WorkStay on the Hidden Gem of the Pacific

Green Banana Paper is seeking help!

We are looking for skilled and motivated people to work with Green Banana Paper in exchange for a professional and cultural experience.  We will provide you with a private bedroom in shared living, with hot water, electricity, (slow) internet, and $300 per month living stipend. 

We are looking for a variety of types of skilled people:

Machines & Tools

• Paper Machinery Project: We want to design, fabricate and test a fiber extractor and hollander beater machine which would eventually be shared open-source for free on the internet.  Looking for:  Engineer & Fabricator
• Precious Plastic Project:  We would like to begin a Precious Plastic workspace here with a shredder and injection molding machines, either purchased or built here.  Looking for: Precious Plastic Machine Builder & Workspace Operator.  
• Finished Product Tools Maintenance:  We would like to improve the life of the machinery and learn how to repair.  Sewing machines, laser cutter, screenprinting shop, heatpress, UV ink printer, solvent ink printer, sublimation ink printer, etc...
• Electrician:  Someone who can assess the electrical needs of the factory and equipment, making or suggesting proper repairs as needed.
• Business Card Printing Wizard:  Implementing a streamlined system and finding the best workflow to improve quality, speed, and customer satisfaction of our business cards.

Product Design

• Paper Product Design: pattern-making, sewing, prototyping, for products such as wallets, handbags, stationary. View our products here.
• Other Product Design: Do you have a specialty? Let us know in the application.
• Textile Product Design:  Print / Cut / Sew
• Bio-Composite:  Using bio materials available for glues and oils, etc.
• Injection Molded Plastic Product Design: Thoughtful, high value plastic product development.
• Food Packaging Design: . Food safe packaging that's economical for an industry that likes handmade paper.

Web

• Graphic Designer – Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop
• Shopify Store Manager
• Blog Writer / Content Creator
• Customer Service Representatives / Policy Development
• Amazon Marketplace Listings & Management
• Social Media content creator
• Copy Writer for website & social media

Other

• Sales Account Management - Corporate & Retail
• Factory Management
• Educational Outreach for public awareness and giving back campaigns
• Human Resources
• Lean Six Sigma training
• World Fair Trade Organization Auditors / B-Corp Auditors / Helpers
• Communications
• Finance

Our company needs are dynamic and always evolving and changing. If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity and do not see your skills listed here, please don't hesitate to contact us.

SUBMIT AN APPLICATION and we will be in touch with you as soon as we can. 

Please continue reading for detailed information about life on the remote island of Kosrae!

Experience life in a tucked-away tropical paradise. Your front yard will be a sandy beach with a large reef-flat to meander out amongst grasses and sea cucumbers. Gentle breezes rustle the coconut fronds and banana trees. Fiery orange sunrises welcome the new day, and the constant hum of the ocean is an ever-present reminder of the beauty and natural wonders that surround us on our island home.


An internship with Green Banana Paper is a multi-month immersion to life and culture in Micronesia. This is a very unique opportunity for individuals ready to fully experience a remote island culture and work with a sustainable development company. Many elements of our work engages with people in the US and other first-world countries around the globe.

Volunteering at Green Banana Paper consists of mastering your job or project and then training a local employee to carry on the work. This could mean designing a new banana paper product and teaching current workers how to make it, creating original graphic designs, taking high quality photos and managing social media outlets, mastering technical equipment and sharing how to maximize our printers and cutting machines, or learning about Green Banana Paper and being a sales rep at various events. 

While this island is a paradise, it is still a very real world with a culture that has its own raw realities. Here is a breakdown of important lifestyle elements to life in Kosrae. Please thoroughly read our About Us and Blog pages to get a better understanding of Green Banana Paper and the island lifestyle.

Weather:
Micronesia is hot and humid. You will sweat effortlessly and all the time. Doing any kind of work in the sun? Immediately break a sweat. Moving around? You’ll sweat. We are just 5° North from the equator and the sun is extremely strong. Constant hydration is vital to thriving here and you will become very aware of your time in the sun, even if you are just walking a short distance.

