MSc Sustainability (Environmental Consultancy)

James Langstraat – Environmental Consultant – Halcrow

Since joining Halcrow I have worked on the following projects:

• Travel Plan Carbon Calculator (for the Highways Agency) Developed an excel based tool with a web-style interface to estimate the potential carbon savings achievable through implementing a green travel plan
• Sustainability Review (for Transport Scotland) Review to provide recommendations to Transport Scotland as to how they can embed sustainability into their operations and supply chain as a major construction client and asset manager through procurement, contracts, tools and standards
• Carbon Management System (for Transport Scotland) Developing a carbon management system for Transport Scotland inline with ISO 14064 and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. To measure and assess the annual carbon footprint. And a design tool to minimise greenhouse gas emissions through design using a life cycle assessment approach.
• Supply Chain Carbon Footprint of Trans-Pacific Shipping (for British Columbia Ministry of Transportation, Canada) Comparison of four trans-pacific shipping options from China to North American ports to identify the most efficient route in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
• River Severn Catchment Flood Management Plan (for the Environment Agency Appraising impacts of the generic policy options recommended in the CFMP against the environmental catchment objectives for the River Severn including analysis of environmental assets within current and future flood areas, and assessing the impact of flooding on these assets.
• Waste EIA ES and Scoping Report chapters (for private developers) Assessment of the impact of the development on local waste management capacity and recommendations for waste minimisation and mitigation to be build into the development design.

"The Environmental Consultancy course provided an excellent set of practical skills in project, stakeholder and client management as well as a detailed knowledge of sustainability which is a central priority to most clients."

Nicola Levy - Environmental Consultant - Mott MacDonald Ltd

Following completion of the Environmental Consultancy Masters course at Leeds University in 2005, I was employed by Mott MacDonald Ltd as an Environmental Consultant in their Environment Division. Mott MacDonald’s Environmental Division contains a wide range of experts from almost all environmental disciplines, working on projects of all sizes and character both in the UK and worldwide. Projects can vary from large, high profile projects, to small scale local projects.

Specialist Skills and Project Experience

My main specialist areas are Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA), Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and BREEAM. I have worked on a wide variety of small and large projects for both public and private sector clients. Examples of recent projects include:

• Nottingham Express Transit Phase Two – Production of an interactive Environmental Management Plan database
• Victoria Station Upgrade – Project Sustainability Appraisal
• Merseyside Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) – Integrated SA/SEA of the Merseyside SPD for Transport
• SA/SEA Training Workshops – Undertaking SA/SEA training workshops for Local Authority OfficersWinstanley College BREEAM – BREEAM Assessment of proposals for a new college building
• Tyne and Wear Second Local Transport Plan SEA

Mott MacDonald encourages and supports its staff to achieve professional qualifications. I have been able to undertake professional training, and am a BREEAM Schools Assessor and Associate Member for the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). I am currently working towards Full Membership of IEMA.

Environmental Consultancy Masters Course

The Environmental Consultancy Masters course provided me with a wide range of skills to take into the consultancy world. The course covered practical issues and topics that consultants come across in their everyday work, such as stakeholder management, planning, environmental impact assessment, contracts and much more. The friendly atmosphere and staff support made the course enjoyable and interesting.

Helen Davies - Sustainability Consultant: WYG

I would say that the course provided a good grounding in a range of areas, from covering the overall concept of sustainability to focusing on specific topics such as EIAs and SEAs. I enjoyed the fact that the assignments included both academic essays as well as those in report formats giving me experience of the type of work I am now doing on a day to day basis. Giving presentations was especially useful at improving my presenting skills and increasing my confidence levels.

Ed Dunn – Graduated 2007

I graduated from Leeds University in 2007 with a Masters in Environmental Consultancy. The course was relatively new when I was an undergraduate and the main attraction to me was the chance to complete the consultancy project. I still believe that this was one of the most valuable experiences of my career to date as it gave me the opportunity to put my theoretical knowledge into practice almost immediately. I feel that when so many graduates are leaving University with very little work experience and even fewer employment opportunities this course still offers a chance to get ahead of the game and provides valuable real-life work experience in the environmental sector.

