Right to Repair & Planned Obsolescence - Sustainable Technology Internship
Apply if you think we should be able to fix our stuff. Join our Right to Repair campaign as an intern working remotely or in our Boston office 10-15 hours a week doing research, media outreach, and marketing. Previous interns have completed research submitted to the FTC and organized repair shop owners.
We generate way too much waste, and companies use their power in the marketplace to make things harder to repair. Some companies design products to be impossible to repair – such as gluing the battery in a smartphone so it cannot be replaced – or making tools proprietary so that only the manufacturing company can do the repairs.
We should give every consumer and every small business access to the parts, tools, and service information they need to repair products so we can keep things in use and reduce waste.
PIRG’s Right to Repair campaign is working to pass legislation to reduce waste and increase repairs. Help us stand up to tech giants who would prefer we just throw it out and not repair it, as we coordinate our affiliates in a number of target states to pass legislation. Join the development of our new planned obsolescence arguing that companies should do more to design their products to last, open software and hardware to enable repair, repurposing, and durability.
Get hands-on experience building coalitions, researching reports, and working with the media. Working directly with the Campaign Director, your internship will involve:
- Writing and research: Create and distribute media materials, including blog entries, press releases, press advisories, letters-to-the-editor, and issue fact sheets.
- Media Outreach: Organize press conferences, coordinate social media, call reporters, and maintain a good working relationship with elected officials, issue experts and coalition partners.
- Public Official Outreach: Help us build support from local elected officials by communicating our message to their offices.
- Social Media: Help us design materials, shareable images and social media content, for coordinated distribution by our campaign team
Company Description
PIRG is an advocate for the public interest, working to win concrete results on real problems that affect millions of lives, and standing up for the public against powerful interests when they push the other way.
The problems we face don’t care if you’re a liberal or a conservative, or if you live in a red or blue state — they affect each and every one of us. That’s why, for decades, we’ve taken a non-partisan, fact-driven, results-oriented approach to our work. And with your help, we can take on the difficult challenges ahead.
Qualifications
Graduated or enrolled in a bachelor’s or associate's degree program in communications, journalism, political science, public relations or a technology-related field such as computer science, engineering or another closely related field preferred, but not required. No experience or specific qualifications required.
Additional Information
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
This internship is unpaid, but course-credit may be eligible through your school.
For semester schools the internship will last until May 17. For Quarter schools the term is from March 3 until June 9.
Some educational institutions require prior approval before the start of an internship. It is the responsibility of the student to check with their institution to be sure they meet any requirements before they accept a position.