From tree planting to carbon modelling: A small tradition that shaped a career.

Every year on her birthday, Faye plants a tree.

What began as a simple childhood ritual became something bigger over time. It gave her an early connection to environmental responsibility and shaped the way she thinks about sustainability today. Not as an abstract idea, but as something you can do, measure, and build into everyday decisions. 

Faye is an Apprentice with the Sustainability Futures Team based in Mumbai. Her story shows how personal motivation, technical learning, and project work can come together in a sustainability career.

From geology to greenhouse gas emissions

Her interest in sustainability began long before work. As a geology student, she was fascinated by the Earth, how natural systems function, how everything is interconnected, and how human activity can disrupt that balance. 

Over time, that curiosity became more specific. She became increasingly interested in greenhouse gas emissions, how they are generated, how they are grouped into different scopes, and how sources vary across industries. 

That is what drew her to carbon modelling. For Faye, it brings together data, science, and real-world impact. It offers a way to move beyond intention and actually quantify and reduce environmental impact in infrastructure and development projects.

Carbon modelling in practice 

One of the most impactful projects she has worked on is the Transpennine Route Upgrade in the UK, where she worked alongside Daniel George. Her contribution focused on carbon remodelling for an 18-mile section of the route. 

Initially, the modelling approach considered the corridor as a whole. The work then shifted to smaller, more manageable packages. This improved accuracy because each package could be assessed according to its specific materials, construction processes, and logistical requirements. 

Through this work, she helped build a more granular carbon baseline that supports better decision-making and identifies opportunities for carbon reduction. 

The experience also sharpened an important lesson. Detail matters in carbon modelling. Even small assumptions can significantly affect overall emissions. 

That is why the work depends on careful collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It also involves structuring datasets, supporting project outputs, and understanding how carbon data feeds into wider sustainability goals.

A broader view of sustainability 

Alongside carbon modelling, her work has also included exposure to green building frameworks such as LEED and BREEAM. That has helped her build a broader understanding of environmental performance across the built environment while keeping technical analysis at the center of her role.

Sustainability beyond project work 

Her interest in sustainability also extends beyond infrastructure and data. She has explored it in a creative and entrepreneurial way by promoting upcycled jewelry made from scrap paper, where materials are reused and given a new life.

That detail brings her story full circle. The same mindset that began with planting a tree each year now shapes both her professional work and her everyday choices. In one space, that means contributing to carbon baselines for major infrastructure. In another, it means finding value in materials that might otherwise be thrown away.

Passionate about sustainability? Explore opportunities at AtkinsRéalis and help turn environmental ambition into real-world impact.