Celebrating International Women’s Day: Why I Chose a Career in Sustainability | Ndevr Environmental

Today is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

As a certified B Corp, it’s part of our ethos to encourage and support equality and diversity. We’re proud our team is over 60% female, hailing from over a dozen different cultural backgrounds and blazing a trail in an industry that has historically faced a gender imbalance.  Our engineers, scientists, lawyers and academically qualified environmental experts are current and emerging leaders in sustainability with expertise in climate change/strategy, energy and renewables, ESG and human rights.

Celebrating International Women’s Day for us means recognising and celebrating these talented women and their peers working around the globe, to transition the world to a decarbonised, and more resilient and regenerative future.  The urgency of this transition was highlighted again in the latest IPCC report on Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability released last week. This decade is the critical time that we must act to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

To fast track this shift we need government policy and corporate commitment, but it’s also imperative we have new talent joining the industry to give the expert support needed.  

So to recognise and celebrate our talented team this International Women’s Day and to give a little insight to those thinking of a career in this industry, we’ve asked our team to share why they chose a career in sustainability.

‘Why I Chose a Career in Sustainability’

“It is important for me to know that what I do matters beyond paying the bills. I want my children to grow up with a strong sense that women play a key role in our world and shaping its future. Nowhere is the need for innovation, grit and passion greater than in the fight against climate change, as an umbrella for all the environmental challenges we face today. Sustainability was never so much a choice; it just was and remains the only avenue for me.”

Michaela Y – Senior Consultant

“I remember hearing about the hole in the ozone layer when I was a child and feeling very concerned and sad that we were contributing to it. As I grew older my career aspirations shifted through environmental activism, to environmental science, to environmental engineering and then to chemical engineering – the discipline where I thought I could best use my skills to make practical changes aligned with my values. Since then, through working overseas in renewable energy, I realise how strongly human development and sustainability are inter-connected, and thus my passion for sustainable development emerged.” Franziska – Senior Consultant

“My Pop who recently turned 100 was fixing an old saucepan and I offered to buy him a new one and throw that old one out – and he said why, this one will still work when I fix it. And I wondered how did my generation become so wasteful? Everything disposable and quickly thrown away for something better.

Back when I was at uni, if you worked with the environment you were considered a tree hugging hippie (as if that was a bad thing). I had not intended on being in that field – I liked science and maths, I actually wanted to be an astrophysicist and work for NASA – but why look for a Planet B which might not exist when we have a perfectly good and beautiful planet here that we were/ are at risk of destroying. The concept of sustainability – which again was relatively new back then – just made sense to me. I also studied psychology, and my thinking with that was that engineering is for people so you need to understand how people function to best engineer solutions that will work in society. And sustainability brought all this together. It made sense that you need to consider the environmental, social and economic factors of all projects if you want it to succeed.  

And now that I have my baby girl, I’m so glad I chose this field, knowing that I am doing my part to protect her future.”

Hannah – Director

“When I was 14, I knew I wanted my life to be about conserving our planet. It started from a dream of being a marine biologist, to realising that helping companies do better was where I could make the biggest impact. A career in sustainability can be difficult, especially when the goals you are working towards reach far wider than your little sphere of influence. But I cannot imagine doing anything else, especially when I see the efforts of everyone who is in this together, with our spheres connecting to create an impact that also extends far beyond us.” Roohi – Senior Consultant

“I have a passion for caring for nature and the environment. They say to “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”. By working in the climate and sustainability space, I get to do what I love. What’s more is that at Ndevr Environmental we get to make meaningful, positive impact for organisations across many sectors.”

Juliana – Senior Consultant

“Working in the corporate and business industry for the last 2 decades, it has been prevalent the important of ESG and sustainable growth. The conversations and awareness is ever-increasing; and the accountability is shifting from political responsibility to what I can personally do. The opportunity working for Ndevr was prosperous and engaging; knowing I can work for a company who are making a difference in climate change and human rights advisory. Over the years, I have focused on women supporting women. Since becoming a full-time working mother, this is even more important to me. In the corporate world, to sustainably provide solutions to help us tackle climate change makes me feel empowered. To know I am working to make change for my daughter’s future is my principal focus.” Simone – Executive Assistant

“Because I wanted to have a job where my work would have a social impact. Since I was little, I knew I wanted to study engineering but still had that strong drive to create social change. When my home university in Mexico opened its first engineering course focused in sustainability, I didn’t think twice to enrol. It felt like all pieces were falling into place and I could visualise the path ahead of me. Even though at times it’s challenging to work in the sustainability space, especially when faced with so much evidence of the climate crisis, I’ve met such wonderful people, mostly women, with an even bigger drive to create social change. Working at Ndevr Environmental has been amazing as I work alongside some of the most wonderful, brilliant and inspiring women I’ve ever met. Working with my colleagues and with our clients has made me feel hopeful about our future as many of us are working hard in the sustainability space ready to take on the challenge to address the current climate crisis.”

Diana – Senior Consultant

“I’ve always had a passion for environmental and social justice. I’m the person my family would roll their eyes at when I bought my vegetarian burgers to a family BBQ (in the days when you could only get eggy, bland, floury patties from Coles deli) and took everyone’s recycling home. For a long time this was how I practised my passion for sustainability, through personal actions, volunteering and being educated (I’ve recently finished a GCert. in Sustainability and Environmental Management). When I could, I’d also drive sustainability initiatives such as volunteering or CSR programs at the companies I worked for in the past. But having the opportunity to work directly in the sustainability field, with a purpose led company, making a larger scale impact was always my end goal. I consider myself super fortunate to have been able to join Ndevr Environmental. I can say hand on heart it is the most meaningful and gratifying position I have had, with the most genuine and passionate group of people. It’s a blessing to work every day with purpose and alongside colleagues who are 100% committed to using their talent and experience to make a positive impact. And it’s rewarding to have a direct role in growing a business that helps clients make the transition to a more sustainable and decarbonised future.” Jacinta – Marketing Manager

Interested in a career in sustainability?

If you’re interested in a career in sustainability, please reach out. Whether you’re a highly experienced professional looking for your next challenge, a graduate just starting out, or somewhere in between, we’d love to hear from you Learn more.

And to all our inspiring female peers around the world, we wish you a happy International Women’s Day 2022 #IWD2022 #breakthebias