This article was originally published in the Fall 2013 Arts Co-op Connect Newsletter.

I spent my summer traveling across the province, and getting paid to do it; that’s a pretty golden opportunity, if you ask me! During my summer work term as an ElectroRecycle Ambassador, I visited twenty different cities outside of Metro Vancouver, and was able to experience BC all the way from the coast to the Alberta border. This co-op placement was an incredible opportunity, and possibly the best way I could have spent my summer.

ElectroRecycle is small appliance and power tool recycling program, with over 140 depots province-wide; it is one of BC’s many product stewardship programs run through the Product Care Association. As one of six ElectroRecycle Ambassadors, I helped increase awareness of this free recycling option across BC, and gained feedback on how to improve the program moving forward.

This required meeting with collection facilities, retailers, regional governments, and municipal governments. Additionally, we participated in a variety of community events, organized classroom presentations, and performed numerous media interviews. The media coverage we received over the summer was plentiful and overwhelmingly positive, and my hometown even took up my story for a full-page interest piece. This co-op position was all about making genuine connections and networking with people all over BC, making it the ultimate job for that people-person who can’t stand to spend their summer stuck in an office all day long.

To top off an amazing work term and learning experience, I feel like I am a better person because of it. After spending all of my time thinking about recycling, diverting waste from landfills and environmentally responsible options, I have completely renewed my sense of social responsibility and the environmental impact of my own decisions. If I walk away with just one thing from this summer, it will be an awareness of what I can personally do to help keep BC beautiful.

Hands down, this co-op placement was the most rewarding way for me to spend my summer in BC, and unless you are a robot that is allergic to the sun, I highly recommend it. You know what, I’d even recommend it to the robot.