Food:
This is the spot to be for bananas! And coconuts are a mere 50 cents each. Breadfruit, taro, banana, and coconut are the four main local foods, and rice and pork are also very common in a local diet. You can buy fish from a marina and there are a handful of vegetable stands, though they are not super reliable. Container ships bring goods to Kosrae every six weeks. When the ship comes, we stock up for a while. We tend to eat a lot of frozen veggies, beans, and other imported goods.

There are two restaurants on the island at each of the resorts. They are both two miles down the road from Green Banana Paper. Sometimes there is a movie night with the film projected on an old sail at Bully’s Restaurant.

Cultural Elements:
Religion is an immense part of the local culture and activities on Sundays are restricted. There are over 11 churches on the 42-sq mile island. You may practice any religion you choose, but you must follow the Sunday rules. Culturally, people are not allowed to work or take anything from the ocean on Sundays. We may do as we like on our own property, but for example, you may go hiking but not scuba diving on a Sunday.

There are significant gender roles on the island. Embrace the relaxed language where everyone is a boy or girl, not man or woman. There are strong cultural ideas of proper activity and dress for guys and girls. As a foreigner, you may experiment with these boundaries more than a local, but know that gender roles are very real, and especially for girls.

Social Life:
The social life is very limited. The island is very small and there are very few people here. There are no cafes, movie theaters, etc. There is a very small group of westerners here. Everyday 25 locals come to Green Banana Paper and you can get to know them. Please be prepared to spend significant time on your own. The island population is approximately 6,600 people, and less than 20 are Americans.

Recreation & Exploring Kosrae:
Hike in the jungle, explore waterfalls, surf, paddle board, rent a kayak, SCUBA dive with Micronesia Eco Divers, meet sailors passing through, and there is all the time in the world for your own creative projects. 

There are plenty of special spots to explore in Kosrae! Please be aware that all land is private so you will often need to hire a local guide. We can help you get set up or go on adventures together.

Accommodation:
There is a two-bedroom guest apartment attached to the back of the factory.  There is no air-conditioning. We have nice ceiling fans and sleep comfortably at night with that. It is possible for the power to go out, but we do have a generator for these occurrences.  We drink rainwater filtered from our own catchment tanks. There is a full-size washer and dryer in the apartment.

Green Banana Paper is home to two friendly dogs.  Being generally comfortable around dogs is highly recommended.

The Green Banana guest apartment is listed on AirBnb experience for select guests and visitors.  Please find the listing page here for photos of the apartment.

Transportation:
United Airlines is the only airline that services the island and we currently have four flights per week (two to Hawaii and two to Guam). We recommend the United MileagePlus program to get the best deal. If you have access to the MileagePlus program, it's just 40,000 miles to get from the USA to Kosrae.

Once you’re here, you can get a Kosraean Driver’s License ($6) and have shared access to our vehicles. There is also a taxi service on island.

Minimum Stay:
We request at least a one-month commitment. 

Volunteer Benefits:
Room & board, monthly stipends are negotiable on an individual basis.

Please contact us with questions.

Experiences from Past Volunteers

Claudia Danford
Volunteer from Sept. 2017 – May 2018.
Projects at Green Banana Paper: blog writing & website content, factory organization systems, product development, public relations work.

Volunteering at Green Banana Paper was an excellent way for me to blend my interests of learning about a culture different from my own and working with an environmentally- and socially-responsible development company. I also learned a bit of the Kosraean language, went on a few weekend trips to Walung (a village only accessible by boat) with local friends, explored numerous waterfalls, learned how to SCUBA dive, and was here for grand festivities during Christmas and Cultural Day in April. Please feel free to email me at claudia@greenbananapaper.com if you have questions or are curious to learn more about volunteering at Green Banana Paper.