GROW Externships
GROW is a not-for-profit incubator that connects underrepresented rising professionals with paid opportunities in the environmental field. In partnership with The Sludge Hub, GROW offers hands-on externships in Mineral County, West Virginia, right in the heart of coal country.
As part of the Green Revitalization Outreach Workforce, externs dive into fieldwork such as testing water, making biochar, tagging species, and learning directly from grassroots leaders. This is a full off-grid experience in restoration and renewal, not just about fixing what’s broken, but about designing something entirely new.
*Accommodation and ground travel is provided.
What You'll Experience
01.
Waterway testing and sampling
02.
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation
03.
Carbon sequestration measurement
04.
Soil amelioration projects
05.
A whole lot of
Grit and Grime
The GROW Central Appalachia Program (CAP) engages the passionate environmentalists who support the Sludge Hub's efforts to mitigate the legacy impacts of the departed coal industry. Externs participating in the GROW CAP typically eat, sleep, and work directly upon abandoned mine sites. The program includes components of education, manual labor, and technical skills.
.jpeg)
The GROW Externship is a hands-on, immersive journey in ecological restoration and community resilience. Participants work in post-coal Appalachia alongside grassroots groups to test water, tag species, make biochar, and more. Externs camp on-site, gain real-world skills in environmental science, and connect deeply with the land. GROW isn’t just fieldwork, it’s a call to action for those ready to lead, learn, and restore mining-impacted landscapes through justice-driven work.
The Externs
GROW Externs are eco-champions of a hearty stock. Each brings with them a set of expertise and These brave souls survived and thrived on the abandoned coal mines of Appalachia
GROW EXTERNS
Kaixi Yang
Kaixi (Kai-shee) is a Brooklyn-based artist from Auckland whose work spans land art, bio-art, and design. A Stanford Product Design grad, she co-founded ENTITY and TALKING ANIMALS to fuse systems thinking, climate action, and tech across global, social, and creative landscapes.
Capstone Project - Land Art
Miguel Johnson
Miguel is a storyteller and advocate with a background in Political Science and Creative Writing. He blends climate work with grassroots action, using drones and photography to make environmental fieldwork smarter, safer, and more efficient. As a landscape photographer and FAA-certified drone pilot, he hopes to use his wide-ranging skills to advance the goals of the climate justice field.
Photo 1: I still don't know the name of these fungi...I should have used iNaturalist... Anyway, this is a super fun photo of Kaixi!
Photo 2: The Sludge Pit itself is striking, but the most surprising thing I saw during our time with the FODC were the white flowers edging up on the border of the polluted pond. This photo reminds me of the stark contrast between the mines and the woods we camped in every night.
Photo 3: This photo is oozing with character, so I'm submitting it unedited. After mushroom-hunting with Mr. Lopez, I didn't notice the dirt (or that stubborn strand of beard hair) on my lens until it was too late. When a rainbow appeared during a Stags supply run, I took a flurry of photos without paying much attention to the results; only to later realize these "imperfections" perfectly captured both the moment and everything that came before it. The dirt and hair invading the image suddenly became sentimental.
Capstone Project - Photos
This capstone is inspired by the Rhododendron flower and my trip to Nepal earlier this
year. On April 5th, my friends Prabhat, Monika and I hiked through Kathmandu Valley (Photos
1-3), where I first encountered Nepal's national flower, the Rhododendron. Their crimson pedals
are unmistakable, and we found three at different stages of bloom. The first was still just a bud,
but still pretty and worth a photo, I thought (Photo 4.) The second was far out of reach off the
cliff dawning in early bloom (Photo 5.) But, the third was in reach, all Prahbat had to do was a
bit of climbing to secure a closer look for the rest of the group (Photo 6.) “Try it, it’s sweet!” He
said. It was not (Photo 7...)
I’ll always remember that funny feeling after eating a random flower in the woods
because my friend told me to. So, imagine my surprise when I heard that West Virginia also has
Rhododendrons afoot! Little did I know, there was a thicket of Rhododendrons further into the
campsite. Unlike the red varieties I found in Nepal, these flowers bloomed in lovely white and
pink! (Photo 8-10)