What is an advocate and how does it work?

As leaders in sustainability we launched the Zero Carbon Design 2030 (ZCD2030) initiative as the next step in our sustainability journey. We want to push the built environment’s boundaries by designing only zero carbon projects by 2030. This target cannot be achieved without the full commitment and support of all staff, and for this reason we have over 90 advocates that will help guide the business. They are staff members from across all our offices and disciplines, because we all recognise the need to play our part.

The journey to net zero carbon is not just about engineering and the projects we design, it’s about our processes and emissions as a business and the people who will help us get there. At Cundall we have an amazing team of business support staff looking at how we can reduce the carbon we emit. As a carbon neutral business, we understand the importance of looking at all our disciplines and their effect on the environment.

My journey at Cundall started almost seven years ago and aside from my administration duties (I started at Cundall as Admin Assistant), I have always tried to get involved in all the business’ initiatives, especially those around sustainability. From ordering ethical paper for our office and bio cleaning products to joining the office’s green team and enrolling in the Cundall Diploma programme, I wanted to educate myself on how to take care of our planet. Through the Cundall Diploma, I learned that I don’t have to be an engineer to have a voice in the sustainability story of our industry. It all comes down to the choices you make as a person.

After moving into the marketing team, I became involved in more conversations around sustainability. When the ZCD2030 initiative launched, and the call for advocates went out, I volunteered immediately. I knew it was an exciting opportunity to guide, discover and share expertise with my team, and help guide the business and our clients toward a sustainable future. Alongside my marketing colleagues, Annabelle Morris and Sophia Large, I volunteered to represent the marketing and business development team as a zero carbon design advocate. Our mission was clear, discuss with our team what can we do for ZCD2030 and develop a plan to support the entire business reach its ambitious goal.

While the rest of the business works toward the first milestone – zero carbon pathways on all our projects by December 2022. The journey for the marketing team looks a little different. In 2022, we will focus on three main topics:

• Work winning submissions – moving from the traditional way of printing bid documents as well as sending them digitally.
  
• Events – focusing on delivering sustainable, ethical events that represent our commitments from the smallest detail (reusable cutlery) to the biggest one (are events spaces thinking of their own sustainability strategy).
• Communication – sharing with our industry our expertise through thought leadership, exemplar projects and social initiatives.

Simple, right? This is a challenge that requires everyone’s involvement so we can continue to be agents of change for a sustainable world. My team and I are very excited for what lies ahead, and we look forward to sharing our knowledge and helping to drive the industry towards net zero carbon.