What are the responsibilities and job description for the Waste Diversion and Sustainability Internship (10-week high school internship) position at City and County of Denver?
About Our Job
Waste Diversion & Sustainability Internship – Sustainability Department
Who We Are
The Denver International Airport (DEN) Sustainability Department is actively seeking a Waste Diversion & Sustainability intern (nicknamed “DENtern”) to contribute to their division. DEN is undergoing a period of extraordinary growth, guided by our “Vision 100” program to accommodate 100 million passengers within the next 10 years. We have defined “Sustainability and Resiliency” as one of four guiding principles within our Vision 100 Strategic Plan, and we are striving to become the most sustainable airport in the world, while ensuring that our actions and decisions foster a healthy and resilient organization.
What We Offer
The City and County of Denver offers a competitive pay rate commensurate with education. Denver International Airport emerging talent positions are required to attend all sessions of professional development within the internship timeline. You will be onboarded with a cohort of peers to begin to help you develop your network across the City and the aviation industry.
Airports serve as microcosms of sustainability, where innovative strategies for recycling and composting can have a significant impact on environmental goals at a global scale. The Sustainability team is working on creative waste diversion projects at DEN, and this is an exciting opportunity for someone who is interested in gaining experience with real-world challenges in a complex system.
As a Sustainability intern you will get to experience working on projects such as, but not limited to:
Our ideal candidate has some or all the following interests, characteristics and skills:
This position is expected to stay open until March 11, 2025. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than 11:59pm on March 10th, 2025 to ensure consideration.
Location Flexibility
The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model with a required 3 days in office. Employees work where needed to support business, at the Denver International Airport. We do not offer housing or relocation assistance for this position.
Internship Duration and Hours:
10-Week: This is a 10-week internship with a start date of June 2, and completion date of Friday, August 8, 2025, with typical hours not exceeding 39 hours a week.
Position Type
On-call
The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.
FBI Background Check: FBI criminal background check is required for all positions at Denver International Airport (DEN). Employees are also required to report any felony convictions and/or moving violations to maintain this clearance and be eligible for continued employment. By position, a pre-employment physical/drug test may be required.
For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.
About Everything Else
Job Profile
TA1585 Youth Assistant
To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.
Position Type
Oncall
Position Salary Range
$18.81 - $18.81
Starting Pay
$18.81/Hour
Agency
Denver International Airport
The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.
It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.
Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.
For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.
Waste Diversion & Sustainability Internship – Sustainability Department
Who We Are
The Denver International Airport (DEN) Sustainability Department is actively seeking a Waste Diversion & Sustainability intern (nicknamed “DENtern”) to contribute to their division. DEN is undergoing a period of extraordinary growth, guided by our “Vision 100” program to accommodate 100 million passengers within the next 10 years. We have defined “Sustainability and Resiliency” as one of four guiding principles within our Vision 100 Strategic Plan, and we are striving to become the most sustainable airport in the world, while ensuring that our actions and decisions foster a healthy and resilient organization.
What We Offer
The City and County of Denver offers a competitive pay rate commensurate with education. Denver International Airport emerging talent positions are required to attend all sessions of professional development within the internship timeline. You will be onboarded with a cohort of peers to begin to help you develop your network across the City and the aviation industry.
Airports serve as microcosms of sustainability, where innovative strategies for recycling and composting can have a significant impact on environmental goals at a global scale. The Sustainability team is working on creative waste diversion projects at DEN, and this is an exciting opportunity for someone who is interested in gaining experience with real-world challenges in a complex system.
As a Sustainability intern you will get to experience working on projects such as, but not limited to:
- Signage Effectiveness Assessment
- DEN is replacing outdated trash and recycling bins around the airport, and we need to test different signage to understand which option(s) impact contamination and waste diversion the most. This will involve gathering data from bins at various locations across multiple weeks and synthesizing those observations.
- Compost Contamination Reduction Strategies
- Help the team gather data from concessions that generate compost (restaurants, cafés, fast-casual, etc.) to better understand who is using the compost system and how it can be improved.
- Diversion Data Analysis
- Analyze monthly reports from DEN’s waste hauler to identify trends across the airport, and report on findings.
- Combine files to improve efficiency and organization of the reports.
- Climate Programs Support – Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- Support DEN’s data collection efforts for Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions
- Support DEN’s development of Net Zero Emissions Plan to achieve 2030 and 2040 greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals.
- Attend monthly climate meetings and participate in strategy development
Our ideal candidate has some or all the following interests, characteristics and skills:
- Interest in sustainability, environmental science, behavioral psychology, corporate responsibility, or similar fields.
- An interest in the outdoors and/or natural systems and experience participating in trash cleanups or similar events in your community.
- General knowledge of the composting process, and what is/is not compostable and recyclable in our area.
- Basic experience with Microsoft Word and Excel.
- Communication Skills: Verbal and written communication proficiency.
- Self-Motivation: Demonstrating drive and enthusiasm for learning.
- Multitasking: Handling multiple tasks simultaneously without losing quality.
- Research Skills: Ability to gather and analyze data.
- Data Analysis: Interpreting and drawing insights from data sets.
- Education Requirement: This position is open to 16 to 19 year olds who are currently enrolled in high school, are homeschooled, or up to one year post high school graduation.
- Experience: None
- Education and Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted.
- 1-2 page resume
- Transcripts – either official or unofficial; dated within your current academic term. This is only used to verify amounts of credits; grades will not influence hiring decision.
- Cover letter detailing why you are interested in this position and 3-5 new skills, experiences, or tools you are hoping to take away from this experience.
This position is expected to stay open until March 11, 2025. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than 11:59pm on March 10th, 2025 to ensure consideration.
Location Flexibility
The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model with a required 3 days in office. Employees work where needed to support business, at the Denver International Airport. We do not offer housing or relocation assistance for this position.
Internship Duration and Hours:
10-Week: This is a 10-week internship with a start date of June 2, and completion date of Friday, August 8, 2025, with typical hours not exceeding 39 hours a week.
Position Type
On-call
The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.
FBI Background Check: FBI criminal background check is required for all positions at Denver International Airport (DEN). Employees are also required to report any felony convictions and/or moving violations to maintain this clearance and be eligible for continued employment. By position, a pre-employment physical/drug test may be required.
For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.
About Everything Else
Job Profile
TA1585 Youth Assistant
To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.
Position Type
Oncall
Position Salary Range
$18.81 - $18.81
Starting Pay
$18.81/Hour
Agency
Denver International Airport
The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.
It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.
Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.
For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.
Salary : $19
