What brought you to this moment in your career where the Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) made sense for you?

My professional role fairly quickly became at least part time sustainability focused, as my company recognized it is where my passions lie, and the firm wished to further reduce their footprint. I found the SEA certification to help build my credibility in sustainability.  Being backed by the GBCI, it seemed like the perfect cert. to add to my resume. I appreciated that it covered a wide range in sustainability topics and left me feeling confident in my sustainability knowledge as I brought it back to my career.

How are you putting the knowledge, skills, and ability demonstrated in the SEA to work in your career (or work) today?

The history sections of the SEA have been useful as I continue my sustainably work. It’s important to understand where sustainability has come from, to help guide it to where we need it to be. Overall, the SEA provided me with a solid base of knowledge that I hold in my back pocket while coordinating sustainability efforts. I am now more aware of the tools we hold to help us combat climate change, which helps know where we can start implementing further change. In my environmental consulting firm, many other employees have similar master’s degrees to the one I’m working towards (Master of Science in Env. Management and Policy, emphasis in energy and sustainability) so the SEA helps set me apart. It may only seem like a small way to set me apart, but anything helps in this competitive industry!

For those starting out in the sustainability field, what advice do you have for them?

I feel like I am almost still starting out in the sustainability field, but I would recommend that you be loud about your passions and have the knowledge to back it up! I was hired on as a marketing specialist, simply happy to be joining the environmental industry. Within months my role morphed into a mix of marketing and sustainability responsibilities, including managing company-wide green initiatives. I don’t think this would have become my reality, at least not as quickly, if I had not brought my passion to the table. When you do get the green light to implement sustainability initiatives, you should be prepared to make the business case for it as well. While everyone wants to do what’s right, companies need to make revenue, so come with an impenetrable plan that makes sense for the business and the planet.