Get Involved

There are many opportunities to get involved in environmental activities both on campus and locally. Here is a sampling of campus environmental groups and local environmental organizations.

On Campus

NEW! Students for Environmental Awareness and Action (SEAA) a group of students at UMass Amherst that promote: increasing student awareness of environmental issues and participating in actions to improve the environment. Meetings on Thursdays in the Campus Center. For more information contact Rita Shaffer.

NEW! Focus the Nation is attempting to coordinate teams of faculty, students and staff at over
a thousand colleges, universities and high schools in the United States, to collaboratively engage in a nationwide, interdisciplinary discussion centered around the theme of "Stabilizing the Climate in
the 21st Century."

American Society of Civil Engineers Amherst Student Chapter
Biological Science Student Organization
Engineers without Borders
Environmental Horticulture Club
MassPIRG
Net Impact
Office of Community Service Learning
UMass Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society

Off Campus

Appalachian Mountain Club is an outdoor recreation, conservation, and education organization and the Berkshire Chapter is involved in activities throughout Western Massachusetts.

Center for Ecological Technology is a non-profit organization which works to demonstrate and promote practical, affordable solutions to the environmental challenges encountered in our daily activities.

Clean Water Action is a Northampton citizens group working for clean, safe, and affordable water, pollution prevention, environmentally safe jobs and businesses as well as change through political action. The local office is in Northampton.

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) is a non-profit organization working to sustain agriculture in western Massachusetts, throughout the state and across the country.

Connecticut River Watershed Council is a citizen advocacy organization for conserving and protecting the entire Connecticut River.

Conte Refuge is a national fish and wildlife refuge whose primary action is to involve the people of the watershed, especially landowners and land managers, in environmental education programs and cooperative management projects.

The Deerfield River Water Association (DRWA) is a citizens group that is committed to protecting and monitoring water quality and wildlife habitat, improving watershed stewardship, and incouraging watershed/environmental education in local schools.

EarthAction is an "amnesty international for the planet,” - a network of 1,900 citizen groups through the world seeking to encourage corporations and national governments to find solutions to global problems.

The Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) is a national, non-profit organization that develops professionals for the environmental field through paid environmental internships that provide highly professional, on-the-job learning experiences.

EPA
"Summer Opportunities for Students" Web Site
EPA has a new web site providing a central Web portal through which students may enter to learn about Agency offices and summer employment opportunities. Having a central portal makes it easier for students to find information about specific areas in which they would like to work. They also will be able to submit a job application directly to the EPA location that has a vacancy. The Summer Student Employment Opportunities Web site will be available until May 15.

Information on student and legal internship opportunities specifically in EPA's New England office can be found HERE.

Green Corps is a non-profit organization whose mission is to teach the next generation of environmental leaders the strategies and skills they'll need to  win tomorrow's environmental battles while providing critical field support for today's pressing environmental problems.

Hitchcock Center for the Environment, located in Amherst, fosters a greater awareness and understanding of our natural world and to develop environmentally literate citizens.

The Hoosic River Watershed Association is a citizens' group that looks after the river and is dedicated to the restoration, conservation and enjoyment of the Hoosic River and its watershed, through education, research, and advocacy.

Kestrel Trust is a non-profit conservation organization involved in open space conservation projects in Amherst and surrounding areas and is linked to the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, an association of land trusts and conservation organizations throughout the state.

Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions serves as a source of education and support for conservation commissions throughout the state and has an outreach office in Hadley.

The Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN) is a climate action group dedicated to halting the threat of global climate change, through reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, in our communities and the state.

Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party has a local office in Northampton.

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association is a regional organization of professionals and concerned citizens dedicated to promoting the development and adoption of renewable energy sources and is based in Greenfield.

The Orion Society is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to inform, inspire, and engage individuals and grassroots organizations in becoming a significant cultural force for healing nature and community.

Sierra Club Pioneer Valley is part of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Sierra Club and composed of members living in the three counties of Massachusetts that include the Connecticut River: from north to south, they are Franklin, Hampshire, and Hamden Counties.

The Trustees of Reservations was established to preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts.

The Urban Ecology Institute studies the emerging field of urban ecology to help residents understand the natural resources in their communities and take action to protect them.

Top of Page