Volunteer Coordinator Internship (with stipend)

Hey everyone–

Please check out the details below…and spread the word! Interviewing starts next week.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR INTERN

Job description:

We’d like to continue that winning streak by adding a volunteer coordinator to our team! This person would be responsible for recruiting, training, and coordinating 28-42 volunteers (4-6 volunteers per game) that will staff the outreach tables before and during home games. Volunteers will be connecting with the sports fans streaming into the Swamp–handing out buttons and stickers, encouraging folks to sign up for our e-newsletter, and answering questions about our organization and our work. The volunteer coordinator will be on hand for each game to ensure that everything runs smoothly, serving as the point person for any issues (the executive director will be present at some games for extra support).

In addition, the volunteer coordinator is in charge of transporting the table displays from the Earth Givers office as well as set-up and breakdown. This individual will also help create communication strategies and themes for each game (last year’s themes were solar, local business, local food production, water conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, green products, and carbon calculator).

A successful applicant must be….

…upbeat and outgoing.
…able to inspire others.
…a quick learner, knowing our work inside and out.
…an effective communicator.
…professional, representing Neutral Gator well.
…able to work all seven Game Days: Sept 4, 11, & 25, Oct 9 & 16, and Nov 13 & 20.

Managerial experience preferred.

Up to 15 hours a week (schedule is flexible except for Game Days).

Send your resume and why you think you’re a good fit for this internship to almah@neutralgator.org.

You’re invited to our tree-planting celebration on Saturday!

You are invited to join EARTH University (Costa Rica), the Alachua Conservation Trust, and Neutral Gator for a hands-on, local celebration of World Environment Day. On Saturday, June 5, EARTH University is “throwing” a synchronized tree planting in 26 countries. (It’s like a global party for the planet.) The goal is to plant 1 million trees that will remove 34,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.

If you can pitch in anytime between 8am and noon on June 5, please contact Laura Avila at lavila@ufl.edu. Transportation is available from UF if you need it.

Think about it: you’ll be helping to restore five acres of land with longleaf pine in the Prairie Creek Preserve and get treated to an afternoon BBQ in appreciation for your efforts. How can you beat that for a Saturday well spent?

Our tree planting in the Everglades

Headed to Haiti!

Earth Givers, Neutral Gator’s parent organization, is launching a project in Haiti called Trees for Food. This reforestation and edible landscapes project has been in the planning stages for a while, but now we’re ready for take-off!

Jacob and EG board member Suzanne Perritt-Cravey will be journeying down on April 23rd to check out planting sites. One possible site is an orphanage, where the children will be the primary caretakers of the trees. Each child will have a tree of his or her own to care for.

Jane Wynne with students who visited the Wynne Farm Ecological Reserve.

We’re working with Jane Wynne of Wynne Farm Ecological Reserve in Kenscoff. Jane has asked us to bring as many vegetable seeds as possible since they’ve been unable to get any this growing season.

So this is where you come in. We’re asking for donations to purchase organic or non-GMO seeds (heirloom variety) suited to a sub-tropical climate.

Please e-mail Jacob at jacob@neutralgator.org for donation info or other details.

This is only the beginning! We’re also looking to create Trees for Food programs focusing
on sustainable cooking, micro loans for a tree nursery, and environmental education. Thank you in advance for being part of a very auspicious start.

Neutral Gator showed its true colors at the Orange and Blue Game…

…and these games are getting more and more vibrant! There was such great entertainment at the Orange and Blue Game on Saturday. We were vibing to the music as we mingled with fans, passed out our popular stickers and buttons, and just raised ecological awareness. The Fan Fest is just getting better and better, and we’re happy to be part of such a great showcase of Gator pride. ORANGE…BLUE….ORANGE…BLUE! (Those colors go well with green, don’t you think?)

Seth wows the crowds at the Orange and Blue Game

No Bush Left Behind….

So I didn’t make it to Granny’s…but I’m not giving up!

Adjusting to an all raw diet is no joke, but I’m hanging in there. I believe in the work we do that much, and I hope you do, too!

Dining alfresco has a whole new meaning these days....