Shortly after graduating I was recruited by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office into their Sustainable Operations Support Team. A significant part of my role is to ensure that the FCO are able to deal with and perform against the requirements enforced by central Government to reduce their carbon footprint. Whether this is establishing a comprehensive data collection process for meeting our 10:10 commitment, managing the FCO’s ISO14001 accreditation system, or providing advice to the England Football FIFA World Cup bids Team to ensure a sustainable legacy after hosting the 2018 World Cup, I am pleased to say that I’m still using the skills and knowledge I learned during my masters degree on a daily basis to help the FCO make a more informed decision about its approach to sustainability and carbon management.

Danielle Jackson – Graduated 2006

I found the MSc Sustainability (Environmental Consultancy) course to be an excellent platform to step from academia into the professional world. As it is taught by practising consultants and delivers the tools required to ‘hit the ground running’, graduates from the course are appealing to a wide range of organisations with potential savings in training resources and costs.

Since graduating from the course in 2006 I have worked for a diverse range of organisations in not only the public and private but also the charity sector. I began working for Halcrow Group Ltd, a multinational, multidisciplinary, engineering consultancy where I worked predominantly in Environmental Impact Assessment for flood alleviation schemes. I then worked at a smaller management consultancy developing a comprehensive understanding of the Power Generation sector and the environmental issues that it faces. During which time I conducted environmental audits for both EDF Energy and E.ON UK Power Stations. Chester Zoo was my next post where I assisted the HSE Manager in re-launching their Environmental Management System to retain their ISO 14001 certification. This was definitely the job with the most exciting lunch-breaks with having to walk past the penguins and the tiger enclosure to get to the canteen!

My current position is National Environmental Management Advisor at British Waterways where my main role is to drive our Environmental Management System. The EMS is the tool we use to continually improve our environmental performance whilst we maintain a safe and navigable network of waterways and provide a haven for people throughout the UK.

Philip Atack Graduated 2007

As an experienced Engineering Project Manager with experience of General Management in the International Energy Industry I found myself at a cross roads at the age of 54.

I came back to the UK for family reasons and found it difficult to find a new position in the UK. I also felt I needed a career change and I needed to add dimensions to my CV that would make me more attractive to employers in the UK. Personally I also understood that I needed to make myself more familiar with the current issues that were having an impact on large projects in the UK.

My solution to all these issues was to return to university and do the MSc Sustainability (Environmental Consultancy) course which was being run alongside other similar Masters courses at University of Leeds. The particular advantage that I saw in the course I chose was the relationship the course has with practicing environmental project managers and consultants who support the course. Of particular interest to me was the opportunity to work on a real assignment with a sponsor during my placement project. The placement added a UK work experience to my CV and the course content brought me right up to date with significant issues facing modern project managers.

Despite going back to university for the 2006/07 year at the age of 54, I found that I naturally slotted into the course among my much younger student colleagues. The course gave me real value and I began receiving very attractive job offers before I had finished the final project report. I now work as a senior project manager with a national power company working on projects related to securing the future of low carbon power generation in the UK.

The decision to go back to university seemed at first to be a risky attempt to completely change my career direction. However, the plan worked and I am happy to say that it was one of the best career decisions I have made. I can thoroughly recommend my experiences as a mature student. It was fun too.

Kanu Priya Graduated 2009

Upon graduation I began working with an Engineering and Construction company called Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Mumbai, India), on its Sustainability Reporting. Recently, I have moved from L&T to a Sustainability Consultancy En3 in (Chennai, India). Here, my work areas are on advising other corporate how to go about Sustainability Reporting and how to incorporate sustainable business practices.

The MSc Sustainability (Environmental Consultancy) is undoubtedly a subject in demand here in India. Sustainability is seen as a growing market in India but the awareness has still not reached the maturity level seen in the UK. The course studied in Leeds enables me to understand and make others understand the knitty gritty of the Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability. I feel, modules like Standards and Tools in Business, Environment and CSR, Environmental Impact Assessment, Regulatory Issues in the planning context of Sustainable Development, Stakeholder Engagement are really useful in the practical context.

