Job description
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA FIELD ORGANIZER – PITTSBURGH, PA
About the job
PennEnvironment seeks a skilled and savvy organizer to join our Pittsburgh team.
PennEnvironment is a statewide, citizen-based non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We believe there’s something special about Pennsylvania — something worth protecting and preserving for future generations. Whether it’s our beloved rivers and streams like the Allegheny or the Monongahela, our rolling family farmland, or our 120 state parks, Pennsylvania’s natural wonders enrich our lives in countless ways. Yet the places we love and the environmental values so many of us share are too often threatened by powerful polluters, short-sighted politicians and more. Defending our environment requires independent research, tough-minded advocacy and spirited grassroots action.
The Western Pennsylvania Field Organizer will be working to educate and energize the public on the most critical environmental issues facing the planet, including tackling climate change, halting fracking, reducing air and water pollution, and getting off of single-use plastics. Our organizer will work to build the power needed to convince our elected officials to tackle these issues, including grassroots mobilization, activating coalition partners and decision makers and garnering media attention.
That’s the idea behind PennEnvironment. Together with tens of thousands of supporters from all walks of life, we take the kind of action that wins tangible results for our environment.
Representative Responsibilities
Educate the public about the environmental threats facing Pennsylvania, and the solutions our local and state leaders have at their fingertips.
Increase citizen advocacy for our environment by organizing and recruiting concerned residents to attend events like volunteer meet-ups, rallies, or town hall meetings.
Build coalitions of critical stakeholders to promote and support our priority campaigns, including efforts to reduce single-use plastics, promote renewable energy, and ban fracking through phone banking, petition collection, and other tactics.
Garnering media attention on these critically important issues through organizing news conferences, submitting letters to the editor, and opinion pieces to targeted media outlets, and distributing news releases to reporters.
Working with our existing coalition partners to collaborate, shape strategy and messaging on these issues, and achieve our policy goals for a healthier planet.
Run a grassroots campaign office each summer, hiring a staff of canvassers to raise money, build our organization and membership, and win on our key campaigns.
Current Priority Campaigns
Clean Air: The Pittsburgh region has some of the worst air quality in the nation, and the majority of the pollution comes from just ten industrial sources: the Toxic Ten. Allegheny County is in the top 2% of counties nationwide for cancer risk from industrial air pollution, and asthma rates in some school districts are triple the national average. Our field organizer will work with coalition partners to hold local officials and the Allegheny County Health Department accountable to the Clean Air Act, calling on them to take strong enforcement action against illegal polluters, and set strict health-based pollution limits.
100% Renewable Energy: If we’re truly going to solve climate change, it’s clear what must be done: we must move Pennsylvania and the nation to 100% renewable energy as quickly as possible. To that end, PennEnvironment has worked with a bipartisan group of politicians to draft state-level legislation to do just that. Our field organizer will help raise awareness about this proposal, engage local residents to persuade their legislators to sign onto it, and increase support for this legislation across the region.
Zero Waste: From single-use plastic bags and straws to styrofoam takeout food containers, our so-called “throwaway” culture is causing an environmental crisis. Our field organizer will help us implement the solutions that will protect our environment and move us away from a disposable society by working to build a powerful coalition of environmental and civic organizations to call for action, mobilize business leaders who are leading by example, and lobbying local officials to support policies to address the scourge of single-use plastics.
Banning Fracking in Pennsylvania: Fracking has disrupted the lives of millions of Pennsylvanians over the past decade with harmful air and water pollution and the destruction of pristine landscapes. Methane from fracking is also thwarting Pennsylvania’s efforts to tackle climate change. Our field organizer will help us implement new policies to end fracking in PA by working with volunteers and coalition partners to persuade decision makers at every level of government.
Protect Pennsylvania’s Great Outdoor Places: Whether it’s a beloved river or stream like the Allegheny or the Monongahela, rolling family farmland, or our 120 state parks, Pennsylvania’s natural wonders enrich our lives in countless ways. From attacks in Washington DC on our public lands, to funding cuts in Harrisburg and efforts to roll back protections for the places we love, our field organizer will help mobilize residents of Western Pennsylvania who care deeply about protecting the places that make the state great.
Qualifications
Qualified candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to environmental issues and to citizen-based social change, as well as a track record of leadership. We’re looking for goal-driven, results-oriented individuals who have excellent verbal, writing, and analytical skills, the ability to speak persuasively in a charged atmosphere, and enthusiasm for the work. Candidates must have excellent judgment and discretion and the ability to oversee significant projects.
Pay & Benefits
The target annual compensation for this position is $30,000-$36,000 in the first year. PennEnvironment offers a competitive benefits package. We also offer an excellent training program and opportunities for advancement.
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
To Apply
Apply online at:https://environmentamerica.org/jobs/western-pa-field-organizer/ . Please direct your cover letter to Ashleigh Deemer, Deputy Director.
Things To Know When You Apply
PennEnvironment is part of The Public Interest Network — a group of organizations that share a vision of a better country, a set of core values, and a coordinated strategic approach to getting things done.
Visit https://jobs.environmentamerica.org/core-values.html for things you should know about our network when you apply.
PennEnvironment is an equal opportunity employer.
COVID-19: We take COVID-19 safety very seriously. Employees must follow our COVID safety protocols and be fully vaccinated and boostered. Accommodations are provided to the extent required by law.
Location
Details
Employer
Environment America
Job category
Advocacy
Employment type
Full Time
Experience
0+ years
Compensation
$30,000 – $36,000
Start date
Apply by March 1, 2023