Sustainability Intern

Pepsi Bottling Ventures is the nation’s largest private bottler and distributor of Pepsi beverages, operating in NC, SC, MD, and DE.

About the role

Pepsi Bottling Ventures is seeking a Sustainability Intern to evaluate multiple aspects of gameday waste diversion initiatives during Wake Forest University’s fall football season. This internship is designed to help PBV and Wake Forest better understand opportunities to improve beverage container recovery, recycling visibility, and fan participation during high-traffic athletic events. The role focuses on observing current practices, gathering baseline insights, observing limited pilot activities, and identifying practical recommendations for future waste diversion efforts. This role is ideal for a student interested in sustainability, event operations, stakeholder engagement, change and process optimization, and applied project work in a real-world environment.

Responsibilities

• Support planning for a small-scale exploratory waste diversion pilot during the fall football season.
• Assist with identifying opportunities to improve recycling visibility, beverage container recovery, and fan awareness.
• Observe current game-day recycling and waste collection practices during select home football games.
• Help document what works well, where gaps exist, and what may be needed to enhance the program.
• Collect basic information such as recycling station visibility, participation observations, contamination concerns, and operational barriers to inform future improvements.
• Take notes on fan behavior, collection bin placement, labeling and structural design effectiveness, collection points, and event flow.
• Support simple tracking of available waste diversion indicators, where practical and accessible.
• Summarize observations in a clear and organized format.
• Coordinate with PBV, Wake Forest University contacts, and other designated stakeholders as needed.
• Participate in limited planning or check-in meetings related to the study and pilot intervention.
• Engage with university partners, volunteers, or event personnel to better understand current practices and improvement opportunities.
• Help gather feedback from stakeholders involved in game-day operations or sustainability efforts.
• Identify practical recommendations for improving future recycling and waste diversion efforts.
• Document lessons learned from the exploratory pilot.
• Highlight potential barriers, resource needs, and opportunities for a larger-scale program in future football seasons, with takeaways that may be applied to other athletics venues.
• Prepare a concise end-of-semester summary of findings and recommendations for PBV leadership.
• Assist with planning and activating recycling initiatives at Wake Forest home football games.
• Coordinate placement and readiness of recycling collection infrastructure before each game.
• Conduct pre-game and post-game inspections of recycling collection areas.
• Support game-day operations to ensure recycling stations remain functional, visible, and properly utilized.
• Prepare reports and presentations summarizing seasonal program results and environmental impact.

Qualifications

• Currently an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a degree in environmental and sustainability studies, environmental science, business, engineering, communications, sports marketing, public policy, or a related field.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently within a limited weekly time commitment.
• Interest in sustainability, recycling, waste reduction, or event-based environmental initiatives.
• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Availability to support select Wake Forest home football game activities, as agreed in advance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Interest in collegiate athletics, sports operations, or environmental stewardship.
• Experience volunteering or working at events.
• Experience collecting observations, organizing information, or preparing summary reports.
• Comfort communicating with multiple stakeholders in a professional setting.

Key Deliverables

• A simple project plan outlining the scope for future exploratory pilot interventions, activities, and timeline.
• A summary of observations from select football game-day waste diversion activities.
• A basic review of recycling visibility, participation opportunities, and potential operational barriers.
• A concise end-of-semester pilot summary with lessons learned and recommendations.
• A short presentation for PBV leadership and relevant Wake Forest stakeholders.

Success Measures

• Complete agreed-upon work within a maximum commitment of 10 hours per week.
• Provide clear and useful observations.
• Identify practical opportunities to improve future recycling and waste diversion efforts.
• Engage professionally with PBV and Wake Forest stakeholders.
• Deliver a concise, thoughtful summary of findings, barriers, and recommendations.

Professional Development & Learning Opportunities

Throughout the internship, the selected candidate will gain exposure to how corporate sustainability commitments are translated into customer-facing initiatives. The intern will develop practical experience in:

• Project Management: Supporting a defined pilot, tracking activities, organizing findings, and managing limited deliverables.
• Change Management: Learning how behavior, communication, visibility, and stakeholder alignment influence recycling participation.
• Stakeholder Management: Working with business, university, athletics, facilities, and sustainability partners.
• Data Collection & Reporting: Gathering observations and basic metrics to support decision-making.
• Sustainability Strategy: Understanding how ongoing program evaluation informs future program design and investment decisions.
• Professional Communication: Preparing a clear summary of findings, recommendations, and potential next steps for leadership review.

Why This Role Matters

This internship provides a practical opportunity to explore how sustainability ideas can be tested in a real-world setting before being expanded into a larger program. The selected candidate will gain experience working with multiple stakeholders, observing behavior change opportunities, and translating findings into actionable recommendations. The goal is to help PBV and Wake Forest learn what is possible, what resources may be needed, and how future waste diversion efforts could be designed for greater impact.