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Write for Otter

Are you an Otter reader with something to say? Lucky you, because we’d love to hear it!

As you know, Otter is a fortnightly newsletter with a sustainable lifestyle focus. We give people tips, info, event ideas, and recipes to help them live greener, happier lives.

We’re interested in any of the following:

  • Articles
  • Expert interviews
  • Lists
  • Practical tips and guides for living a more sustainable life
  • Investigations with a focus on ethical consumer concern

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Join the Otter team!

Otter is on the hunt for a content curator/co-editor to join our team on a voluntary basis. The position would have an 6-10 hour per week commitment and suit someone who has a real passion to unlock the power of consumer choice to promote a fair and sustainable world.

As an Otter reader, you know what’s important to us: environmental sustainability, fair trade, human rights, consumer safety and ethical treatment of animals. If you think you’ve got what it takes to promote this message to the world, we’d love to hear from you.  Continue Reading →

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Computer Science Paid Internship

Build a real world, high profile application for a good cause before Christmas

We need a front end designer with good HTML/CSS/Javascript skills and a Talent for UX to play a key role in building an innovative web application to be deployed before Christmas.

You will report to the Development Director of a small start up focussed on achieving positive social change in relation to the environment, fair trade and human rights and the welfare of animals

Several weeks full time and then several weeks part time – applications by 28 October for start as soon as possible.

This project is being completed to a tight timetable and it is essential that you have a reasonable amount of time available to work in the weeks commencing 28 October and 4 November. It is unlikely to be suitable if you have several end of year exams coming up.

Send us you CV now if this is you: gordon@otter.org.au 

More information

About the organisation

Ethical Consumer Australia (ECA) is a young social start-up whose mission is to help people match their buying decisions with their values. Fair trade, animal treatment, labour rights and the environment are at the centre of our mission.

ECA currently publishes Otter (www.otter.org.au), a curated e-newsletter read every fortnight by hundreds of Australians.

We are working on a new web and mobile platform to significantly expand our ability to help people make better consumer Choices.

Right now we have designed and are ready to build, test and deploy a Christmas shopping focussed application. This will be launched before the end of November. We expect significant media and consumer interest.

About the role

Under the supervision of our Development Director you will build the front end of the application in HTML5/CSS/Javascript. Your skills and experience in user experience design will contribute to the success of the application. You will participate in user testing and make agreed changes, and once deployed will be responsible for fixing any problems whether they are bugs or necessary responses to what we learn from how users respond to the application.

If you have the right skills you will also develop the back end database (which we don’t think is particularly complex).

By the end of the internship you will have created a product that has a high public profile and has been tested with real customers.

Working hours are flexible provided project milestones are met on time. At least some of the work will be done in our Surry Hills office (a 1 min. stroll from Central).

We will pay an agreed weekly fee of $400 during the course of the internship and provide feedback that will help you learn ways of working in a start up environment using lean start up customer development methodologies.

You will be empowered to develop the platform using an appropriate method. Agile development is an option but we are open to other approaches that you are comfortable with.

Your voice will be heard and you discuss your work with the Development Director and the CEO on a daily basis.

The team

You will be joining a team of young people and experienced executives in a flat organisation. We all have one mantra: make stuff happen!

About you

  • You are smart, flexible and highly motivated
  • You like working under pressure and are committed to getting things done
  • You love to learn, to challenge common ideas and to ask What if?
  • You are a computer science student or recent graduate
  • You have good knowledge and experience with front-end web development using HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript
  • You are interested in and have a good understanding of user experience design.

Desirable

  • understanding of and experience with agile development methodology
  • interest in ethical consumer issues (fair trade, human rights, the environment, animal welfare)

If you think you are up to it, if you want to work hard, learn a lot and live a one-in-a-lifetime experience, we definitely want to hear from you.

Apply now and send us a one page note about why you want this role and your CV to gordon@otter.org.au

Applications close on Monday 28 October. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Be safe, fair and green this weekend and beyond – 28-29 September

NSW

Living Smart Festival – Lake Macquarie – Saturday 28 September

This is a festival celebrating greener, cleaner living hosted by the City of Lake Macquarie Council. If you would like to learn about the latest trends in sustainable living while having fun shopping at eco stalls, listening to live music, feasting on yummy foods and entertaining the children with free games, then this is the festival for you!

It’s Up To Us – Otter – 4 November

As consumers we can make a difference. Whether it’s action on climate change, stopping animal cruelty or promoting fair trade, when it get’s down to it, it’s up to us! Come to an event designed to inspire you and help you ensure  your consumer match your values. Buy your ticket now!

