Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.

Read Jones Christoffersen (RJC) is a Canadian leading engineering company providing services in structural engineering, restoration, building design and sciences for about 60 years with currently six offices across Canada. RJC has recognized the importance of sustainability in their design and practices.

Being a candidate for Master’s in Environment and Sustainability degree from the University of Western Ontario and holding Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Almaty State University in Kazakhstan, I had the privilege to be part of RJC’s sustainability journey and the first intern introducing them to The Natural Step (TNS) Framework. 

My responsibilities included:

• conducting an RJC-wide survey regarding the level of employees’ understanding of sustainability and related topics.
• raising sustainability awareness across RJC by participating in Green Team meetings, posting related articles and news on shared website and RJC-wide comprehensive presentations introducing TNS framework in all six locations, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto.
• conducting a baseline analysis of various practices such as purchasing practices, paper consumption, printer inventory and carbon audit.
• conducting visioning exercises with employees, collecting and categorizing the suggested ideas.

I am pleased with the result of my efforts in presenting the TNS Framework and my analysis to all the offices and the level of participation and engagement of employees.  RJC will use the sustainability vision and action plans developed through my internship to continue their sustainability journey and become a leader in this field.

I am excited to have had the opportunity to promote the TNS Framework and educate over 300 people on the topic of sustainability.  I will continue this experience by promoting sustainability in my home country, Kazakhstan.