Curbside Compost Cooperative Summer Assistant (CCCE)

**NOTE: This is a low or unfunded opportunity. You will be eligible to apply for summer internship funding from Carleton if you will be returning to campus in the fall.

Work with Curbside Compost Cooperative this summer! In this position, students will gain experience working in a democratically-run business doing community education, getting hands-on experience with compost processing and collection, and working on expanding the business into new geographic areas. If you are interested in local, cooperative strategies for waste reduction and sustainability, this is a great position for you! We would love to host two Carleton interns this summer. We are flexible on your start date so you can combine this internship with working Carleon’s Reunion weekend or Lighten Up resue sale.

Our Organization: 
Curbside Compost Cooperative is a democratically run, worker-owned business providing curbside compost collection in Southern Minnesota. Our mission is to provide affordable, convenient organic waste collection as a way to divert waste from the landfill and redirect that material to where it can be properly composted and used to build soil health across Minnesota.

Primary Position Responsibilities: 

Community Education: 

• Conduct community education about why and how to compost through door-knocking, tabling, attending community events, etc. 
• Design new educational materials as needed 

Research and data collection: 

• Conduct research on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, large-scale compost processing, backyard composting, equipment, and compostable plastics
• Collect data on our compost collection amounts to be used in the analysis of impact and growth over time 

General Support/possible opportunities if interested: 

• Compost collection
• Cleaning and preparing compost buckets 
• Building backyard compost bins 

Required Qualities 

• Proficient in Google Suite (spreadsheets, documents, etc.) and adaptable to learning new technologies
• Skilled in verbal and written communication 
• Ability to creatively problem solve 
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and as a member of a team
• Can conduct research, compile information, and report findings back to the team

Preferred Qualities 

• Bilingual in English and Spanish

Work Environment and Physical Demands: 
We are a small, democratic workplace of 6 part-time worker-owners. We value the ideas and voices at the table and want our interns to feel empowered to participate in discussions and decision-making about the business during their time with us. Physical demands for the community education role include walking, sitting at a table, and possibly standing to give presentations. If the applicant is interested in optional compost collection or other optional more physical tasks, being able to lift up to 40 lbs and bending over often is required. 

Equal Opportunity:
CCC is an equal-opportunity organization. CCC believes that the most efficient and effective workplaces employ employees with diverse backgrounds. We strive to create a work environment where all employees and individuals, regardless of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, public assistance status, or veteran status, can succeed and make an impact in the community.

Application and Hiring Process: 
CCC will be interviewing on a rolling basis until the position is filled.