Gotta get that boom boom pow, or in layman’s terms, we got to save that environment y’all. Mother Earth is the sweetest lady we all know, fact…so why do we do her dirt? Great question, I know. Besides the pun being the second lowest form of humor, environmental issues are real and if you love Mother Earth and like to dabble in Chinese, then we have got something special for you.
It’s called an internship at The Global Environmental Institute (GEI) and it is a Chinese non-profit, non-governmental organization that was established in Beijing, China in 2004. Their mission is to design and implement market-based models for solving environmental problems in order to achieve development that is economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable. GEI is looking for some awesome Middlebury students to join their team.
So why is this jump off so sweet? For a number of reasons, actually. First, if you want to be in China and get a lot better at your Chinese then this is opportunity pretty tubular. Second, you’re not just doing tree hugger stuff but you’re working on how to develop the country both economically and socially while being sustainable to the environment; you’ll get experiences left and right. Lastly but not leastly, you’ll be doing a pretty good thing and you’ll get some sweet and spicy chipotle for that resume. Here’s a little blurb about GEI:
GEI believes that solving environmental problems cannot be separated from solving social and economic problems. This is especially true in developing countries like China, where conventional approaches to environmental protection often fail because they hinder economic activity. There is urgent need for new solutions that work with the market to provide sustainable livelihoods and thriving ecosystems. GEI was founded to find those solutions. Specifically, we aim to:
Integrate environmental and economic problem-solving in China by building local and international collaboration between government agencies, research institutions, private enterprises, and non-governmental organizations.
Achieve self-sustaining and ecologically-sound rural development by linking local communities directly with outside partners in such areas as biodiversity conservation, bioremediation, renewable energy, and organic agriculture.
Mitigate global warming and increase energy conservation by commercializing environmental technology, fostering sustainable enterprises, and developing innovative business and financing models.
Develop the capacity of leaders and civil society to design, implement, and enforce socially and ecologically-sound development policy in rural, urban, and industrial sectors in China and around the world.
On a more serious note, this opportunity, to me (even though I don’t speak Chinese and if you care what I think), seems like a slam dunk. If you want to know a little bit more, then just hit up MOJO! Search GEI and you should be all good. A little heads up, the deadline is April 15th, a.k.a. pretty soon so get your cupcakes in gear. Any questions? Stop by the CSO Mon-Fri for drop ins between 2-5PM.