced differently across EDF’s regions of impact. The intern will support ongoing landscape assessments and engage in focused research projects relevant to identified needs and gaps across global mission work. The overall outcome is that the landscape assessments will lay the foundations for the organization to have the knowledge, networks, and tools to effectively integrate environmental justice into its work across a diverse set of geographies.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Assist in developing regional landscape assessments in India and China, using knowledge of local contexts and/or language (Hindi, Mandarin, etc.).
• Support in preparing outreach materials and reviewing documents and communications for regional teams (India, China, and Europe) and global workstreams.
• Conduct research on resources that may be included in the organization’s ECJ Center of Practice for relevant regions, as well as focused research projects on specific areas of interest relevant to EDF’s Global Mission work.
• Participate in advancing EDF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in or a recent graduate of an undergraduate or graduate degree program and/or demonstrated interest in environmental justice, climate justice, social sciences, and/or environmental law and/or policy.
• Demonstrated experience in literature reviews and synthesizing materials.
• Coursework in environmental policy, environmental law, communications, history, social sciences, and/or research methods.
• Experience with frontline organizations, justice, or community engagement.
• Research or work experience outside of the United States is a plus.
• Proficiency in languages spoken in India and/or China is a plus.
• Have a critical and intersectional lens to view environmental issues and solutions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem solving skills.

Location

U.S. Remote

Term

Spring 2024 (January-May)

Hours

Full-time (35 hr/week), with the possibility of part-time (20 hr/week).

Compensation

This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $17-20/hr.

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application.