Ecological Design and Living Internships 2025

Are you interested in, as Ghandi best put it, "how to be the change you wish to see in the world"?" Are you curious not only about ecological building, but also what it means to engage in ecological living? Do you love the outdoors, getting your hands dirty, and learning new things while having fun? If you've answered yes to these questions, please consider an Ecological Design and Living Internship with us, from Spring-Fall 2025!

What: 

Engaging in Ecological Design and Living means more than anything, adaptability, flexibility, and movement with the seasons of Earth. That being such, depending on those factors, the activities you engage in will vary. Here's a short list of examples:

Ecological Design:

• Earth plaster making and application: Learn how to mine and sift site-clay, and mix with sand and straw to create earthen plasters. Learn the fundamentals of plaster application, and get real hands-on experience.

• Lime plaster making and application: Learn how to make NHL Lime applications for natural buildings, and the art of lime plastering.

• Earthen floors: Learn the art of earth floor mixing and application.

• Upcycled ecological building: Learn how to create low-impact buildings using available upcycled materials.

• Ecological Design Planning: Learn what it takes to not only design an ecological building project, but also to bring it to full fruition.

Ecological Living:

• Off-grid living: Learn the art and science of off-grid living: from solar to septic systems, off-grid living requires an adaptation of our engrained convenience lifestyle, learn how to make this transition, and to make it possible within our current economic system while reaching for a more just economy.

• Permaculture: Learn the fundamentals of permaculture, from design to implementation in the context of off-grid ecological living.

• Materials and skills: What does it mean to acquire the materials and skills necessary to engage in ecological living? It means being a jack-of-all trades, and here you learn the on-the-ground reality of the multifaceted skills required to achieve ecological living.

Ecological Arts:

• Those who are interested, may request a focus on the arts. Emily and Ian fund their ecological living experiment with their art business, In Theory Art Studios. Learn the skills necessary to run an off-grid, ecological art practice in the context of ecological design and living.

Where: 

Internships will take place at the Center for Ecological Design, 18 acres north of Huntsville Utah surrounded by thousands of acres of pristine wildlands. More info about the Center here.

When: 

Session 1: April 15 - May 15 2025

Session 1: May 1 - May 30 2025

Session 2: June 1 - June 30 2025

Session 3: August 1-15 2025, with an option to join our art collective at Burning Man through September 3 2025.

Session 4: September 15-October 15 2025

Flexibility: We realize the demands of living in our capitalist economy. If you'd like to request a minor date modification, we will take it under consideration. We require a 3-week minimum for all internships.

FAQ

Credits and CVs?

Can you get college credits and add this to your CV? Emily Nicolosi is a Human Geography PhD and Research Assistant Professor at the University of Utah, so if you are interested in college credits, its an option we can explore. You can absolutely count this internship as a proud line on your CV! We are a 501c3 registered nonprofit corporation.

Can I bring my dog?

The Center for Ecological Design is located in a fragile, wild ecosystem. Because of this, we do not allow dogs, unless the dog is of an age or disposition where it will not distrub local wildlife, or if it is fundamentally necessary as a service dog, for example, as a guide dog for a person with blindness.

Can I bring my RV?

The road which leads to the Center is a rugged private road. Some RVs may be able to traverse this road, others may not. We have limited parking for RVs due to the slope of the property.

Can I bring my car?

Yes, you can bring your car. We have onsite parking. Please note, you will not be able to park your car next to your tent.

Do you provide facilities?

Yes, we provide bathroom and shower facilities, in addition to our fully-stocked outdoor kitchen, the "Tiki Bar."

Is this internship paid?

We have a flexible model available for our interns. In exchange for 25/hours per week of work, receive room and board (e.g. lodging and food). If you choose to work more than 25 hours, all additional hours will be paid at the rate of $18/hr.

What type of food is provided?

The food on premises is 100% lacto-ovo vegetarian. Each day, lunch will be provided and prepared by the Center and be eaten together in our strawbale home. Breakfast and dinner materials will be provided for community preparation of interns in the Tiki Bar.

Will I have access to convenience lifestyle amenities?

The Center for Ecological Design is a remote 18+ acre off-grid property surrounded by thousands of acres of wildlands, 20 minutes from town, and 45 minutes to a metro area. As such, folks who stay with us must be prepared (if they do not have a car) to engage in full ecological living: in essence, you can sip your coffee leisurely amongst the bunnies and birds instead of going to Starbucks, you can print a new phone case on our 3D printer instead of going to Target! We have hundreds of miles of trails to explore right out of our gate, but we do not provide transportation to to metro area for shopping.

How do I get here?'

We are located approximately 1 hr and 15 m from the closest airport, SLC International Airport. From SLC, you can take the train to Ogden Central Station, where we will pick you up! If you have a car, you can drive right to us, please be sure to get directions from us, as Google Maps is not accurate to our Center!