Kelsey Schram - Graduated 2009

I am working for a solar system supply company named Conergy Inc. It is a German based company with offices all over North America. We supply parts and system design services to large and small scale solar projects. My role is an Account Manager for the Ontario region and I manage the needs of several project developers, installers, and parts dealers here. The MSc Sustainability (Environmental Consultancy) programme was a fantastic experience I gained an in-depth look at sustainability from both a practical and theoretical perspective.

From a theoretical perspective, the greatest take away for me was the use of perspective and context with respect to everything I read. For example, where a particular author was from and the time they lived greatly influenced their research and publications which made their conclusions quite subjective. From a practical perspective, the program used case studies from the international agenda making it applicable to students of all nationalities.

Sam Porteus - Graduated 2009

I am currently working for Chatsworth House and their associated operations. My role is split between environment and heath and safety, with the majority of my time looking at environmental impacts. I spent my time developing ‘green’ projects and also developing day-to-day activities such as getting a recycling system up and running and improving staff awareness. I wouldn’t have got this job without having done the programme and it’s provided me with good background knowledge and experience that I‘m now putting into practice.

Thomas Mann – Graduated 2009

I have held two major roles since graduating from the MSc Sustainability (Environmental Consultancy) Programme. I was Environmental Management Systems (EMS) coordinator for the Carbon Trust - managing their ISO14001 EMS day to day for their 4 offices, through audits and re-certification, annual reporting etc. I am now Business Development Manager for Sunpower - a photovoltaics developer. This involves working in the early procurement phase for sites for 5mW solar parks (part of the Feed-in-Tarrifs effect). The course provided an excellent and comprehensive foundation for work in the environmental sector.

Falon Attai - PLIPDECO : Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation Limited - Energy and Sustainable Analyst

The M.Sc. Sustainability (Environmental Consultancy) was an enlightening experience, where I acquired a vast range of knowledge currently being applied to the Energy sector in Trinidad and Tobago. On the completion of the M.Sc. I have worked on a variety of environmental extension projects.

At PLIPDECO, I am able to incorporate the fundamental principles acquired with the M.Sc. in Sustainability and apply to ongoing and futuristic projects. This organization has committed itself to a holistic sustainable development, which understands that sustainability indicators are multidimensional as well as sectoral measures by which it becomes possible to illustrate the development and links among a community's economy, environment, health, and social conditions.

I am currently part of a strategic team, spearheading the development of a more sustainable environment with the resilience to adapt to these potential future requirements. In part, land use planning practices that create and maintain efficient infrastructure, ensuring close-knit neighborhoods, preservation of natural systems, and encouraging a sense of community. In addition to helping PLIPDECO develop sustainable processes, meeting environmental regulations and developing CSR programmes, I also have the lead on in the decision making at multiple levels and the prescription of innovative solutions for company’s future developments.

Sustainability science has emerged over the last two decades as a vibrant field of research and innovation. Therefore, I have taken a particular interest in sustainable energy developments including renewable energy, energy from waste, advanced energy technologies such as gasification, and low and zero-carbon energy technologies. As a result of experiences I gained at the University of Leeds, I am embarking on another journey in pursuit of a PhD, which incorporated the core elements of Sustainability.

Gemma Middleton and Nicola Parker, Graduate Sustainability Consultants – Mott MacDoanld – Graduated 2008

Gemma and Nicola have both been working on bids, proposals and on a variety of different projects. During our time at Motts, we have both helped to co-ordinate Environmental Impact Assessments, we have undertaken SA/SEAs on Local Transport Plans, prepared Sustainability Statements and Environmental Management Plans to name a few. Nicola has also taken her Masters Dissertation further and developed the SDM model as an in-house tool that is still being developed and has been used in projects.

Personally, I thought the Masters course provided a real insight into the world of consultancy and prepared us well for our project placements. Even though I came from an environmental background before I started the Masters, I still believe that the modules provided a very well informed introduction to the topics and issues for those students that had previously studied a different discipline. The lecturers and leaders were extremely helpful and engaging throughout the year; and provided guidance and support when needed!