Laure Le Nouvel
Intern from February 2025
As a French student specializing in international sustainable development affairs, I am deeply passionate about ecology and its intersection with societal-policy related dimensions. Venice is a unique and inspiring setting to tackle environmental challenges while safeguarding its outstanding cultural and natural heritage.
Joining Venice Lagoon Plastic Free (VLPF) represents a tangible opportunity to transform my passion into meaningful action. I aspire to contribute to impactful initiatives combating plastic pollution by leveraging my analytical skills, creativity, and global perspective. Additionally, I look forward to gaining valuable insights into community-driven approaches to environmental protection, making this internship a mutually enriching experience.
Zehra Senem Nurel
Intern from October 2024
I am from Turkey. I finished my Bachelor’s degree in Istanbul. I’m currently pursuing my Master’s at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
I’m thrilled to be working with Venice Lagoon Plastic Free, an organization dedicated to reducing plastic pollution in the Venetian Lagoon and scaling up this knowledge internationally.
As part of my task, I will contribute to drafting a technical report for the European Commission and support the organization in other field activities.
This opportunity has given me hands-on experience in sustainability communication while deepening my understanding of how local efforts can drive meaningful environmental change on a broader scale.
I’m excited to continue contributing to this important mission!
Riccardo Zecchin
Intern from May 2023
Being able to collaborate with VLPF makes me really enthusiastic because I have the opportunity to contribute in first person, through concrete actions, to the safeguarding of the territory of the Venice lagoon, the territory in which I was born and raised, and also to increase my expertise regarding “marine litter” and all the actions that are being put in place to combat it or that are being studied to do so, also creating fundamental connections with experts in the field at the national and international level.
As a citizen, I hope that the work done by VLPF will be increasingly in tune with the intentions of the institutions and synergies will be created to defend a unique but also very fragile heritage such as that of Venice and its lagoon.
Karen Maruyama
Intern from January 2022
I’m an international student from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. Three years ago, I volunteered at Pontianak in Indonesia and worked on some projects to reduce plastics pollution in the ocean, planting Mangrove and Moringa in the local area. This experience made me realize the importance of acting locally about environmental issues and always seeking the most effective way for a better world. Now staying in Venice, I am so excited to make the most of this opportunity to work in Venice Lagoon Plastic Free. Looking through my future career, I’m very much looking forward to obtaining valuable knowledge and experiences with this organization.
Ruth Janet Ferguson
Intern from November 2021
I come from Ireland originally, and I’m currently studying for my Master’s degree in Sustainable development, which is a double degree between Leipzig University, Germany and Ca’Foscari University of Venice. I’m looking forward to working with Venice Lagoon Plastic Free, the experience gained in preparing and submitting technical reports to the EU, as well as through practical work in the field assisting with sampling activities, is relevant and valuable for my studies and for my future career. I’m also looking forward to the opportunity to getting more involved with the local community here in Venice, and to learning about the Venice lagoon first-hand.
Giovanni Battista Zoso
Intern from April to June 2021
The collaboration with Venice Lagoon Plastic Free allowed me to confront the issues related to environmental sustainability and social innovation for the first time, giving me the opportunity to experience them first-hand. Furthermore, thanks to this internship, I have taken part in clean-up initiatives, held in the Venetian lagoon and participated in the International Workshop on the removal of marine litter and circular economy, held on the 3rd of June at the Venice Boat Show. These experiences have allowed me to get engaged and interact with people active in the third sector, making me acquire valuable knowledge that will surely be useful for my future studies!