Interning at Eco Brooklyn opened my eyes to green building like never before. It was such an amazing experience learning skills that make a difference in the world. An Eco Brooklyn internship is a great opportunity and I recommend it to anyone. Thank you! ~ Jason, Eco Brooklyn intern ~
Eco Brooklyn is an educator as well as a green builder. We offer the New York community and beyond a chance to gain exposure in the best green building practices available in the city. Our interns come from all kinds of backgrounds and include students, recent grads, writers, architects, laborers, film editors, you name it.
No skill is necessary. A good attitude and a willingness to help and learn is all you need. You will be expected to work hard in a fast paced environment. You will learn through full immersion in real world green building environments. Please read the comments at the end of this page for more intern testimonials.
An Eco Brooklyn internship comprises of the following:
1. Doing a task (working on a job site or researching online for example)
2. Cataloging the task (taking notes, video, photos etc)
3. Publishing it on twitter and the blog.
“Intern School”: The internship is tailored around a mentor program very similar to a graduate self study course. Depending on the intern’s interests and learning goals they will be assigned tasks. Throughout the process they will meet with the Eco Brooklyn mentor.
All interns are expected to leave the program with something to show for it. If they are office interns this could be a series of blog posts or videos. If they are job site interns it could be having assisted on an eco garden or the installation of a salvaged floor. In the case of job site projects, what they leave with is very dependent on the jobs we have at the time.
Time Commitment: Our training program is a minimum 3 month commitment. You can choose to do between 20-40 hours a week. We give preference to interns able to commit 30 or 40 hours a week. Work days are Monday to Friday. Hours are 10-4:30. Usually there is no weekend work.
Payment: Internships are not paid.
Intern Environment: There are two places for internships:
1. On a job site: Interns gain experience in real world green building. It is dirty hard labor but very satisfying for those who like to get physical and learn new things. Along with normal labor duties (carrying, cleaning etc), depending on your interests and available jobs you will be paired up with experienced green builders – carpenter, plumber, electrician etc – to help and learn.
2. In the Eco Brooklyn office: This is a very informal, unstructured environment. The office is in the top floor of the Green Show House brownstone, which is also a working home. Self-direction is a must. The internship is very satisfying for somebody who wants the freedom to explore green building in a small business.
Office Internships - We have internship openings for the following positions. Interns can also choose to mix and match.
– Media Intern - This position teaches you how to perform media outreach for a green building company. Duties include interacting on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, reaching out to journalists and bloggers to encourage them to do stories about us, contacting industry professionals like architects to let them know we are accepting jobs, posting blogs on our site, creating video pod casts and book reviews, organizing tours of the show house…
- Blogging Intern - This position teaches you how to write for a green building company. Duties include those of the Media Intern but are much more focused on more in depth writing like you see on our site.
- Video Intern - This position teaches you how to produce, direct, film, edit and publish videos for a green building company. Duties include those of the Media Intern with a focus on making video blogs on various green building topics.
- Office Intern - This position teaches you the business side of a green building company. Duties include filing papers and receipts, expediting paperwork for insurance/DOB/plans etc, reaching out to contractors to get salvaged materials, helping with job timelines, organizing the office….
Thank you very much for the opportunity of working with you. As you know, I am very interested in pursuing this field after graduation and it was a fascinating learning experience interning for EcoBrooklyn. I’ve gained a great deal of knowledge that I hope to put to good use in my career.
Charley McPherson, Architect Student, Construction and Design Intern
Once again thank you so much for letting me get involved. There are a great number of people that feel non-green construction is not working, that in the world we live in there is a big gap between ecology and building. I think what you are doing is great by creating a bridge and opening new doors.
I had a really great and inspiring experience. It felt great to be finally hands-on!!! I learned a lot with Alex and specially Ruben the plumber. He seems to be a very knowledgeable and has a passion for what he does. One of the best parts was Eco Brooklyn people were always open, simple, friendly and often very knowledgeable.
