AECOM women discuss netzero, decarbonization & sustainability

Rising talent is at the heart of AECOM's Sustainable Legacies strategy. The Future Leaders group represents AECOM's next generation of sustainability leaders, nominated from across the business because of their potential technical knowledge, enthusiasm and engagement.

These young people, representative of all of AECOM's regions, are core to development and achievement of the company's Sustainable Legacies strategy. They sit on AECOM's Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) Global Council with its most senior leaders and all associated working groups, contributing to company-wide initiatives.

AECOM asked some of these future leaders how the company can help clients meet their ambitious decarbonization, net zero and sustainability priorities.

Below we hear from some of AECOM's impressive women.

Delivering sustainable legacies

"I’m working on developing new systems that will enable us to deliver low-carbon buildings and assess their whole-life carbon through a holistic lens," says AECOM Senior Structural Engineer, Ioana Price.

ESG Specialist and Environmental Auditor, Devon Waters, helps AECOM clients manage the environmental impacts associated with construction of infrastructure in Canada through the development and implementation of environmental management systems. "I also facilitate design that integrates considerations for sustainability during construction and operation," she explains.

Project Manager for AECOM's Energy Practice, Aneesh Karlekar, says: "My goal is to deliver sustainability through energy conservation. Throughout my time at AECOM I have worked on various projects to delivery energy conservation recommendations to the client helping them save energy. I am currently working on a project to build a system that is conditioning digester gas (gas produced from bio waste) into pipeline-quality natural gas to be used in homes. This is estimated to be saving the equivalent of 19,000 cars worth of carbon emissions each year!"

AECOM Decarbonization Lead for ESG in Canada, Jennifer Routhier, says: "I am one part of a large team of professionals delivering on environmental assessments for major transportation projects in the Greater Toronto Area, in Ontario and in Canada. I’ve had a small part in building a better, greener network of public transportation within my country and my home province."

Solving the problem of climate change

When asked why it's important for them to personally to leave a sustainable legacy, Hazel Cheng comments that "Resources are limited, but human wants are not – sustainable living is the way to go.

"With a rising global population, the building floor area in the world is expected to double by 2060. Double! As a structural engineer I feel directly responsible for driving the change to a more sustainable future and ensuring that the construction industry reduces its carbon emissions and minimizes its detrimental impact on our planet," says Ioana.

"It is important for me to leave a sustainability legacy because I want to contribute to innovative projects which allow our clients to meet their objectives while preserving the ability of future generations to meet their needs," says Devon.

"Sustainability and energy conservation are often ignored in our daily lives, and we tend to forget that climate change is probably the single biggest problem that our world is facing. To me sustainability is important to solve this problem of climate change. Additionally, with sustainability and energy efficiency I can create a positive impact on the lives of people. This gives me great joy to know that someone out there is benefiting from the work I am putting in," explains Anneesh.

"I live in the same province, often the same city as many of our projects. Improving public transit services helps not just me, but my neighbors and friends. Working as an air quality specialist, I have a specific interest in the contamination of the air we breathe, and it’s satisfying to know that perhaps my work is helping to improve that quality for generations to come," comments Jennifer.

Bringing positive environmental and social change

Looking at how AECOM enables them to deliver sustainable legacies, Hazel explains that "AECOM works with clients exploring ways to minimize impacts on the environment and bring positive environmental and social change."

"Being part of AECOM enables me to link with like-minded people across the globe. This offers opportunities to be involved with sustainability initiatives that I care about and provides me with a platform to realize new ideas and projects and drive the change to a net-zero future." continues Ioana.

"AECOM is well positioned to deliver the comprehensive set of services required for infrastructure design. With its long operational lifespan, the way the infrastructure is constructed, operated and maintained can have a significant environmental impact. Working at AECOM affords me the opportunity to contribute to the integration of sustainability considerations in infrastructure that may be in use 50-100 years from now," says Devon.

Being part of the energy team allows me to focus on opportunities and projects that provide energy-efficient solutions to clients. I consider myself privileged to be a part of this team delivering sustainability solutions every day," explains Aneesh.

"AECOM has provided me the opportunity to participate on major transportation design projects. I get to be a part of something bigger than me, something that makes a real and positive difference in the lives of Canadians," concludes Jennifer.