Edge Environment has welcomed 3 talented and experienced Edgers Gary, Oli and Jon into the team in 2015.
There has been a surge of new staff in the first half of 2015 as the need for sustainability practice in business and the environment continues to grow.
I have asked each new staff member to explain their role and answer 3 questions so you can get to know them a bit better and understand their area of expertise.
Gary Foster I joined Edge to lead and develop business in Victoria within areas including Life Cycle Analysis and Material Flow Analysis for products and buildings, infrastructure sustainability, climate change adaptation, industrial ecology and resource efficiency programs.
What motivates you to work in the sustainability space?
I have long been greatly inspired by the critical need and opportunity to help businesses and organisations operate in a way that supports the long term wellbeing of people and the planet. There are plenty of ways in which one can apply a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience. The field of regenerative sustainability, innovation and finding new ways of working collaboratively fascinate me in particular.
Why did you choose Edge Environment?
Before joining them, I had consulted with some of Edge’s clients in the property sector in particular, and everyone had great words to say about the company, its founders and its staff. They are a young, dynamic organisation that has a great culture and impact in the industry. Overall though, I’d say it was the strong company values of integrity, excellence and scientific rigour that attracted me the most.
What do you enjoy most about working for Edge?
It’s a great place to work; I really enjoy working with a highly professional and friendly bunch of people that embody the values of the organisation. We’ve been involved with some fascinating projects in the buildings sector, infrastructure development, manufacturing & food sector and with Government funded industrial ecology programmes. The can-do, open, client friendly, staff-empowered culture is something that I will be replicating in Melbourne.
Oli KristevicMy role at Edge is primarily in the area of climate risk where I will be helping organisations to assess the current and future climate risk to their assets and/or services. This will cover a wide spectrum of spatial and temporal scales. An individual project could be as simple as a qualitative risk assessment to help a building owner achieve an ISCA rating or as complex as developing a methodology for assessing natural hazard risk to an certain type of infrastructure nationwide.
What motivates you to work in the sustainability space?
You don’t have to be Eistein to figure out that humans are significantly impacting on the natural environment all around the world – veritable bacteria on a massive spherical petri dish, gobbling up the nutrients with reckless abandon.
We’re all “part of the problem” so to speak, so it was an easy decision to work in a field like this that is developing a solution.
Why did you choose Edge Environment?
After a traumatic experience in the corporate hurt box, I was looking to join a company that had a more sustainable approach to sustainability….if you know what I mean.
What do you enjoy most about working at Edge?
The people here and working in a company that is focused wholly on sustainability instead of just being in a small team as part of a larger company.
Jon Panic My role at Edge will predominantly be providing sustainability advisory services to major infrastructure projects. This will involve driving the sustainability agenda on these projects and helping the project teams to meet the sustainability requirements that are increasingly being written into major project contracts, such as the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s IS Rating Tool and the Sustainable Design Guidelines (on rail projects). I also have experience in carbon management and auditing so will look to continue offering those services to clients.
What motivates you to work in the sustainability space?
I think it’s important we ensure the way we live today doesn’t involve borrowing from future generations. Plus, working in the sustainability space is really interesting!
Why did you choose Edge Environment?
Edge have developed a really strong reputation as leaders in providing sustainability advisory services, particularly on major infrastructure projects over the last few years. The location might have also had some influence….a 5-minute walk to work is pretty good.
What do you enjoy most about working at Edge?
Being part of a team who are all focused on sustainability and getting the opportunity to work on major projects with huge potential for sustainability innovations.