Interning with 350NH

5 reasons to Intern with 350NH:

• HUB Meetups

  • You get to meet great people with great ideas in a comfortable environment, discuss and execute actions that can make real change, while also having fun and eating free, homemade food, can’t go wrong here.

• Making a Difference in your Local Community

  • How many times have you seen your local leaders and elected officials make terrible decisions devoid of any common sense? Interning with 350NH is a great way to rally community support to bring real action to important issues in your community.

• The Lounge in the Office

  • Who doesn’t want to do their work in an enormous bean bag chair? No need to elaborate on this one.

• Great Networking Opportunities

  • During my time here I have met some really cool people from all sorts of backgrounds. Whether they are politicians, scientists, activists, business owners, community leaders or just good people in general, I have made more connections this past summer than I have in awhile.

• Helpful and Fun Coworkers

  • You won’t have to worry about complaining about your boss or peers after a long day, which is pretty hard to say about some workplaces. The people in the office space are awesome to be around and great to bounce ideas off of or answer questions if you have them.

 On a typical lecture day in my Advanced Topics in Sustainable Energy course, two 350NH members dropped in to propose volunteer opportunities with the organization. This turned into an alternative option for the final project of the class and I jumped on the opportunity to work with 350NH during the fall semester.

This summer, I was looking for an in-depth and hands on experience revolving around climate action and sustainable energy sources and I decided to do an internship with 350NH.  This decision resulted in one of the most refreshing atmospheres I have experienced in a long time. After being surrounded by negativity and hopelessness regarding climate change and other environmental issues for so long, finding a passionate organization dedicated to solving these problems has been a breath of fresh air.

Over the past few months I have had great opportunities that I otherwise would not have experienced. I picked the brains of multiple candidates, from Mindi Messmer to Steve Marchand and I met groundbreaking scientists and engineers, such as Dr. Habib Dagher, P.E., who has been developing floating offshore wind turbines at the University of Maine. These experiences have been fascinating, but the smaller tasks undertaken at 350NH have been equally as important to me. Organizing events, personal and social media outreach, behind the scenes projects and community interaction and involvement have all been growing experiences.

Although it is bittersweet to move on from this internship, I have taken a lot from my time at 350NH and plan to continue the good fight for climate action and more. To anyone who is thinking about volunteering or interning with 350NH, you will find yourself surrounded by great people doing great work, so I say go for it.  

-Dylan Reed