Sustainability Intern

DETAILED POSITION SUMMARY

The sustainability intern will support organizational efforts toward embedding sustainability practices in all departments. The intern will work with a variety of departments to support their sustainability projects and goals, and will conduct data collection and analysis projects. This position will play a role in our sustainability efforts including emissions/impact calculations, transportation offerings, forest and land stewardship, waste reduction and circularity efforts, and sustainable procurement. The intern will support adoption of our Sustainable Purchasing Policy, which will include tracking the impact of purchases and their associated sustainability metrics such as GHG emissions. This position will also coordinate at least 1 waste audit and support measurement of waste reduction efforts across departments. Additional responsibilities may include short-term projects or tasks related to transportation efficiency, waste reduction efforts across operations, forest and land stewardship projects, and other duties as assigned. This role will culminate with a special project proposal based on what the intern has observed over the course of the internship. Intern will work closely with many departments to carry out these projects, and will report to the sustainability program directly. This intern may also engage with employees and guests about sustainability initiatives as appropriate.

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE/ SKILLS AND ABILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Must be a degree-seeking student at the University of Nevada, Reno during the Fall ‘26 semester
• Summer ‘26 or earlier graduates are not eligible for the Wolf Pack STEM Internship Program
• Applicants must have a passion for sustainability including reducing waste, supporting sustainable supply chains, and reducing GHG emissions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent customer service and organizational skills.
• Ability to work under pressure, multi-task and prioritize tasks.
• Must have a valid drivers’ license.
• Ability to perform various tasks independently or with others.
• Ability to plan and coordinate complicated logistical tasks.
• Experience with waste audits and/or GHG reporting, particularly Scope 3 calculations, is preferred.

CONTACTS

• INTERNAL: Any and all Mt Rose employees from any department including management staff.
• EXTERNAL: Various vendors and suppliers of equipment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Complete 150 hours of work as an intern (8-15 hours per week, up to 15 weeks total)
• Support our Sustainable Purchasing Policy, which will include tracking the impact of purchases and their associated sustainability metrics such as GHG emissions.
• Coordinate at least 1 waste audit and support measurement of waste reduction efforts across departments. This role will culminate with a special project proposal for a procurement/waste reduction/emissions reduction project based on what the intern has observed over the course of the internship.
• Intern will work closely with many departments to carry out these projects and will report to the sustainability program directly.
• This intern may also engage with employees and guests about sustainability initiatives as appropriate and will be responsible for other duties as assigned.

MARGINAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Coordinate and cooperate with other departments as necessary in the completion of the above essential duties.
• Additional responsibilities may include short-term projects or tasks related to waste reduction efforts across operations.
• Provide information and answer questions about the resort-to-resort guests.
• Any other duties that may contribute to the cleanliness, orderliness and overall efficiency of the entire operation and all of the tasks contained therein.

DESIRED SCHEDULE FOR INTERN

This internship will run from September through early/mid December. Days and hours are flexible but should be established together with the supervisor. Waste audit events may require back-to-back days during those weeks.

Winter weather at our location means the intern should have appropriate personal transportation for the snow (4WD or AWD vehicle with chains/snow tires highly recommended). We offer carpooling and vanpooling resources, but the intern is ultimately responsible for their own transportation.

Pack STEM internships require interns to complete 120 hours during their internship. It is the intern’s responsibility to ensure this requirement is met.

GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS OF THE INTERN:

1. For interns to come away with insight about the factors at play in planning and implementing organizational sustainability practices
2. That interns will gain insight and experience about specific sustainability practices in our area and in a high alpine environment in a way that they can apply this knowledge in future settings

We expect the intern to be able to synthesize their learnings over the course of the semester into a project proposal for a future waste/emissions reduction project at the mountain. This should include applicable success metrics, cost and ROI, etc. - the goal here is for interns to gain experience creating a compelling argument for sustainable practices, and to develop skills they can take into future settings