Queensland

Open Garden – Morningside, QLD – urban farming and sustainability – Saturday 28 September and Sunday 29 SeptemberInspiration Garden, Morningside

Open Garden at the Inspiration Garden. It began from a dream to create a place where people could come together to learn about urban farming, sustainability and growing organic food . The Inspiration Garden has been selected by Open Gardens Australia only 3 years after it was launched show our neighbourhood Permaculture Garden to the public for two days.

Victoria

Moral Fairground – Coming up in November

It’s just two months to one of the biggest annual celebrations of ethical, sustainable and morally responsible behaviour; designed to nourish mind, body and soul. The festival promotes ethical consumption and purchases in time for Christmas.

Australia-wide

Farmers Markets: Every weekend and more

Find a Farmers Market near you with the Australian Farmers Market Association’s Directory.

Give A Fork – 7-14 October – your place or your favourite sustainable restaurant

Get a group of friends together during 7-14th of October and host a sustainable seafood dinner party. We’ll provide you with a host pack and all the resources to cook a delicious sustainable seafood dinner. More info

Garage Sale Trail – 26 October

List your garage sale, plan your day or just find out what it’s about at the spiffy Garage Sale Trail web site.

Sign up for regular tips and updates

For more tips on helping make safe, fair and green consumer choices, sign up to Otter’s free fortnightly newsletter.

 

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No plans this weekend? Give these a go–Victoria, Sydney and Canberra

 Victoria – farmers markets

Big things are happening at Victorian farmers markets this weekend. VFMA and Locavore have some great tips.

Melbourne – sustainable art

As part of the City of Melbourne 2013 Arts Grants Program, artist Lloyd Godman will install Airborne – the world’s largest series of super-sustainable rotating air gardens – at the Queensbridge Pedestrian Precinct, Northbank.

The first installation will coincide with the Sustainable Living Festival (9 February) and further air gardens will be installed throughout 2013.

Sydney – vertical pallet gardens for small space

Vertical Pallet Garden

Photo: Sustainable House

HoBoGro are holding a vertical pallet garden event in Redfern on Saturday (14 September) 1-4 pm.

See more here on their Facebook page.

Sydney, but you don’t have to leave the house!

Sydney City Council and Marrickville Council are behind The Good Hood . They say

The Good Hood is about celebrating all the Good things we’re doing to make Sydney a better place – like recycling, reusing, making, growing and living more sustainably.

We want to hear about all the Good stuff you’re doing so feel free to pin as much Good as you can. Simply snap a photo of your Good and upload it to our map, then share it and see Good stuff going on around you in our city’s villages.

Also… we’ve got great prizes, like a $1350 voucher to spend on workshops at Megan Morton’s The School, a sustainable set-course dinner for 8 run by Urban Food Market, and a $1000 voucher to Clarence Street Cyclery to reward the best Good we get – So check out all the prizes and then get pinning…

Canberra

Participate in Canberra’s first interactive market on  Sunday 15 September 2013 –it brings together products and community groups focused on domestic green sustainable living.  See Green Savvy Sunday at the old bus depot markets.

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Social media/marketing intern

Otter makes it easier for people to choose the products and services that are best for them and their world. Our goal is to help overcome the barriers faced by consumers who want to make ethical consumption choices.

Otter is a start-up social enterprise. We develop tools to better enable consumers to make consumption choices consistent with their values, and through those choices promote environmental sustainability, fair trade, human rights, consumer safety and ethical treatment of animals.

In June 2013 we launched Otter as a fortnightly curated eNewsletter that provides readers with hand-picked tips and guides, consumer actions, events and more. We are working on further tools to support consumers make ethical consumption decisions.

The following positions are now available.

  • Development director this position has been filled
  • Marketing and social media volunteer/intern

Inquiries about volunteer work or internships in other roles are welcome. Possibilities include writer/journalist, researcher, photo editor, app programmer, web designer, “growth hacker”.

Marketing and social media volunteer

Use your marketing and social media skills 4-8 hours per week to help Otter reach as many consumers who would benefit as possible.

As a volunteer, this unpaid position is a great opportunity to use your social media and guerilla marketing skills to help make it easier for consumers to make choices that promote  fair trade, human rights, sustainable development and/or animal rights.

It may also be possible to arrange an internship in this field.

This position is based in Sydney.

Development director this position has been filled

We are looking for a focused and energetic person who can help us grow through effective engagement with users and potential users, and with the organisations who can provide financial support for our work.

The role

Your key responsibility will be to develop the financial base to make our ideas happen. You will lead work to identify social or socially responsible investors and partners and derive revenue from our existing and new products.

