Internships are available year-round at H2O Trash Patrol, from accounting & marketing to event coordination & program implementation. Your skills and passion for the environment are always welcome and needed! Internships for the up-coming school year are in development and descriptions for the following will be available soon:
- Social Media
- Business Development
- Blogger/Writing
- Photography
- Videography
Whether you are in high school, in college, looking to add to your resume, or just want to give back, contact us via email at:
[email protected]. We would love to hear from you!
Hear what past interns have said about the experience:
Being an intern at H2O Trash Patrol is an amazing opportunity. There are so many things I like about it but my favorite is the randomness. You never know what you’ll end up doing or where you’ll end up going. It can range from stopping by the Sea Life Aquarium at Legoland to help out with fixes in the exhibits to going to business meetings at the beach, or even paddle boarding in the local waterways. It’s also really cool to be able to help out the environment. I have learned more about keeping our environment cleaned in this internship than I have in all my life. And what better way to help out than having fun at the same time, on stand up paddle boards! Patti and Lorenzo are truly awesome people who any intern would be happy to have as their mentors. Go H2o Trash Patrol!
- Zach Paine, 11th Grader at High Tech High North County
Being an intern at H2O Trash Patrol was an awesome experience. Every day we did a different thing and I was never bored. I think that the best part about this internship was that I learned so much from Patti and Lorenzo. When taking part in the Zero Waste Project with the City of Oceanside, by doing waste audits at Oceanside High school I was astounded by the massive amount of waste that schools go through on a daily basis. It really made me think about my personal waste output and what I can do to decrease it. I was inspired by Patti and Lorenzo’s passion for what they do and how they are so dedicated to saving the environment in almost every way possible; from the recycling/reusing of materials that they find on clean ups to the types of food they eat. They were great to work with and have inspired me to lead an even more environmentally friendly lifestyle than I had led before. Picking up trash has never been as fun! Interning at H2o Trash Patrol is truly an eye-opening, fun, and amazing experience and opportunity. Thanks for having me Patti and Lorenzo!
- Emily Hayashida, 12th Grader at High Tech High North County
Before I began my internship at H2O Trash Patrol, I used to never think twice about using straws, eating out, using plastic bags, etc. I was not aware of how much waste a single person could generate that has the potential to end up in our waterways. I learned that most waste takes hundreds of years to break down. Plastic straws alone take 700 years to disappear! This information helped me come to realize that I can make a difference by being conscious of the businesses I support as well as the products I use and the amount of materials that are recyclable (including aluminum and all hard plastic). I also participated in elementary school audits where we assessed “green programs” implemented in the Encinitas Union School District. Here I saw the direct impacts of energy conservation and science/garden programs on young students and the habits they’re developing now that they’ll hopefully continue into the future. There’s a lot that schools can do to support our environment, even things as simple as recycling, composting, powering down computer monitors in the evening, and closing doors when the air conditioning is on! It was also a lot of fun going out on the water to paddle board and creating promotional content for the organization’s social media accounts. Patti and Lorenzo are open to many new ideas and opportunities - they even let us set them up on Vine! : ) My experience with H2O Trash Patrol was nothing but positive! Whether you’re interested in business, marine science, education, or other related fields, this is definitely a great place to intern! I also recommend finding a friend to intern with because it makes your time here even more enjoyable!
- Belle Barreiro Seiden, 12th Grader at High Tech High North County
Patti and Lorenzo have an immense amount of love for what they do; educating the public about the waste we produce and where it ends up. Through them, I have learned a ton about this waste people produce and where it ends up and how long it takes to decompose. Besides being more conscientious of the environment, days working with H2O Trash Patrol are a lot of fun. The complete spontaneity and unpredictableness of each day is always something to look forward to. While the days were structured in their own way, we started each day with “what are we doing today?” Assignments ranged from arts and crafts to visiting elementary schools to assess their green-ness and even promoting H2O cleanups to high school students during an Earth Day festival. If you feel like environmentalism, education outreach, and the like are interesting enough for you, or you are looking for an all around fun internship experience, H20 Trash Patrol is definitely something you should look into. Expect to leave with lots of laughs and a whole new outlook on the world (literally).
- Olivia Kucan, 12th Grader at High Tech High North County
By the time I had finished my internship at H2O Trash Patrol, I was a different person. I cannot tell you how hard Patti and Lorenzo work to do their dream job everyday, and I was inspired by how happy they were doing it. The spontaneous style of their work was awesome and I never found myself getting bored. When that final week was coming to a close, I wanted to go back and make my work better, and do more to help the non-profit get known. I am confident that this non-profit has more heart and love put into it than any other in the world. If you really care about the environment, then this is the place to be. Whether you volunteer your hands to pick up trash, your mind to be an intern, or even take a minute to read what they do, you are not wasting your time. Interning here was an absolutely awesome experience and Patti and Lorenzo are the coolest people around!
- Arjun Kraft, 11th Grader at High Tech High North County
When people see the name H2O Trash Patrol they think a company that only does trash cleanups. However Interning there with Patti and Lorenzo I learned that there is much more to within the company. It ranges from fundraisers, to surf film festivals, to teaching elementary school students and even to birthday parties. The amount of work that goes into managing the company is unbelievable but Patti and Lorenzo manage to do it. During the beginning it seems like hard work but as the internship progressed the work became easier as it was more rewarding to raise awareness for not only our waterways but to keep our earth clean. When I left this internship I really felt empowered to make a change and keep the environment clean even if it was little thing such as picking up any trash I see on the ground, or using a little less plastic. I also left with a different outlook on life as Patti and Lorenzo were very easy to talk to and gave wonderful advice to you if you needed it. You could feel comfortable talking to them about almost anything. This internship was a highlight of my junior year and was an experience to remember and I would recommend it to anyone looking to meet cool people and wanting to make a change to the environment.!
- Travis Acheampong, 11th Grader at High Tech High North County