The Sustainability Implementation Changemaker

We are already starting to see the types of changes that we need in our infrastructure and built environment for a resilient future, and I want to see that at scale everywhere I go. I can imagine someday in the future where this might happen; where neighborhoods, urban and rural areas look different and are thriving. I'm excited about being on the eve of that and I think we really are in this new era of approaching development, redevelopment and sustainable development in a way that is aligned with a new era of community benefits.

The Department of Energy and other federal agencies are approaching some of their infrastructure grants with more robust requirements for projects to be built in a way that serves the surrounding communities. WSP is playing a role in the technical analysis for a handful of projects to inform the development of these approaches, and as intermediaries through partner organizations, translating community needs into project designs or redesigns. We’re doing this work in a way that honors the input of community and delivers broad benefits in a richer and better way than in the past.

At WSP, we have a unique opportunity to lead in engineering and technical services, especially at the intersection of sustainable infrastructure and community benefit. We’re well-positioned with the right partners to embrace a new approach to sustainable development.

In the past year, numerous federally funded grants have become available for universities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), to develop climate action plans and sustainability projects. However, many HBCUs lack the resources for essential foundational work, such as project concepts, analysis, baseline data and subject matter experts.

To address this, WSP is partnering with the HBCU Green Fund and Sustain Our Future Foundation to provide technical assistance, enabling these institutions to pursue climate solutions and develop a diverse talent pipeline, whereby climate solutions can be accessed in all neighborhoods. I hope that within a year, we will collaborate with several HBCU’s on their first greenhouse gas inventories and climate action plans, paving the way for sustainable buildings and infrastructure on their campuses over the next 5 to 10 years.