Ecological and Sustainable Living Internship

VerdEnergia Pacifica is a permaculture community and reforestation project located in the rural mountains of Pursical, Costa Rica. We provide hands-on educational experiences in the fields of permaculture, agroforestry, and eco-conscious community living.

Since 2006, we have been working to repair destroyed cattle land into a food forest in one of the most deforested areas of Costa Rica. We aim to transform today’s convergence of global crises into opportunities to unite, educate, and co-create a more conscious, just, and abundant way of life for ourselves and generations to come.

VerdEnergia is a growing ecovillage and regenerative agroforestry project situated within acres of reforested jungle. Part ecovillage, part reforestation project, part farm, Verde is a community of people on a mission to practice and share practical applications of permaculture. We’ve integrated our practice into everyday life, using permaculture principles as a guiding tool as we regenerate and gently cultivate the forest we are honored to call home.

Join us for an inspiring, fun, educational, and immersive internship at our regenerative farm and developing ecovillage in Costa Rica!

Learn while doing. Explore a permaculture lifestyle through working collaboratively to support a thriving, farm-based community. Engage in farm-to-table activities such as food processing, fermentation projects, and cooking community meals. Deepen your knowledge and connection with the land through growing and harvesting food. Share daily operations responsibilities in the areas of hospitality and maintenance. Engage in weekly group sessions to develop your team-building skills to apply in your future work environments. Grow from one-on-one check-ins to take a deeper look at your strengths and weaknesses working with others.

During your free time, relax in nature by going for a swim in our river, waterfall or spring-fed pool; walk jungle trails; enjoy a view of the scarlet macaw biological corridor from one of our beautiful vistas; do yoga or dance in our studio; make art; play music; or simply relax in a hammock with a good book from our farm library.

Internship Goals

Gain experience living and working in a community setting
Develop team building and leadership skills that are useful in a diverse range of situations
Increase self-motivation, accountability and organizational practices
Develop life skills (i.e. cooking, cleaning, gardening, food processing)
Gain skills in effective communication, group facilitation and interpersonal dynamics
Be in a place where you feel supported to explore your interests and share your ideas
Learn about ecology and regenerative farming practices

Your Internship Experience Includes

Weekly group and one-on-one check-ins with organizers
Plant walks/harvest explorations of our diverse and developing farm & sister farms
Garden bed preparation and tending of crops
Plant and nursery propagation
Discussions on topics such as Sustainability and Ecological Impact
Farm-to-table food preparation (fermentation projects, cooking and cleaning up, food processing & preservation)
Building and maintenance learning opportunities

Interdisciplinary Personal Projects

Interns explore a relevant subject of their choice by developing personal projects. This includes research, design, creating a timeline and proposal. They will have an opportunity to present their project to organizers and staff. This allows them to gain direct experience in project development from an early research stage all the way to the final proposal.

Another project option to cultivate self-motivation, leadership and skill development is to hold a primary responsibility in an integral farm or community function. Examples may include nursery management, community outreach, media, recycling, waste and compost management, green building, and renewable energy. Opportunities do depend on time of year and current farm projects.

Bio / Qualifications

At VerdEnergia, interns experience the decision-making processes that farms, people and communities go through to create and live holistically healthy lifestyles. This means that we spend a lot of time in the kitchen, preparing farm-fresh and seasonal dishes to enjoy together! Interns learn to plan and prepare meals for groups, prepared from diverse ingredients, some of which they help grow and harvest themselves. Other aspects of a well-balanced lifestyle in this internship include opportunities to practice yoga and mindfulness, outdoor physical work, and relaxing time. These experiences provide interns, especially those coming from a university setting, with invaluable hands-on and real-life practice, which dramatically sets them apart from those emerging from only classroom settings.

Our program organizers teach skill sets that can be applied to any climate or place in the world and a diverse range of careers. Interns are encouraged to develop a personal project in an area of their interest that will benefit the community. Interns receive project management guidance and gain valuable experience in managing timelines, resources, and people. Our program emphasizes personal accountability and teamwork, with the purpose of building skills and experiences that will interest future employers.

Interns at VerdEnergia live as “farm to table” as possible. This means learning to cultivate, harvest, and prepare our own meals. In addition, there are opportunities to gain a range of horticultural and homesteading skills such as plant identification, nursery management, and food preservation. Verde staff manages three local agroforestry projects in conjunction with Blacksheep, our sister company, with a focus on the production of crops such as turmeric, cacao and tropical hardwoods. Having access to these agricultural projects and the experienced staff implementing them is a huge advantage for our interns.

Pricing

$800/mo