Earth Day: An FDM Consultant Making a Difference

As part of the modern environmental movement, Earth Day has been celebrated annually on 22^nd April since 1970. The Earth Day movement was created to voice the various environmental concerns that will have a negative impact on overall human health. With the increasing effects of climate change today, Earth Day is recognised as a push for citizens of the world to make changes in their everyday human behaviour and to drive government policy changes.

In celebration of Earth Day 2021, we caught up with one of our amazing FDM consultants, Calvin Liu, who is currently working on-site as a Sustainability and Research Analyst at Recycle Track Systems (RTS). RTS is an environmentally focused waste and recycling management company that is redefining waste services by helping businesses and communities manage waste more responsibly. Continue reading to learn about Calvin’s journey in the environmental field.

What does Earth Day mean to you?

“Earth Day is a day to reflect on one’s environmental impact and the ways you have committed to better protect the environment. Earth Day often feels performative but can provide people with the opportunity to readily access educational resources about the topic.”

What made you want to get into the environmental field?

“I was always interested in science growing up and enjoyed learning about the natural world. The environmental field is an interdisciplinary field, intertwining many different fields to create a holistic understanding of our environment and the problems we face. This interdisciplinary nature, along with the immense impact environmental scientists and engineers have made in the industry, inspired me to work in this field.”

What are some initiatives from your time on-site at RTS that you think have had a positive impact on the environment?

“RTS does a lot in terms of redefining waste services by helping people manage waste more responsibly. I personally work with various teams to adjust their routes to reduce truck times, thus decreasing fuel consumption, which in turn has a positive environmental impact. We also help customers identify contamination in their recycling to ensure that everything in their recycling can actually be recycled properly.”

Do you think an environmentally friendly business model is something more companies should adopt? If so, why?

“I believe environmentally friendly business models tend to do better than those that are not. In this Environmental Social Governance (ESG) guide by RTS, they state ESG investing is integrating and embracing social & environmental issues into existing business models and strategies. Transforming business models with the underlying rationale that running a responsible business will drive better investment outcomes in the long run — and that it’s possible for corporations to be successful and make a profit, but still do good in the world.”

At FDM Group, we are committed to finding the perfect placement for you. Whether that is making a difference for the environment or developing applications for large corporations, we will find the right fit for you!

To find out more about our early career opportunities, check out the FDM Graduate Programme.