I interviewed Elizabeth Dunne, my older sister. She has been my role model for a long time because she is one of the most driven, hardworking people I've met, yet still lives her life outside of work making the most of all the time she has. I realized that, though I know that she works in an environmental-based field and the degree she earned to get there, I didn't know too much else about what she does. So I decided to find out more through this interview! This is the edited and shortened transcript of my interview.
Interviewer: What is your field of study and where did you get your degree?
Elizabeth: My current field of study is Environmental Consulting and in my job, I help companies achieve building certifications (such as LEED). I earned my Bachelor of Science in Biology and minored in Environmental Science at Emory University and graduated in May of 2020.
Interviewer: How did graduating in 2020 during COVID affect you?
Elizabeth: It was a pretty tough time to graduate mainly because of how isolated we all were during that time. It was more sad to not properly graduate with my class at Emory but it wasn't bad career-wise. I lived at home after graduating for about a year and a half until I moved out into San Francisco.
Interviewer: Where do you work now and how long have you been there for?
Elizabeth: I work at Sustainable Investment Group as a Sustainability Manager. I’ve worked at this company since January of 2020, when I was an intern for them during my last semester of college. After graduation, I was offered a full time position with them as a Sustainability Consultant. Just last week actually I was promoted to Sustainability Manager!
Interviewer: Oh that’s so exciting! A manager within a few years, very impressive. That leads to my next question, how does being a Sustainability Consultant compare to a Sustainability Manager?
Elizabeth: Most of the job responsibilities are the same actually, just with a few additional ones as a Sustainability Manager. As a consultant, my primary responsibilities were project management and keeping my clients happy! As a Sustainability Manager, I still work in a client facing role as a project manager, but I also run our internship program internally as well as manage a few other entry level employees. I manage their workload, handle their onboarding and training process, and check in with them weekly to make sure there is nothing they need from me.
Interviewer: What kinds of changes have you seen in your field since you first started out in your company? What projections of change do you see happening in the future?
Elizabeth: COVID-19 really shook things up in the commercial real estate space. In the last 2 years, there has really been a shift in focus to prioritize health within the built environment. While this can go hand in hand with sustainability, there has been an increase in focus on Indoor Air Quality, and making sure that indoor spaces receive adequate fresh air. Beyond this major shift due to COVID, I’ve noticed just how much the field of sustainability has grown over the last two years. This is a relatively new and up and coming field, so it’s very exciting to hear sustainability and LEED specifically being talked about more frequently.
Interviewer: Very cool, I agree that there has been a resurgence of sustainable practices since COVID, it seems that people are enjoying being able to be out in the world again.
Elizabeth: Yeah, I think it’s been talked about more through social media and, yes, from a new appreciation for being able to go outside on a walk or a hike. It was the best part of the day for a lot of people. It’s a really great thing to see happening.
Interviewer: My next question is, Did you have anyone that influenced you to go into the field that you’re in now? Any specific mentors or role models?
Elizabeth: While I didn’t really have any role models that encouraged me to get into this field, I feel that my managers have become that role model for me in teaching me more and more about the field and helping me to grow my career. They have supported me by giving me a lot of responsibility, but also being there for me for assistance or answering questions as needed. Having their support has been especially helpful as I’ve transitioned to my new role as Sustainability Manager, as I’ve been able to ask them about their management strategies.
Interviewer: Who are the most influential and important contributors to your field?
Elizabeth: I can’t say that there are specific individuals that come to mind, but organizations such as USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) and IWBI (International WELL Building Institute) are leaders in this field. They are the parent organizations that developed LEED and WELL building programs, which have worked to make sustainability more accessible and understandable. These organizations also complete analysis to show the cost savings that can be earned by achieving a LEED or WELL certification for your building, which has helped encourage even those who do not care about sustainability to pursue these certifications, which then force them to make sustainability-related goals for their operations. Other large real estate organizations such as CBRE and JLL have been leaders in their field by making sustainability and building certifications a priority.
Interviewer: Very cool, I've seen so many LEED certified buildings around, I think the UCSB Library actually is one of them. I think that was the last question that I had for you! Thanks so much for talking to me about all this, I loved hearing about it all.
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