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Wilderness Survival, Sustainable Living, and Green Business Internship FAQ's Alumni: Meet Previous Interns from Green University® Questions:
What sort of house rules do you have? Fortunately, we've never had issues we couldn't resolve amicably with our interns. The ground rules are pretty basic. We have a family atmosphere with children of all ages, plus we are mildly conservative ourselves, which translates to living healthy in mind and body:
Our base of operations is in Pony, Montana, a small town of about 175 people. Harrison (6 miles away) has a population of 300 or more. Three Forks and Whitehall (30 miles in opposite directions) each have about 3,000 people. The nearest big town is Bozeman (60 miles), with a population of 30,000 or more. You need to consider how long you can be comfortable in one spot with limited transportation. You might be okay on only a bicycle, but you might also feel trapped after a month or so. How much spending money should I bring? How much spending money you will need depends mostly on your habits. How content are you with a no-frills lifestyle? If you have never experienced such a lifestyle before, then you can expect some severe cravings after a few weeks, for candy bars, pop or movies... sometimes just a desire to spend money on anything. The majority of your food will be provided or grown. You will need to participate in the cooking. Taking all of this into consideration, we still recommend bringing a minimum of $500 to make sure you have at least something for discretionary spending. More would be better.
Will I be able to earn an income during my stay? That depends somewhat on your priorities, but at best, don't expect much. There may be occassional work opportunities, such as helping a neighbor for a day or two, but otherwise, having a full-time or half-time job would significantly impact the quality of the internship experience. You are definitely welcome to develop a green business or green product while here, and you may be able to make a few dollars selling handcrafts at a local farmer's market. Most interns prefer learning more than earning while they are here. Will I have access to a telephone and e-mail? You are welcome to use the phone and internet in our home as long as you don't abuse the privelidge. You will be able to check your e-mail and make calls with a calling card on certain days and hours each week, which will be determined as we go along. Here in Montana the grass greens up in April and the trees leaf out in the last half of May. June is often our monsoon season when it rains almost every day, except during drought years, which are frequent. The wildflowers put on a pretty amazing show, starting at lower elevations in May, and rising up into the mountains throughout the summer. By late July the grass starts to dry out, unless we have a really wet year. Will the experience live up to my expectations? Many prospective interns come with a romanticized dream of living a simple life close to the earth. That's okay. Just keep in mind that we do drive cars, eat pizza, and use computers. Our lifestyle is definitely not that simple. Keep your expectations realistic, and you may discover opportunties you never even thought of. What other considerations should I be thinking of?
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| Books authored by Thomas J. Elpel |
![]() Roadmap to Reality |
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