My name is Valerie, and I am going into my HBA2 year with a growing interest in sustainability. While I used to underestimate the importance of sustainable living, engaging in meaningful conversations in my Ivey classes about sustainability in business and my involvement in pro-bono consulting for nonprofits has transformed my perspective. Along with my passion for outdoor activities, these experiences have developed my appreciation for the environment and sparked my interest to consult companies on sustainability initiatives. I believe all successful business strategies support the people and environment and I am committed to incorporating sustainability into my career.

What is your personal definition of sustainability? 

In my perspective, sustainability is the collaboration of all stakeholders to establish systems and processes that meet present needs while protecting the ability of future generations to fulfill their own. This involves an active effort from all parties to adopt a long-term approach in developing solutions that balance economic, social, and environmental factors.  

Sustainability encompasses more than addressing environmental issues such as climate change, it also includes social and economic issues like accessibility to healthcare. It’s a thoughtful approach that recognizes the interdependence of individuals, organizations and the environment and seeks to create a fruitful and resilient world for everyone.

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

In my professional career, I aspire to specialize in sustainability consulting for government bodies and corporations, focusing on advocating for sustainable manufacturing practices, ethical consumption, and equal opportunities for marginalized communities.  

As a former over-consumer, I often neglected to reflect on the environmental and labour impacts of manufacturing. However, after engaging in discussions in class about sustainability and watching videos highlighting the large waste and poor labour conditions across many industries, sustainable consumption and safe labour conditions have become significant important topics to me.

Through my work, I seek to help companies in optimizing their production process to minimize waste and pollution. Specifically, I am interested in collaborating with traditional non-environmentally friendly and labour-intensive industries to integrate more sustainable practices. By doing so, we can gradually lead to achieving more eco-friendly operations across these significant industries. Additionally, I aim to promote transparency and corporate responsibility by collaborating with government bodies to enforce fair regulations that hold corporations accountable for their environmental and social impact. 

Lastly, as a woman of colour, I am passionate about advocating for fair and equitable education and career opportunities for all. Regardless of my career path, I am committed to advocating these principles in my work. 

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in?

Global Research Consulting: This year I was a Senior Project Lead on Global Research Consulting; a pro-bono consulting organization for nonprofits and NGOs. During this time, I led a team of four individuals to consult a nonprofit dedicated to facilitating donations to charities through equity pledges from startups on membership and donation growth. Over four months, I analyzed member profiles associated with successful donations, evaluated churn rates, conducted market research on competitors, and assessed the impact of successful donations on achieving sustainability focused goals. Based on our findings, we developed a set of recommendations aimed at remodeling the pledge structure, introducing an educational playbook, targeting high growth industries, and engaging with founders who strongly aligned with supporting social objectives. Consulting for a nonprofit that encouraged startups to prioritize sustainability provided valuable insights into motivating financially constrained individuals and organizations to support social and environmental initiatives. I hope to continue contributing to meaningful initiatives around sustainability.

Evangel Hall: Aside from pro-bono consulting, I volunteered at Evangel Hall, a Toronto soup kitchen. I assisted in preparing and serving lunch for homeless individuals, engaging in meaningful conversations with them, and participating in fundraising efforts to support their affordable housing units for low-income families.

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

I am interested in exploring sustainability within the consumer retail, metals and mining and eco-tech space. I am also interested in sustainability focused consulting.