You can make your contribution at our website by clicking on the “generate offsets” button. You’ll create savings for low-income families in Gainesville and environmental benefits for all Earthlings. No amount is too small!

Feed me, feed Neutral Gator–we’re hungrier than ever.

Am I going to miss out on Granny’s chicken and dumplings?

My mom is in town for a few days (she lives in Puerto Rico) and I just learned that my granny wants to cook chicken and dumplings for us tomorrow night.

Aww…don’t make me miss a rare treat! Because of the “doin’ it raw” campaign, I won’t be able to have a home-cooked meal until we reach our goal of $1,000…which means that I have $925 to raise in about 25 hours.

Am I crazy?

Or are you committed?

Because this is really about reducing our harmful impact on the Earth. It’s about the fact that just $1,000 will save local low-income families $48,000 over the course of five years. And yes, it’s about putting a smile on my granny’s face when she sees me chowing down on her chicken and dumplings tomorrow night.

When do I get to steam you?

Do the right thing! Donate by clicking the “generate offsets” button on our website. Remember: You’ll get a special gift if you give $50 or more and I’m donating my food savings to the St. Francis House if we reach our $1,000 target. My mouth is already watering….

Doin’ It Raw

You know, I founded Neutral Gator because I was hungry. I was hungry to unleash a culture of sustainability across the Gator Nation and beyond. I was hungry to make a difference among the low-income families in our community. I was hungry to do my part to restore a corner of this precious planet.

And I’m still hungry.

But now for a slightly different reason. Today I’ve started a completely raw diet! I won’t be returning to my regularly cooked meals until Neutral Gator raises $1,000 from good folks like you. And why am I doing this? Because I want to inspire you to help us save money AND the Earth at the same time. If I need to give up a few of my favorite foods to get the ball rolling…so be it.

I’m giving my all, but I’m only asking you to give what you can. And a little goes a long way!

• $10 buys a tree for a local conservation project
  

• $50 weatherizes a home, saving  $2,400 per household (and reducing greenhouse gases)
  

• $100 insulates a home, saving $480 annually for five years (and reducing greenhouse gases)

I'm so famished I'm eating fluorescents!

Where else can you get such a bang for your buck (and my belly)?

Every dollar you give gets me closer to a home-cooked meal!

Once donations reach…

…$200, I can steam my veggies—yeah!

…$400, it’s spaghetti night because pasta is on the menu again!

…$600, you’ll hear me sayin’ “rice is nice.”

…$800 , it’s “cheese, please.”

…$1000, we got dough! (I can eat bread and other cooked goodies!)

To inspire you even more, I’ll be donating two weeks’ worth of food savings (because I won’t be going out to eat) to the St. Francis House, a local organization dedicated to helping the truly hungry and homeless.

As a small token of our appreciation, we’d like offer a free low-flow showerhead to the first ten people who donate a minimum of $50. To the first ten $100+ donors, we’ll send cutting-edge Neutral Gator fashion—the first batch of our new t-shirts! And, of course, any donation amount is welcome and appreciated.

To make your contribution, please click on the “generate offsets” button on our website. Or send a check to us at Earth Givers, 408 W. University Avenue, Suite 108C, Gainesville, FL 32601 (made payable to Earth Givers). All contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. If there anything I can do to make the donation process easier for you, please contact me at 904-705-9925 or jacob@neutralgator.org. (I’d also welcome receiving some raw recipes and tips!)

Put your money where my mouth is—and donate today. Then I can have my comfort foods again and be comforted by the fact that together we’re making the world we share greater and greener.

For the Earth,

Jacob Cravey

Director

Earth Givers, Neutral Gator

p.s. If you don’t have the financial resources to give at this time, please donate your Internet surfing! If you go to the Yahoo!-powered GoodSearch.com and type “Earth Givers” in the “Who Do You GoodSearch For?” box, we get around a penny per eligible search. No repeated manual clicks please–that could get us de-listed. Just search as you normally would and we will benefit!

p.s.s.  Will we reach our goal of $1,000 before I break down and get a cup of coffee? Keep checking this blog to find out!