Tackling the carbon challenge: My part in sustainabillity at AtkinsRéalis

Hello, I'm Michelle, an Environmental Engineer with air quality expertise in AtkinsRéalis in U.S. At AtkinsRéalis, our Engineering Net Zero and Sustainability training program empowers colleagues around the world to deepen our carbon expertise. In this series, we share how the experience has shaped our approach to sustainability, collaboration, and delivering positive impact for clients. Here are my reflections on the program and what it has meant for my work.

Why I choose to do the in-house sustainability training?

My experience is in air quality, so my day-to-day includes estimating air emissions for our clients. Our group is beginning to work on projects that require looking into greenhouse gases and carbon emissions, and I thought this was a great way to further my knowledge in emissions reductions to provide solutions to our clients. Being selected as part of this program was encouraging to me and showed me that the company is willing to invest their time and money to grow the knowledge of its employees.

How the training changed my approach to sustainability work?

Working with global colleagues and hearing about their sustainability solutions on their projects has inspired me to build off of their knowledge and keep an open mind to solutions that may not be used here in the U.S. It was so important to get perspectives and insight from around the world in order to tackle this global problem of climate change.

What being part of AtkinsRéalis' carbon specialist network means to me?

I feel honoured to be part of this group and excited to have the opportunity to bring my own sector specific knowledge to the table to discuss how we can tackle climate change. It was great to be part of the second cohort of specialists knowing that the company saw potential in me to affect change. It encourages me to share my learnings with others and to share my knowledge.

The most surprising challenge I encountered

What surprised me most was how each country has different laws and regulations to reduce carbon. It was eye opening to see how prevalent carbon reduction is in the UK compared to the U.S.

The takeaway that will stick with me long term

One of my favorite parts was the emotional aspect of climate change. During the face to face session, we discussed and reflected on our personal drivers and concerns about the climate crisis. Recognizing your drivers is key when encouraging others to take steps towards sustainability, and we should not discount how much emotion and energy can influence others during these tough conversations.

The small group business challenge was most memorable. We researched a real AtkinsRéalis project and applied our learnings in practice, bringing the concepts of carbon management to life. It was great to get to collaborate with members from our small group who were in different countries and backgrounds to learn from them.

My advice for colleagues starting out in sustainability

When I first started the course, one of our first sessions had a quiz where we had to match certain net zero/ climate change terms with their respective definitions, and I got most of them wrong! It was a humbling moment. But the tone of the engineering net zero and sustainability training program was not to shame anyone for not knowing EVERYTHING about climate change. It's a field that requires a lot of continuous learning, so don't be afraid to start because we are all learning together.

It's time for real sustainability and meaningful global impact – join us. Explore careers at AtkinsRéalis.