2025 Environment and Policy Internships (EPIC): San Francisco Environment Department (SFE) - Toxics Reduction & Healthy Communities Program
Job Title: Toxics Reduction & Healthy Communities Intern
Department/Team: Toxics Reduction & Healthy Communities Team at the San Francisco Environment Department
Location: Hybrid (3 days per week) in San Francisco, California
Duration: 40 hours per week for ten weeks over the summer
Reports to: Huy Le (Senior Toxics Reduction Program Coordinator)
Areas of Interest: Toxics and chemical reduction, community outreach, local policy engagement
About the San Francisco Environment Department:
The San Francisco Department of the Environment provides solutions that protect the environment and enhance quality of life for all San Franciscans, and beyond. For more information on the Department of the Environment, visit www.SFEnvironment.org.
About the Toxics Reduction & Healthy Communities Program:
The Toxics Reduction & Healthy Communities Program leads a variety of programs, policies and projects, ranging from reducing the use of harmful chemicals in residential, commercial and City government settings. Projects and programs we undertake at the local level often become models for scaling elsewhere! Current initiatives include:
- eliminating the use of fluorochemicals in numerous consumer and industrial uses
- tackling antibiotic resistance
- supporting small businesses to adopt sustainable practices
- addressing microfiber pollution
Position Description/Scope of Work:
The intern would work with SFE staff to advance programs and policy initiatives, engage with the community, and obtain experience working at the intersection of a variety of environmental issues.
List of Potential Projects:
- Help implement the San Francisco Healthy Nail Salon Program
- Conduct outreach to residents about proper disposal of toxics products
- Researching products and identifying safer alternatives to toxic products
- Assist with implementing a pilot collection program for household hazardous waste
- Public engagement with boaters on efforts to properly manage the disposal of marine flares
- Research vape products and identify collaborative opportunities with San Francisco Unified School Districts and smoke shops to serve as collection sites
- Conducting outreach and technical assistance to commercial businesses and residents
- Assisting in creating policies and programs that drive the use of safer products in San Francisco
- Drafting policy and outreach documents
- Conducting surveys and analyzing results
Desired Skills/Qualifications:
- Data heads, you are welcome here! We would love to leverage your ability to prepare reports, spreadsheets, data and documentation for reporting information to the public.
- Enjoy writing? We have many needs for public-facing materials including factsheets, web pages, presentations, etc.
- Do you have phone super powers? Research by our department often involves making phone calls to a wide range of businesses, residents and other stakeholders. Those who are persistent enough to navigate a phone tree and find the right person, and then have an engaging phone voice are gold.
- Are you confident, self-motivated and a well-organized individual?
- Can you analyze and synthesize information from various sources?
- Second language commonly spoken in San Francisco, especially Vietnamese, Spanish and/or Chinese.
If any or all of the above sounds like you, then join us and be a part of making the world a better place, starting in San Francisco!
Logistics:
- EPIC fellows are required to work full-time (35-40 hours per week) for 10 weeks over the summer, and will receive a stipend of $8,000 - $9,500, depending on financial need. This stipend is intended to help cover living and transportation expenses during the fellowship, which the student is expected to arrange and coordinate.
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Start and end dates are flexible (start date no later than July 7, 2025).
2024 Stanford EPIC Fellow: Fiona Mooney
2022 Stanford EPIC Fellow: Lizzie Avila
2021 Stanford EPIC Fellow: Jocelyn Thai
2020 Stanford EPIC Fellow: Alain Perez
Eligibility:
Stanford undergraduates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Learn more about our previous EPIC cohorts! Students must be enrolled for winter and spring quarters of this year and be in good academic standing to be eligible for a fellowship. Applications will only be accepted from students who will be enrolled as undergraduates for the following academic year, so unfortunately, graduating seniors cannot apply. The one exception to this rule is seniors who will be working toward a co-term degree during the following academic year. Co-term students must be in the undergraduate billing group in spring quarter. Please refer to the Haas Center for Public Service's website for additional Cardinal Quarter Undergraduate Fellowship Program Policies and Requirements.
Note: students are only eligible for one Stanford-funded full-time experiential learning opportunity during the summer, and are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, job, coursework, or volunteer opportunity. Students are responsible for arranging and paying for their own housing and transportation during the fellowship.
Requirements:
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Spring Quarter:
- Commit to working full-time (35-40 hours week) for 10 consecutive weeks
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Complete an online program orientation through the Haas Center for Public Service
- This will include designing a personal learning plan that you will share with your site supervisor and academic mentor
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service in-person workshop or worksheet
- Meet with your assigned Stanford academic mentor at least once prior to the start of the fellowship (more check-ins during and after your experience are encouraged)
- Attend EPIC cohort building events and activities in spring quarter, as your schedule allows
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Complete and submit all required forms and paperwork
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Summer Quarter:
- Engage in your full-time fellowship (starting no later than July 7, 2025; exact start date to be determined with your site supervisor)
- Attend EPIC cohort building events and activities in the summer, as your schedule allows
- Submit a mid-summer evaluation
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Submit a final project report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with donor(s) as requested by program staff
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Fall Quarter:
- Debrief with your academic mentor at least once
- Attend a de-briefing meeting for the purpose of reflecting upon and evaluating summer experiences
- Participate in outreach activities to share your experiences and help publicize the program
