SEEKING GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY
Join a tech startup that fights global warming
by protecting and restoring nature
The job
We are an NYC-based nonprofit that fights global warming by helping people and
organizations change the ways use and manage land, with a keen focus on healthy
forests, soils, and wetlands. We are seeking an experienced student to assist with a
variety of digital media and communication projects.
Become part of a fast-paced tech team telling stories via a variety of digital media:
time-based media, video production, digital imaging, audio, video, and
animation. Candidate should be able to create compelling experiences on complex
topics with a distinctive point of view. They should also be skilled in step-by-step
methodologies for research-driven creative projects.
Candidate should be discerning, curious, eager to reimagine, re-examine, and
course-correct, with a focus on experience design tailored to a wide array of
different audiences responsible for making local land use decisions.
We are small but growing fast. We are looking for charismatic leader able to recruit
interns, creators, and collaborators to join our cause. Familiarity with GIS, geospatial
imaging, 3D modeling, and/or location-based software applications is a plus,
though not required.
This is a paid internship with flexible hours. We expect this assignment to take 15-
20 hours of your time each week at $30 per hour. We are based in Harlem and this
role would require on-site presence for key planning meetings.
Get in on the ground floor of building a mission-drive company with big
aspirations!
Who we are
The Copernicus Project is a technology company that fights global warming by
protecting and restoring nature. We are different from other climate organizations
who focus on reducing manmade greenhouse gas emissions as fast as possible.
Our goal is scaling up nature-based solutions to climate change as fast possible.
The data most climate experts rely on is massively distorted. They focus almost
exclusively on manmade solutions to reducing direct manmade emissions – mainly
from burning fossil fuels. They present a worldview that bears little resemblance to
how the global economy works, how decisions get made, or, most importantly, how
the atmosphere absorbs greenhouse gases.
Natural systems like forests, wetlands, soils, and marine systems are largely
excluded, even though they absorb nearly 60 percent of manmade CO2 each year.
Threatened terrestrial ecosystems store trillions of tons of carbon and, if degraded,
could emit 25-30X more carbon dioxide and methane than the global fossil fuel
industry produces in a year.
Nature-based climate solutions are available right now at massive scales and low
cost. We know for sure they work. We have extensive knowledge of what to do and
how to do it. By protecting, restoring, and better managing natural systems not
only can we capture and sequester huge amounts of carbon, we can generate
“global cooling” at scale, provide critical ecosystem services to local communities
(e.g., clean air and water, food, livelihoods, biodiversity) and dampen some of the
worst impacts of climate change.
Why are we confident that we can protect and restore ecosystems at meaningful
levels? Exponential advances in technology and expertise across multiple fields
over the past 5 years, which allow us to precisely target, model, measure, and
rapidly scale up the impact of disparate conservation interventions.
What we do
The Copernicus Project targets the people, communities, companies, and
organizations driving local land use decisions. We provide them powerful, easy-to-
use digital tools to dramatically improve the ecological integrity of how they use
and manage land — with a keen eye on maintaining healthy forests, soils,
grasslands, and wetlands.
By strategically targeting the right places, individuals, and organizations, even
modest changes in the status quo can make an enormous difference over 30–50-
year timeframes.
We address four major barriers to climate action. We:
1) Make it easy for people and organizations to figure out what to do, then
connect them to the right resources and subject matter experts
2) Provide practical advice, case studies, easy-to-use playbooks, and tools to
help them design and implement natural climate initiatives
3) Give them customized data and analytics tools to measure and track their
results
4) Connect them to a diverse community of people and organizations working
hard to protect and restore healthy ecosystems.
Above all, we are Climate Actionists.
The Copernicus Project is powered by passionate people who wake up every day
committed to ramping up our collective impact as fast as possible. We measure our
results, post them for everyone to see, then challenge each other to learn faster, get
smarter, and rapidly innovate new solutions.
We believe that, by linking the compounding benefits of natural regeneration to
exponential advances in technology and knowhow, we can achieve globally
significant results long before many of our most promising manmade innovations
get to meaningful scale.
How we operate
We are a small, fast-moving startup where everyone rolls up their shirtsleeves and
pitches in. We work hard but have fun. We get to meet inspiring people doing
amazing things. We know the facts and data, but we lead with compelling stories
to engage people from all walks of life. Our overarching goal is to inspire people
and organizations to go out and protect the natural world.
Our success relies on bringing groups together around a shared purpose. Doing
this requires a trust-based, collegial environment where everyone feels welcome
and supported.
The Copernicus community includes people from different socioeconomic groups,
backgrounds, races, religions, ages, sexual preferences, gender identities, and
political points of view. We expect members of our community to treat each other
with dignity and respect.
We work in red states, blue states, purple states, and everything in between. We
are staunchly apolitical and nonconfrontational.
In many places there are widely differing opinions on how land and natural
resources should be used. It is imperative we stay focused on protecting and
restoring nature and the ecosystems that provide clean air and water, food, wildlife,
and a healthy, livable environment. This benefits everyone, regardless of their
personal views.
By necessity, our success hinges on working hand-in-hand with companies in
extractive industries, some of whom may generate significant greenhouse gas
emissions or cause environmental damage. We strive to partner only with
companies seriously committed to reducing their environmental footprint. We
expect them to act in good faith and, in return, we agree to work with them in a
constructive non-confrontational way.
The Copernicus Project is registered in the State of New York as both a Benefit
Corporation and a 501(c)3 operating foundation. Our website won’t go live until
mid-April, but you can check out a working prototype here:
https//www.thecopernicusproject.org
If interested, please contact us at: norman@thecopernicusproject.org