I always identified closely with the values of sustainability because I grew up in a very rational environment, meaning that I was always taught the importance of being aware of the ripple effect to my choices and actions on a daily basis. This value system helped me build one of my core strengths–connectedness–which allows me to identify potential impacts before they occur. One of the avenues through which I employed this strength was with a sustainable lens and recognizing that even the smallest lifestyle changes can make lasting impacts in the long run.

What is your personal definition of sustainability?

From my perspective, sustainability comes in many different forms. Although environmental sustainability has been at the forefront in recent years, I think that it is important to consider impact in multiple dimensions when developing sustainable business models. For instance, if a firm has carbon negative operations but treats their workers poorly, they will experience high turnover rates, negative media press, and other consequences that will hinder their positive environmental impact long-term. Hence, I believe that sustainability means embedding a socially conscious approach in everything a firm or person does.

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

Upon attending various conferences and learning about corporate social responsibility within the business world, I have become inspired in taking a wholesome approach tot he role sustainability will play in my career. One of the main concepts I will carry with me into my professional career is that of “total societal impact.” This means taking into account the effect of business practices on various aspects of society, whether this be by taking into account externalities when developing risk profiles for various projects or finding creative ways to implement social impact in internal financial projections. Either way, as I move into my professional career, before I make any decision, I will stop and ask myself the following questions:

“What is the impact on the planet?”

“What is the impact on the people?”

“What is the impact on the profits?”

This is the approach some sustainability managers take when assisting in managing projects, and I found it to be very comprehensive. If I find a negative impact in any of these three dimensions, and if resources permit, I plan to go back to the drawing board to find ways to prompt alignments between these three factors.

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in?

One key sustainability project I recently engaged in was participating in the Corporate Social Responsibility Society’s CORE conference in January of this year. In this conference, three of my colleagues and I competed in a case competition to launch shampoo refill products that could eliminate plastic waste produced by consumers. My team and I placed second and accomplished this by incorporating societal impact on every stage of the value chain of our launch. We also ensured communication of the sustainability aspect of the product in the marketing strategy so that every aspect of the business plan was aligned well.

Another sustainability project I have been engaged with was when I was a part of the conversation in creating sustainable events for my high school’s student council. As I assisted in recruiting an environmental advocate on the executive team, I helped in developing that role as the school year went on and we always shifted the conversation to incorporate a lens of sustainability when discussing upcoming projects to ensure that our environmental footprint was minimal, even if it meant working for a little longer on some nights. Sustainability all starts with advocacy and it was beneficial having that perspective earlier on.