Internship Location: Madison, WI
Organization Type: Local Government
Policy Areas: Climate and sustainability
The Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change (OECC) operates under the County Executive’s Office and serves all of Dane County, the second most populous county in the state. The OECC aims to slow and reduce climate change by leading the county on a path to deep decarbonization and leading the way in mitigating the impacts of climate change. The Office’s 2020 Climate Action Plan guides the work of the four staff members. While I worked as an intern in the Office, I helped with many different initiatives that all revolved around improving outcomes for people and the environment in Dane County. To inspire others to take action, one project was working on blog posts and success stories detailing projects done by people or organizations that focused on sustainability and energy efficiency. Another major lift of the Office during 2023 was to help Dane County residents understand the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Creating communications materials to help increase the uptake of the IRA helped me understand the importance of local implementation of federal policies. Lastly, another initiative I worked on was recruitment for Climate Champions, which recognizes entities that are committed to climate action. The variety of projects done by an intern makes the OECC an exciting and interesting place to work that provides you with the opportunity to contribute to impactful, prudent climate action.