Coolfood – World Resources Institute’s initiative for curbing diet-related emissions – provides the food service industry with the tools and expertise to reduce emissions by 25% by 2030, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Food providers serving 8 billion meals annually rely on Coolfood to step up their climate action, and thereby help build a food system that benefits people and the planet. Coolfood uniquely combines deep environmental research with expertise in behavioral science and consumer marketing techniques, all in a one stop shop that allows the food service industry to turn its ambition into action. 10x20x30 – The groundbreaking 10x20x30 initiative, coordinated by WRI, brings together 10+ of the world’s largest food retailers and providers, each engaging at least 20 suppliers to halve food loss and waste by 2030. The effort catalyzes a “whole chain” approach to fighting food loss and waste and supports upstream food loss and waste reduction. Each of the food retailers, providers, and suppliers has committed to the “Target-Measure-Act” approach: set a target of reducing food loss and waste in their own operations by 50%, measure and publish their food loss and waste inventories, and take action to reduce their waste. These exciting and dynamic initiatives support WRI’s Food, Land, and Water Program, which identifies and develops solutions to the world’s food production and consumption problems, with a view to sustainably feeding nearly 10 billion people by 2050. We identify ways to reduce food loss and waste, enable consumers to make more sustainable food choices, and advance strategies to sustainably increase food production, such as restoring degraded lands back into productivity, increasing pastureland yields, and improving land and water management.

In this role, you will work closely with the Coolfood Data Analyst and a Food Program Associate to provide support on data-related tasks for the Coolfood Pledge and Food Loss and Waste initiatives. For the Coolfood data support, you will assist with Coolfood data analysis and data organization and become familiar with food-related greenhouse gas emissions calculations, particularly through the Coolfood Pledge Calculator Excel tool. You will also gain insights into greenhouse gas emissions reporting initiatives, including the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Science Based Targets Initiative. For the Food Loss and Waste initiatives, you will assist with data collection and analysis relating to the 10x20x30 initiative. You will gain insights into how companies address food loss and waste within their operations, as well as learn about how those companies gather relevant data and report that data publicly. You will be supported by the Food Initiatives team, which leads WRI’s work on Coolfood and the 10x20x30 initiative. You will report to the Coolfood Data Analyst.

Support Coolfood Pledge data management, analysis, and presentation (50% of time).

Support data gathering and analysis for the 10x20x30 initiative (50% of time)

The pay for this internship opportunity is $20 for undergrads; $22 for graduates and $24 for PhD.

This is a full time, 3-month internship with a flexible start and end date.

How to Apply:

Please submit a resume with a cover letter by March 5, 2024. Applicants mustapply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

About Us: Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

Internships at WRI are learning experiences designed for current students, recent graduates, and other candidates who wish to gain knowledge about a specific area of our work. We strive to attract diverse, intellectually driven candidates who have a passion for sustainability and development. WRI provides many internship opportunities throughout the year in all our programs.

WRI is committed to advancing gender, racial, and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.