Tired of working your typical food or retail job? Do you want to make a difference to our planet? The Clean Water Action definitely should be in your interest.
What is the Clean Water Action?
The goal behind Clean Water Action is to protect our environment, health, economic well being, and community quality of life. Clean Water Action organizes campaigns in order to elect environmental candidates to help fight against environmental issues.
In 1972, Clean Water Action was funded by David Zwich, who helped write and pass the Clean Water Act. That same year, Clean Water Action was founded, so Clean Water Action has been around for over 50 years!
Priorities of Clean Water Action:
- Water
- Oil and Gas
- Toxic Chemicals
- Sustainability
- Climate Change and Clean Energy
- Civic Engagement and Democracy
- Environmental Justice
Throughout the years, Clean Water Action has made some amazing accomplishments. They have changed the earth for the better, and you can be a part of it. For instance, Clean Water Action has invested roughly one trillion dollars towards helping water pollution.
Cuyahoga River
In 1969, Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River had caught on fire for the 13th time. Due to environmentalist outrage, The Clean Water Act has made this area a top priority. Due to sewage treatment plans and stringent permitting systems brought by the Clean Water Act, the Cuyahoga River has never been better. In 1967, there were no fish inhabiting the River, but now more than 70 species can be found in its waters.
Potomac River
240 million gallons of waste would flow into the Potomac River daily. Conditions of the river would get so bad that anyone that would fall into it would need to get a tetanus shot. The Clean Water Act was able to limit sewage and other pollutants, as well as multiple efforts to improve the Blue Plains waste facility in Southwest DC. The water quality improved significantly, there was a lack of blue-green algae, and the largemouth bass returned to the river.
Des Plaines River
By the early 1960’s, barely any fish lived in the Des Plaines River. 97% of catches were Common Carp and Goldfish, making them an invasive species. However, during the past 50 years the river transformed into a degraded stream to a healthy river with a variety of fish thanks to the Clean Water Act. The act allowed Chicago to form a tunnel and reservoir plan, which captured roughly 20 billion gallons of sewage. The amount of fish in the river nearly doubled.
Benefits and Skills
During your experience with the Clean Water Action, you’ll gain skills by working with your team. These include:
- Effective communication and listening skills
- Problem solving
- Independent work experience
- Government and policy work understanding
Other Benefits Include:
- Paid Training
- Health and Dental insurance
- Casual work environment
- Opportunities for advancement
- Seeing real-life progress due to your work
Work Times/Pay
Monday through Friday
2:00 pm-9:00 pm
$16.25-$18/hr base pay (plus bonuses!)
If you’re interested in joining the cause, or even just donating, here is their website! It goes into much further detail about who they are and what they do.
If you’re interested in working for them, you can apply at cleanwateraction.org/jobs, or you can call (413) 949-7586 to learn more.
Sources:
Clean water action. Clean Water Action. (2023, October 17). https://cleanwater.org/
