Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures University of Toronto
Your destination for an impactful internship in the environmental sector!
The beautiful southern German city of Freiburg has earned a reputation as the green capital of Europe. This university town in the heart of the Black Forest is the location of many innovative organizations and businesses in the area of sustainability and the environment as well as the 40-hectare ecodistrict of Vauban, a model of sustainable urban planning and biophilic design.
Check out these sources to find out more about ‘Germany’s Greenest City’:
Green City Freiburg https://www.freiburg.de/pb/site/Freiburg/get/params_E-1936094333/640888/GreenCity_E2017.pdf
The iPRAKTIKUM team has formed in the Freiburg region some very exciting partnerships designed to connect you to a meaningful learning and work experience. We’ll help you find an opportunity that suits you – whether you are interested in solar architecture, environmental policy and education, hands-on conservation, raising public awareness, eco-tourism, or intersections between sustainability and culture. We will also assist with visa and insurance questions, finding accommodations, and other logistical matters. A pre-internship orientation and support during and after your internship area also part of the package.
Like our other iPRAKTIKUM experiential learning opportunities, you have a number of options:
ecoHub internships can be accredited in the form of
- a Co-Curricular Record (CCR) noted on your U of T transcript or
- as a course in conjunction with GER 391H “iPRAKTIKUM Experiential Learning and Internationalization Internship”.
ecoHub internships can be completed
- during the academic term, or
- in a more concentrated block during the summer.
How to participate:
Students: To start, browse our current iPRAKTIKUM partners and contact us for a consultation at iPRAKTIKUM@utoronto.ca. Include a brief letter of interest, transcript, and a current CV that indicates your level of German proficiency (we recommend completion of GER300) with your query. We’ll help you find a potential host for your placement and put your application together.
Organizations & Companies: If you would like to host an Eco-Hub Freiburg internship, please get in touch with us at iPRAKTIKUM@utoronto.ca.
Meet our Partners
Below is a list of just some of the organizations with whom we are working in Freiburg.
Öko-Station
The Ökostation is an environmental education centre that offers seminars and workshops and organizes public events. Housed in a state-of-the-art, sustainable building in a beautiful setting, the Ökostation works with different partners to develop innovative environmental projects aimed at raising public awareness. Over 200 schools have visited the centre’s ‘green classroom’ to explore a variety of aquatic, forest, and meadow ecosystems.
The Innovation Academy organizes specialized trips, excursions, and educational tours on innovation and sustainable development-related topics. This non-profit focuses on mobility and urban planning, architecture and the rehabilitation of old buildings, energy transition and renewable energy, climate and environmental protection, organic farming, and water and waste management. The Innovation Academy also creates conservation tours for university faculty and experts that address how land users, such as agriculture, forestry and tourism, can work together to preserve and protect natural areas and landscapes.
The Cluster is a network of some 2000 environmental and solar energy companies in the Freiburg region. The network aims to position its members on the global market for services and products in the following sectors: renewable and solar energy, energy efficiency, sustainable planning and construction, and environmental technologies.
‘Work together, learn together, be together’ – That’s the motto of Grünhof, an incubator for start-ups in the Freiburg region that focus on sustainability, social innovation, and culture. Its goal is to help creative and entrepreneurial people put into practice their ideas for a better future.
Büro Ö-quadrat is a consulting agency that specializes in the development of energy policy and the practical implementation of energy concepts that balance environmental, economic, and technological concerns. The agency works with major institutes and organizations such as the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Wuppertal Institute, German Energy Agency (dena), International Solar Energy Society (ISES), International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), Climate Alliance/ Alianza del Clima e.V., and the UNEP Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production.
The FABRIK has a long history of engagement with issues around the environment and sustainability. Approximately 25 small businesses and studios are situated in this repurposed furniture factory. In addition to producing small-scale, environmentally friendly goods, the FABRIK organizes cultural events and promotes environmental and social awareness in the region.
NABU Freiburg is the regional arm of the national nature conservation association. Its activities include practical measures, such as landscape remediation and species conservation, as well as organizing lectures and nature excursions. An major force in conservation in the greater Black Forest area, NABU Freiburg is also a key partner in local policy-making.
