My name is Rodrigo Baldoceda, a student passionate both about sustainability and consulting. I will get more into my journey below, but my passion for this space has begun since very young. I have lots of family back in Peru whose livelihoods are directly affected by negative climate change actions, and I also adore the flora and fauna of the rainforest. This early love for the rainforest led me to consuming many rainforest-related media at a young age, which has ultimately transpired into a genuine dream career path for me now, as I realize any efforts against climate change will help my country.

What is your personal definition of sustainability? 

My personal definition of sustainability is those actions that help undo damages we have done to our climate or help support our future as a planet, as it is our duty as the dominating species. I believe sustainability has steps, and that through collective efforts we can holistically improve the health of our planet. It begins with all stakeholders truly recognizing the scope and urgency of the climate crisis. This is because no true actions can be done to help the planet without there being an action-based mindset behind it. This is what sustainability means to me.

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

I see sustainability playing as the central point of my professional career, as that is how I am currently structuring it. I have been involved in sustainability for years now, with my year at HBA1 truly allowing me to materialize my passion into impactful things. I wish to continue this in my professional career, as my other passion is consulting. I adore the consulting mindset and work, as I have been working at a boutique firm the last couple of years, with increasing responsibility as time goes on. Although my current firm is a strategy consulting firm, I wish to continue my consulting journey with a specific emphasis on sustainability. Sustainability is my true passion, as it has essentially replaced Youtube and Netflix and I truly find joy in learning about all aspects of it in various industries, everyday. This stems from my heritage, as I am from Peru and have lots of family whose day by day is affected by deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. This is the personal problem I wish to tackle, but I realize that any sustainability or social impact projects given to me by a firm will help the globe, and in turn my country.

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in?

I have always been in love with the rainforest and its inhabitants from a young age, so this led me to my first sustainability activity in high school, the eco-club. I desired to continue this in university, through joining Western Environmental Business as part of the club’s first wave of directors, specifically the finance director. This was my first experience hearing about sustainability in a business sense, which led me to apply as a VP in second, and again for third year.  Going into my HBA1 with this position, I was already very passionate about the space and wanted to use Ivey to try and explore career options within the space. This led me to joining Ubuntu Impact, a very rewarding pro-bono consulting experience as our client manufactures bamboo-based bikes, wheelchairs, and crutches in Ethiopia. This also has inspired me to apply for the service learning in Africa experience, hoping to attend our partner school that we are currently working with in Addis Ababa. Another key point of my first semester was my experience as a conference sapling for Ivey Social Impact Club, where I was in charge of the “ESG is Everywhere” panel (at the Bloom Conference in January), where I needed to run the panel, as well as source its panellists. This process encouraged me to talk to many professionals across various industries and has inspired me towards my current projects. I am currently working with CPA Canada to create a crash course for Western+Ivey students pursuing their CPAs and are interested in sustainability reporting. This is very dear to me as I wish to empower non-science degree students into the space just have I have been. Apart from this, my recent trip to Peru was truly life-changing as I was able to experience it through an HBA lens. I have picked up some future sustainability-related engagements stemming from the country, with my current project being working as the international end of TierraNeustra, an NGO in Peru that is their leading green-engineering organization that specifically targets in cleansing and processing urban pollution. I hope to work with Ivey Sustainability Heads and others in my sustainability network that I have developed this year as I embark in bringing their organization to international light.

Please list any sustainability-related interests you want to explore during the certificate. 

• Deforestation 
• Global indigenous rights and treatments (with focus on climate change) 
• Carbon capture/pollution treatment 
• Regenerative Agriculture 
• Types of carbon and carbon reporting further gas types 
• Textile waste management
• Ocean management