The internship is a very special time at Ampersand. Our site comes to life as amazing folk gather for an intensive learning and community living experience. We share in a lifestyle that is abundant with the essentials.

Our rustic living conditions include, solar electricity, running rainwater (frugal use is expected with both), hot showers, an indoor bathroom with composting toilets, and wireless internet access. We cook primarily with solar ovens and live off rainwater that we harvest throughout the year. We build with earth and salvaged materials.

Living with Ampersand’s sustainable systems is an education in itself. We also teach workshops that the public is invited to. The internship includes several day field trips that highlight local culture, innovation and sustainable practices.  We schedule weekly for personal time and exploration.

The 2014 Internship work projects

• Sustainable Food Systems: We will experiment with recipes for drying, fermenting, solar cooking, rocket stove cooking, focusing on local foods.
• Earthen Building: Interns will get experience with some of the following techniques: cob, sculptural relief projects, wattle and daub, primary, secondary and finish earth plasters and alis finishes.
• Organic Gardening: Here at Ampersand we have a small rain catchment fed vegetable garden, a small greenhouse, and several perennial vegetable patches which integrate water harvesting earthworks. We will maintain and learn from the systems at Ampersand as well as other farms and Permaculture sites.
• Land Restoration: We use rock and branches to continually restore our acres from historic damage due to road construction, mining, and livestock grazing. Learn how to stitch the watershed back together.

Internship Cost is $535 per month. This covers meals, lodging, classes, field trips, and a guided personalized experiential education in sustainable living and skill building. The internship lasts two months.

Read what our past interns (and others) say about their time at Ampersand.

Interns are expected to have a strong work ethic, adaptability an ability to take initiative and follow through with agreements, good communication skills, and a flexibility in working and living with others.

Got to www.ampersandproject.org for more details on the classes offered during the internship, as well as scholarship information.