City of Denton, Sustainable Denton Intern

Internship Summary

The City of Denton is seeking one intern to assist with data collection and analysis for Denton’s certification through the STAR Community Rating System. 

The STAR Community Rating System is the first national framework to measure sustainability at the city or county scale and provide a tracking system to help local governments measure progress towards achieving community sustainability goals. For more information on STAR, please see: http://www.starcommunities.org.

In the spring of 2016, Denton hopes to achieve its first 3rd party verified STAR Community rating. The rating framework includes 7 goal areas, 44 objective areas, and hundreds of related outcomes and actions. This effort will provide Denton with sustainability metrics and ratings for bench-marked comparison to other communities across the nation. Sustainable Denton will use STAR to showcase gaps and catalyze community action to close them.

The City of Denton is committed to improving quality of life, protecting the environment, and creating economic opportunities for its citizens, businesses and institutions. The Vision of Sustainable Denton is to: improve our environment, create economic value, and strengthen our community. "Simply Sustainable, A Strategic Plan for Denton's Future" is the City of Denton's Sustainability Plan, adopted in February of 2012. The plan includes 30 strategies across eight focus areas which were selected through a rigorous public involvement and prioritization process. Strategies include recommendations for policies, community programs, outreach and education, and capital improvements. Simply Sustainable is available online at: http://www.cityofdenton.com/departments-services/sustainable-denton.

EDUCATIONAL/CAREER VALUE
This project will provide in-depth experience understanding, gathering and working with vast amounts of information and data, communicating it for public consumption, and catalyzing community engagement. This unique opportunity will allow the intern to collaborate with experienced sustainability professionals in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, as well as with members of our community that are new to sustainability.

Intern Responsibilities

·         Work directly with Sustainable Denton to determine alignment between Denton’s local sustainability initiatives and STAR’s performance metrics

·         Research and collect information on community conditions related to STAR’s 7 goal areas: Built Environment; Climate & Energy; Economy & Jobs; Education, Arts & Community; Equity & Empowerment; Health & Safety; and Natural Systems

·         Identify and collaborate with key resources and partners to support Denton’s STAR application, such as internal departments and outside stakeholders throughout the community

·         Participate in frequent STAR work sessions and communicate with other pilot communities

·         Submit data, quantitative analysis, and narrative responses into STAR’s online reporting tool

·         Draft case studies, blog posts, reports, and other communication for the public to share information about STAR and Denton’s sustainability initiatives

Intern Qualifications

·         Bachelor’s degree (Master’s coursework preferred) in sustainability, urban planning, public administration, or related field

·         Strong research and writing skills, with attention to detail

·         Ability to communicate technical information to non-technical audiences

·         Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel

·         Proficiency with ArcGIS desirable

·         Ability to work independently under general direction and with strong initiative

·         Demonstrated ability to develop and execute professional communications preferred

·         Knowledge or experience in sustainability preferred

·         Experience living in Denton, TX preferred

·         The ideal candidate will be comfortable working across sectors, including businesses, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies, as well as private citizens

Position Details

Job Title: STAR Intern
Openings: 1
Dates: September – May 2016 (flexible)
Hours to complete: 30 – 40 per week

Work Location: Intern will attend regular work hours at Main City Hall and may also perform some work remotely
Compensation: To be determined

Applications

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and a writing sample to Stephanie.Corley@cityofdenton.com by SEPTEMBER 16^th, 2015.