Meet Our Interns
Smart Yards Co-op is happy to provide volunteering, training, internship and summer job opportunities to college students, environmentalists, nature lovers and aspiring landscapers. Volunteers and interns get a hands-on learning experience by participating in ongoing projects working on tasks such as: conducting customer interviews, material procurement, landscape design conceptualization, design research, explorations and finalization, installation, landscape management, social media marketing, attend and participate in educational workshops and events
Each year, new members becomes part of our co-operative family. We would like to introduce you to our new intern member this year. Meet Emilia!
Emilia grew up in a sustainable and permaculture- oriented household. At the age of 10, with her older brother Max, they won the “Greenlight Film Festival Community Energy Champions” award. The following year they received the first place recognition in their age group at the Film Festival. During her high school years she actively participated in the school’s “Green Team” that made efforts to earn the “Eco School” title and the silver medal recognition. She enjoyed working with the younger students to help deepen their knowledge about their environment and the importance of its conservation. In her free time, Emilia enjoys going to kickboxing classes, playing the cello, reading and of course spending time outdoors. For Smart Yards she handles media, writes the newsletters and does many marketing oriented projects. After her gap year in Chile, Emilia plans to study political sciences with a specialization in environmental politics at the University of Vienna, Austria.
Meet Nick, born and raised in San Jose, Nick will be graduating with a Bachelor in Environmental Studies degree from San José State University in December 2017. Nick is very knowledgeable about energy policies, green building design, and sustainable agriculture. Working to protect the natural environment, learning ways to conserve resources, engaging in practical and hands-on experience, as well as sharing his knowledge with others is a passion of Nick. As a Smart Yards Co-op intern, Nick is working on building planters with reclaimed materials, photographing and making videos to show case the gardens designed and installed by SYC. He'll also be developing ways to promote the co-op. Nick also works for the City of San José as a Youth Recreational Leader, where he has spent the last six years creating and running programs intended to engage youth in outdoor activities. In his free time Nick enjoys gardening, hiking, and backpacking.