GREAT LAKES FRIENDLY RESTAURANT PROGRAM INTERNSHIP

TERM: SPRING 2026 

Internship Description:

The internship will span 8 weeks, starting Monday, May 11, and ending on Sunday, June 28. The internship commitment will entail 20 hours per week during this period. If the start date interferes with completion of final exams, the start date can be flexible.

Name of Host Organization:

The Surfrider Foundation 

Internship Supervisors: 

CJ O’Brien Weddle (Ocean Friendly Programs Manager) and Sarah Damron (Senior Regional Manager - Great Lakes and Texas)

Mission/Goals of the Organization:

The Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network. Under the umbrella of this mission, Surfrider focuses on five key initiatives: Clean Water, Plastic Pollution Prevention, Beach Access, Ocean Protection, and Coast + Climate. Surfrider’s Plastic Pollution Initiative aims to eliminate harmful single-use plastic items that contribute to our global plastic pollution crisis and approaches this goal from both the policy angle as well as through complementary programmatic efforts. 

One such programmatic effort is our Great Lakes Friendly Restaurants Program (GLFR). 

This program is a part of a national network of Ocean Friendly Restaurants, and celebrates restaurants that have eliminated unnecessary single-use plastic and are making more sustainable choices for our lakes and beaches. Surfrider provides a simple and straightforward framework to help restaurants reduce their plastic footprint. The result is a community of like-minded restaurants we can lift up as examples of success to influence behavior and policy change. Currently, there are 12 GLFRs participating in Chicago serving nearly 500,000 single-use plastic-free meals a year. 

Project Description:

The Great Lakes Friendly Restaurants Program Intern will collaborate with restaurants and community partners to grow Surfrider’s Great Lakes Friendly Restaurants Program in the Great Lakes region, including but not limited to Chicago. 

• Recruit new businesses to join the program through direct outreach: phone, message, and in-person visits.

• Support restaurants in their effort to reduce single-use plastic by connecting them with available GLFR program resources.

• Conduct restaurant compliance checks to support implementation of program criteria.

• Create program-related content for Surfrider blogs, email, and social media.

• Publish at least one restaurant case study that showcases the cost benefits of reducing single-use plastic.

• Partner with Surfrider’s Sr. Regional Manager - Great Lakes to develop chapter training resources for future GLFR leads and ambassadors.

• Partner with Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Program Manager to develop tools and approaches for gathering metrics of program success and to identify regional foodware vendors.

• Collaborate with Shedd Aquarium and other community partners on restaurant outreach.

• Prepare a summary report of outcomes related to this internship.

Unpaid Internship/Stipend Details: 

If the intern is not selected to receive a $2,400 stipend from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Surfrider Foundation will secure alternative stipend funding in the amount of $2,400. Stipends issued by the Surfrider Foundation are provided to defray living expenses during the duration of the unpaid internship. 

Please note: To comply with the Department of Labor (DOL) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Surfrider Foundation can only accept unpaid internships if the intern receives academic credit and/or program hours for their internship participation. Only the academic institution and the student’s academic department can determine whether an opportunity aligns closely enough with the curriculum to warrant academic credit. The Surfrider Foundation has no authority to award academic credit. The unpaid internship is intended as an educational experience for the intern.

Requirements, Skills and Interests:

• Must be a currently enrolled student at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)

• Self-motivated and accountable  

• Familiarity with and access to Zoom, Facebook, Instagram

• Ability to make phone calls, send electronic messages, and talk with businesses in-person

• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and/or Google Sheets to facilitate data cross-referencing

• Demonstrated interest in sustainability

• (preferred) Experience in the restaurant industry and/or with business engagement
  

Transportation: 

The intern will be furnished with a stipend to purchase a CTA rail pass that can be used to cover the cost of travel to restaurant locations in conjunction with the program.

Location: 

This internship will be remote, and business will be conducted remotely within greater Chicago. Some travel will be required around the greater Chicago area to meet and recruit Ocean Friendly Restaurants. The intern will be invited to meet at least once in person with the host organization in greater Chicago at a location convenient to the intern. Meetings with the host organization will otherwise be virtual via Zoom or telephone with ongoing communication via email.

JEDI Commitment: 

The Surfrider Foundation is committed to fostering a just, equitable, diverse and inclusive organization for all people who protect and enjoy the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches. Our success and impact depends on learning from our community, standing in solidarity with our allies and working towards a more just future, both for our organization and the environmental movement as a whole. To learn more about our JEDI commitments, please visit: https://www.surfrider.org/pages/diversity-equity-inclusion

To Apply:

Please provide a 1-page cover letter and resume no later than Tuesday, March 10, 2026. 

Please follow the link and instructions provided.

Thanks in advance for your interest - we look forward to your submission!