You will also help plan and develop our next product, a web and phone database app, and implement and evaluate new features and better communications to help us understand what our users need most.

We’re a small team, so you’ll need to be happy to pitch in when other tasks need to get done.

The person

You will need to be comfortable in a changing, start-up environment where team members work together to set strategy and implement it without fussing too much about formal job roles or responsibilities.

If this project inspires you and you think you have the creativity, self awareness, motivation and respect for others to make things happen please send a short note telling us why.

This is a part time role based in Sydney.

Continue Reading

Jobs with Otter

Otter makes it easier for people to choose the products and services that are best for them and their world. Our goal is to help overcome the barriers faced by consumers who want to make ethical consumption choices.

Otter is a start-up social enterprise. We develop tools to better enable consumers to make consumption choices consistent with their values, and through those choices promote environmental sustainability, fair trade, human rights, consumer safety and ethical treatment of animals.

In June 2013 we launched Otter as a fortnightly curated eNewsletter that provides readers with hand-picked tips and guides, consumer actions, events and more. We are working on further tools to support consumers make ethical consumption decisions.

The following positions are now available.

  • Development director
  • Marketing and social media volunteer (or intern)

Inquiries about volunteer work or internships in other roles are welcome. Possibilities include writer/journalist, researcher, photo editor, app programmer, web designer, “growth hacker”.

Development director

We are looking for a focused and energetic person who can help us grow through effective engagement with users and potential users, and with the organisations who can provide financial support for our work.

The role

Your key responsibility will be to develop the financial base to make our ideas happen. You will lead work to identify social or socially responsible investors and partners and derive revenue from our existing and new products.

You will also help plan and develop our next product, a web and phone database app, and implement and evaluate new features and better communications to help us understand what our users need most.

We’re a small team, so you’ll need to be happy to pitch in when other tasks need to get done.

The person

You will need to be comfortable in a changing, start-up environment where team members work together to set strategy and implement it without fussing too much about formal job roles or responsibilities.

If this project inspires you and you think you have the creativity, self awareness, motivation and respect for others to make things happen please send a short note telling us why.

This is a part time role based in Sydney.

Marketing and social media volunteer

Use your marketing and social media skills 4-8 hours per week to help Otter reach as many consumers who would benefit as possible.

As a volunteer, this unpaid position is a great opportunity to use your social media and guerilla marketing skills to help make it easier for consumers to make choices that promote  fair trade, human rights, sustainable development and/or animal rights.

It may also be possible to arrange an internship in this field.

This position is based in Sydney.

Continue Reading

Jobs with Otter

Otter makes it easier for people to choose the products and services that are best for them and their world. Our goal is to help overcome the barriers faced by consumers who want to make ethical consumption choices.

Otter is a start-up social enterprise. We develop tools to better enable consumers to make consumption choices consistent with their values, and through those choices promote environmental sustainability, fair trade, human rights, consumer safety and ethical treatment of animals.

In June 2013 we launched Otter as a fortnightly curated eNewsletter that provides readers with hand-picked tips and guides, consumer actions, events and more. We are working on further tools to support consumers make ethical consumption decisions.

The following positions are now available.

  • Development director
  • Marketing and social media volunteer (or intern)

Inquiries about volunteer work or internships in other roles are welcome. Possibilities include writer/journalist, researcher, photo editor, app programmer, web designer, “growth hacker”.

Development director

We are looking for a focused and energetic person who can help us grow through effective engagement with users and potential users, and with the organisations who can provide financial support for our work.

The role

Your key responsibility will be to develop the financial base to make our ideas happen. You will lead work to identify social or socially responsible investors and partners and derive revenue from our existing and new products.

You will also help plan and develop our next product, a web and phone database app, and implement and evaluate new features and better communications to help us understand what our users need most.

We’re a small team, so you’ll need to be happy to pitch in when other tasks need to get done.

The person

You will need to be comfortable in a changing, start-up environment where team members work together to set strategy and implement it without fussing too much about formal job roles or responsibilities.

If this project inspires you and you think you have the creativity, self awareness, motivation and respect for others to make things happen please send a short note telling us why.

This is a part time role based in Sydney.

Marketing and social media volunteer

Use your marketing and social media skills 4-8 hours per week to help Otter reach as many consumers who would benefit as possible.

As a volunteer, this unpaid position is a great opportunity to use your social media and guerilla marketing skills to help make it easier for consumers to make choices that promote  fair trade, human rights, sustainable development and/or animal rights.

It may also be possible to arrange an internship in this field.

This position is based in Sydney.

Continue Reading