My name is Haden Bruce, and I’m a student with a passion for environmental sustainability. My interest in the environment started as a young kid who loved spending time outdoors, and has grown throughout my life under the influence of many people and experiences. Notably, my two years in civil engineering at Western greatly evolved the lens from which I view sustainability. I hope to spend my career making positive environmental change – some of my aspirations include building future-proofed cities and preventing deforestation. At Ivey, I’m starting to learn how to use business as a vessel to create these changes. 

What is your personal definition of sustainability?

For me, sustainability is about intergenerational equity. This concept was introduced to me by my environmental engineering professor, the late great Dr. Jason Gerhard. Intergenerational equity supports making choices in the present that ensure future generations will have the same opportunities that we do to prosper. As an example, there’s plenty of science to confirm that the climate crisis will only worsen in the coming years – if our generation strives to mitigate its impact, future generations won’t have to do all the fighting themselves. If all business is conducted this way, I believe the world will become much more sustainable. 

What role do you see sustainability playing in your professional career? 

I’d love to pursue a career path that sees me working toward environmental conservation in some way. As mentioned in my bio, a few subject areas that really pique my interest are sustainable cities and deforestation, so a role that deals with one of these would be a dream for me.  

Another alternative career path that I’ve begun considering this year is sustainability consulting. With stakeholders adopting more sustainable values, it’s starting to become vital for firms to invest in operating more sustainably, both environmentally and socially. As this shift occurs, firms will need to integrate sustainability into their core strategies – separate ESG strategies will no longer work. Doing this all while competing in a tight economy is bound to be difficult, so I think strategic sustainability consulting will provide a much-needed boost to these transitioning companies.  

Regardless of the career I end up in, I hope to apply principles of sustainability to everything I work on. One aspect of sustainability that I love is that it’s applicable to just about anything, so I will aim to intertwine it into any traditional practices in which I see room for improvement. 

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in?

During the last year, I’ve been involved in multiple sustainability projects that were incredibly fulfilling. Last summer, I worked as an intern for Red Bull out of their Toronto office. I was lucky to have a manager that was very invested in my development, so he let me use some of my time to create a sustainability framework for Red Bull events, an idea I had after reading about a sustainable music festival in Orillia, ON. Near the end of my internship I presented my completed framework to the Canadian Heads of Sales and Marketing, and they expressed interest in using parts of it in their 2023 business plan.  

Currently, I’m an HBA1 Sapling on the Conference Portfolio of Ivey Social Impact Club (SIC). I spent much of this year collaborating with others on the portfolio to plan and implement the annual SIC conference, which was held on February 5th, 2023. The conference hosted over 150 attendees, including guest speakers from corporations like the United Nations, BCG, Raymond James, and The Atmospheric Fund. My experience with all components of this conference was truly transformational, and I’ve made numerous connections that will last a very long time.