Piñon Ecovillage Internships

Piñon Ecovillage
Internships

Community Living | Eco-Renovations | Organic Gardening | Outreach

We currently have openings for Community Living Interns and Organic Gardening Interns

Piñon Ecovillage offers several internships throughout the year. We require at least a 2-month commitment from interns. Interns are fully integrated into community life for the length of their stay, working in their focus area, and also participating in general community projects (repairs/renovations, etc.), cooking, housekeeping and community meetings. In exchange for instruction and experience, housing, food, toiletries and other supplies, interns contribute $35 and work 30 hours per week (please contact us to discuss alternative arrangements if the fee is a financial hardship). Meals are vegan and vegetarian, and lodging is dormitory-style, or camping if you prefer.

Interns spend an average of 15-20 hours per week on participation, observation and research in their internship focus area, with 5-10 hours per week spent on general community projects, and 5 hours per week spent on cooking, housekeeping and community meetings. Specific weekly project priorities are decided at our weekly community meetings.

During their stay, interns learn how to work in a consensus decision-making environment, and are expected to resolve conflicts peacefully, with assistance available. Piñon Ecovillage has an egalitarian* environment where each person is responsible for structuring their own time, following through with tasks, and being proactive in communicating their needs, desires, questions and concerns.

*Promoting equal economic, political, social, and civil rights for all.

We usually have several projects going at once, and, as a small community renovating a large property, we are quite busy most of the time! Also, much of the work we do is physically demanding.

Instruction and assistance are provided as needed; however, interns should be comfortable working on their own a fair amount. People who are likely to have the best experience here are those who are patient and flexible, communicate clearly, have a strong desire to learn and help out, and enjoy a variety of work.

We have weekly meetings during which we check on each other's progress and address any desires and concerns.

Interns have access to many of the same benefits as other Piñon Ecovillage members, including computer and Internet resources, woodworking and other power tools, our extensive library of books and magazines, travel to nearby cities, and so forth. Regarding local travel, rides to Santa Fe with community members can often be arranged, and there is a free shuttle bus to/from Santa Fe four times every day.

If you are interested in applying for an internship, follow these steps:

1. Read Piñon Ecovillage's web site.

2. Send/email us a Letter of Introduction, telling us about yourself. For couples, groups and families, please send a separate letter from each person. Please include all of the following information:

how you heard about Piñon Ecovillage
your mailing address, phone number, email address, and any other contact info
values, interests and skills
current work and living situations
what interests you about community living
what drew you to Piñon Ecovillage in particular
which internship you are interested in, and what skills and experiences you hope to gain from your internship
any previous experience with living in community (not required), including what you liked about it and what didn't work for you
any questions you have about the Ecological Covenants, the Internship Agreement, and/or Piñon Ecovillage in general

which 1-week visitor period you would like to attend

3. Once we have received and reviewed your letter(s) of introduction, we will contact you to confirm whether or not you are scheduled for the 1-week visitor period of your choice.

4. After your 1-week visit, if things are going well, you will be invited to either stay on for your internship, or to schedule your return at a later date to start your internship, whichever you prefer.

INTERNSHIP POSITIONS

Community Living (Available year-round)

This internship allows folks the opportunity to experience all aspects of life at Piñon Ecovillage by participating in a wide range of projects. This is an excellent internship for those with a wide range of interests, or for those who want to learn more about living in community in general.

Community Living (CL) interns work on the full range of projects that are going on during their stay. The CL internship may include: consensus decision-making, meeting facilitation, community planning and development, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, greywater recycling, installing passive solar design features, building with cob and/or adobe, organic gardening, landscaping, permaculture principles, earthen plastering, outreach and marketing, and work on Aspenwood community businesses.

Eco-Renovations (No dates set - Please inquire if interested)

This time around, our Eco-Renovation internship will include both creating a new building from the ground up, and working on renovating existing buildings. We will be building a small, passive-solar cob meditation hut with a rubble-trench foundation, and we will also familiarize participants with many aspects of renovating existing adobe buildings, including ecological aspects and general aspects.

Ecological Aspects:
1) energy-saving: creating passive solar spaces;
2) water-saving: installing greywater recycling systems;
3) building with sustainable materials, such as local clay, adobe and straw, and salvaged goods;
4) woodworking (building kitchen cabinets, furniture, doors and windows) using salvaged wood;
5) creating and applying earthen plasters made from local materials (clay, mica, flour, straw, sand)

General Aspects:
1) plumbing
2) wiring
3) flooring
4) roofing

We require that participants in the Eco-Renovation internship commit to being here for the full 12 weeks it is offered. For those wishing to have a longer and more varied experience, Eco-Reno interns may also do an Organic Gardening and/or Community Living internship before and/or after the Eco-Reno internship.

Organic Gardening (Available February through October)

The organic gardening internship includes all aspects of hand-tool oriented food gardening, with the goal of providing as much of Piñon Ecovillage's produce needs as possible from our 2,000 square feet of gardens. Garden interns handle every aspect of production: bed preparation, seeding, cultivation, harvest, and processing. Interns also handle tool maintenance, erecting and maintaining trellises and fences, and value-added food processing (making jams, sauces, etc.)

We are in USDA Hardiness Zone 6, and our growing season is approximately 180 days (April 15 to October 15). We use hoop houses, row covers, and cold frames to extend the season 2-3 months longer. We use a variety of organic methods, such as companion planting and beneficial insects. We build soil fertility using green manure, mulches, and composted kitchen/garden/yard waste.

The gardening internship also includes some work in permaculture landscaping, assessing the site, planting and caring for a variety of trees (evergreen and deciduous, food-bearing and ornamental), building berms, installing pumice wicks, and more.

In the summer, garden workers generally start early in the day while it's cool outside, and take a break in the heat of the afternoon, resuming work in the evening as needed. Gardening interns can expect appropriate instruction and assistance, but should be comfortable working on their own a large part of the time. Interns' ideas and suggestions are welcome and valued. Some gardening experience is preferred.

Outreach (No dates set - Please inquire if interested)

The outreach intern works with our Outreach Coordinator, writing articles for community-related publications, designing and disseminating outreach materials, researching outreach venues, and keeping organized records of outreach efforts. This internship may also include work on our web sites, if the intern is interested. This is a good internship opportunity for those who enjoy graphic design work and/or writing, as well as for those with physical limitations. Some training in design, layout and/or writing preferred.