Zero Waste Educator - Energy Corps Member

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Name and location of host site: Home ReSource & Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS), Missoula, MT

Title: Zero Waste Educator

Reports to: Energy Corps Program Director

Term of service: October 1, 2019 - August 28, 2020

Anticipated service schedule: 1700 hours over the course of service term. Roughly 40 hours per week. Occasional evening/weekend hours may be necessary.

Position Summary:

Home ReSource is a nonprofit business with a commitment to reduce waste and build a more vibrant & sustainable local economy. We collect and sell reusable building materials, channel materials to those in need, provide green job training, offer reuse skill-building opportunities, and foster Missoula’s move toward Zero Waste. Every day, we keep tons of good materials out of the landfill and provide affordable building materials to the Western Montana community. Since opening in 2003, we’ve helped put thousands of tons of building materials back to work in Montana homes, offices, playgrounds, gardens, and dog and bird houses.

Commitment to our mission and the desire to leverage our growing business profile in the community for positive change led us to launch our Community Sustainability Programs. Those programs include our education and community Zero Waste efforts, which address the need for more concrete actions to reduce waste and conserve resources and energy, expand awareness of what it takes to build a more resilient community, and deepen community understanding of the benefits of a Zero Waste economy.

Our three consecutive Energy Corps service members have helped us begin meeting those needs by assisting in the following:

• Working with the Missoula City Council to draft the Missoula Zero Waste Resolution, which was adopted by council in February 2018;
• Working with the City of Missoula to develop and implement the ZERO by FIFTY: Missoula’s Pathway to Zero Waste planning process;
• Implementing and improving our ZWAP! Zero Waste Ambassadors Program, which has engaged more than 1,900 fifth graders in an interactive education program to knock out waste in Missoula;
• Launching and coordinating the Creative Reuse Division at the Western Montana Fair;
• Facilitating creative reuse activities with various Missoula youth groups; and
• Coordinating a Zero Waste planning process within Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) as a concrete step for a district-wide move toward Zero Waste

Energy Corps service members have been instrumental in providing us the capacity to develop the community partnerships necessary to build the will and capacity to cultivate and implement Zero Waste strategies and programs across Missoula. We look forward to work further with NCAT and Energy Corps Montana and in partnership with MCPS to continue to build on this momentum.

Specific Position Responsibilities:

The Energy Corps service member will act as primary coordinator and educator for the Home ReSource Zero Waste Ambassadors Program (ZWAP!) as well as play a coordinating role in the continuing MCPS Zero Waste effort. The member will also engage in other community Zero Waste education and outreach activities.

ZWAP! - 10-30 hours/week - Coordinating and acting as primary educator of ZWAP! includes becoming familiar with the ZWAP! curriculum and materials, brainstorming ways to refine, improve, or otherwise make the program more engaging for students, and identifying additional methods to evaluate the program’s efficacy. The service member may work with Missoula County Public Schools Teaching and Learning staff to identify ways to integrate ZWAP! into 5th grade curriculum as well as to develop curriculum for the waste awareness portion of a 6th grade "Sustainability Unit" that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards. The service member will coordinate ZWAP! logistics with 5th grade teachers, scheduling a 1-hour classroom session and a 2.5-hour Home ReSource field trip for each class; then, with ample training and support, the service member will spearhead the delivery of the program both in the classroom and on-site at Home ReSource.

MCPS Zero Waste Initiative - 10-30 hours/week - The service member will continue coordinating the partnership between Home ReSource and MCPS to build upon the Zero Waste planning effort. By starting with the resultant MCPS Zero Waste plan, the service member’s activities will be guided by the plan recommendations and include other related duties as assigned.

Zero Waste Community Outreach & Education - 2-20 hours/week - The service member will also be instrumental in continuing to build community support and leadership necessary to move Missoula toward Zero Waste, which includes outreach and education, but no political activity. In this area of service, the member will have the opportunity to work with other organizations and engage with a broader effort toward community sustainability and will likely include two key activities: 1. Coordinating the Zero Waste Missoula group as needed, and 2. Assisting in hands-on community Zero Waste activities such as coordinating Zero Waste efforts at the Missoula’s annual Earth Day Celebration, coordinating the Creative Reuse Division of the Western Montana Fair, planning & coordinating educational activities for youth groups, and other opportunities that arise.

Choose Your Own Adventure... - We will work with the service member to identify areas of particular interest and are open to developing other projects that both inspire the service member and align with the scope of this position.

Minimum Requirements:

• Must be over 18 with a high school diploma or GED; a strong educational background and/or experience in energy conservation strategies and sustainable energy management and design is preferred
• Sincere and demonstrated interest in environmental sustainability and energy conservation
• Strong interest in zero waste, waste reduction, sustainability, and climate
• Has a background in education
• Enjoys working both independently and as a team player
• Is skilled in verbal and written communications and has an interest in transferring information to varied audiences via presentations, websites, social media, and other non-traditional channels
• Is interested in working with kids in a fun, educational setting
• Possesses analytical skills; an affinity for database and detail work preferred
• Has the ability to effectively collaborate with diverse stakeholders and problem solve around tasks
• Enjoys researching cutting edge ideas, policies, and models to implement Zero Waste and build community sustainability
• Member will have recurring access to vulnerable populations

Benefits: This Energy Corps position will receive the following benefits:

• Opportunity to make a difference in a community
• Green job training and professional development
• Living allowance of $13,992 over term of service
• An AmeriCorps Education Award of $6,095 upon successful completion of service
• Health benefits and child care assistance if qualified

APPLICATION PROCESS: Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate can be identified. Early applications are encouraged and applications will be considered as they are received. All persons interested in being considered for the position must create an AmeriCorps account and apply. You can create an account and explore AmeriCorps opportunities at: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/login.do

NCAT values diversity and encourages minority and women applicants to apply. For additional information about NCAT please visit our website at www.ncat.org.It is NCAT’s policy and organizational philosophy to ensure that all of our employment practices, including recruitment and hiring, are administered for all individuals without regard to race, sex, creed, color, national origin, age, religion, marital or veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.