Beatriz, Construction Intern
While interning with EcoBrooklyn I had the opportunity to explore a wide variety of building techniques. My focus was in landscape construction and green roofs, and EcoBrooklyn’s show house is a beautiful example and a wonderful learning tool. Gennaro has a great deal to offer as an educator and my time at EcoBrooklyn was always exciting.
Michelle Fonzi, Landscaping Intern
I first met Gennaro at an event in Manhattan and was inspired by the way he talked about his company and his vision for a sustainable future. Shortly thereafter, I started interning for his company, EcoBrooklyn, and enjoyed it immensely.
Eco Brooklyn was a nice change from corporate America. Instead of being in a three piece suit, sitting isolated in an office or cubicle, I found myself in a pair of jeans sitting comfortably on a couch with a team of interns and my laptop.
The company and everyone in it immediately made me feel welcome and at home. I enjoyed interacting with Gennaro on a daily basis as it is so rare in most companies for an intern to be interacting with the President of the company.
It was a wonderful experience talking and brainstorming with him. Although everyone who works at Eco Brooklyn is different, they all have one thing in common: they care about the environment and our world, and want to be part of the solution.
Cheyenne Maisey, Office Intern
I started this internship with nothing but a fancy liberal arts degree, meaning I knew how to overthink things and that was about it.
This is what I contributed during my internship:
-I ran Twitter and facebook pages.
-I wrote a bunch of blog posts.
-I helped redesign and reorganize the website.
-I took pictures and filmed a video once with Stavros’s iPhone.
-I tweaked Google AdWords settings to make better use of the budget.
-I worked on a press release for the Harlem passive house.
-I helped file taxes for 2011.
-I grew mushrooms.
Through experience, I learned how to navigate social media services, advertising services, and tax filing procedures. My research was an ongoing education in current events, emerging technology, ancient technology, and the finer points of New York City building code.
Through observation, I learned the concepts behind how one would build a passive house, a green roof, or a clay floor. I saw how salvaged materials were reclaimed from the street and transformed into livable environments.
Actually, the biggest thing I took away was the concept of the passive house. If I ever build or renovate my own house, I’d build it to passive standards. I know it’s possible, so there’s no excuse not to.
The internship at Eco Brooklyn is a highly flexible experience that you can tailor to your own skills and goals. It’s an opportunity to work alongside enthusiastic, passionate, and driven people, because those are the only ones who last more than a week. Beyond that it’s hard to describe, because the internship is whatever you make of it.
My advice for future interns:
You have to be comfortable with working independently. You have to bring your own passions and interests. If there’s something you want to accomplish, Eco Brooklyn will give you the chance to try, but don’t expect to be told what to do every hour of every day. You’ll be bored, and you’ll be frustrated. Make the most of your freedom and make something happen, because you can, if you want to.
Yi Deng, Social Media Intern
I was hired as a Video Intern for Eco Brooklyn through Pace University’s Co-Op program. I came in with zero knowledge of green building, but was happy that Eco Brooklyn opened their arms to a promising learning experience. While filming and editing videos, I got to know Gennaro and the amazing work he does. As a videographer, I witnessed the hands on activities to green building. Gennaro provided the answers to questions and the guidance to completing a good quality video. He truly is an educator willing to lend a helping hand. This internship allowed me to enhance my video production skills, while simultaneously learning green building.
An internship at Eco Brooklyn will inspire you to create change. Eco Brooklyn is doing its part to educate people on living green. As an intern, you are inspired to use your passion to help educate others. Through my videos, I educated viewers on Eco Brooklyn’s goal in passive building. It is an experience that I will never forget.
My advice for future interns is to never take advantage of a day at Eco Brooklyn. What you are witnessing is the future. Green building is the only way to live a healthier and prosperous lifestyle. It is the building of tomorrow. Gennaro is teaching us what many will try to teach years from now. So listen up and enjoy!
Amanda Granados, Video Intern