For Melvin Keyani, QEHS director at M&E specialist Cilantro, sustainability and environmental issues are a hands-on affair. He once ran his own building company and is focused on making sure that workers on site have the information and training they need to do things properly.
“You can write a fantastic policy or procedure, but if you don’t monitor whether it’s being used, it is pointless,” Keyani says. “London is a subcontract, self-employed construction industry where the guys are on price work. For them environmental issues are at the bottom of their list. That’s where I come in.”
The little things are important, he says, such as making sure hazardous waste isn’t thrown into general waste skips or setting up reuse areas for pipes and cables. “These are small steps, but over a £30m project there can be quite a substantial saving. And if you have six or seven projects across London, it all adds up.”
‘Get the message to the coalface’
u003cp style=u0022text-align: left;u0022u003eu003cstrongu003eMelvin Keyani, QEHS director, Cilantro Engineeringu003c/strongu003eu003c/pu003ernu003cp style=u0022text-align: left;u0022u003eu003cstrongu003eFCIOB, CEnv, CMIOSHu003c/strongu003ernWorked with u003cstrongu003eCilantro Engineeringu003c/strongu003e from 2016 to 2018 and then from 2020rnCurrently studying for PhD at u003cstrongu003eAnglia Ruskin Universityu003c/strongu003ernWorked as u003cstrongu003eenvironmental health and safety manageru003c/strongu003e from 2009rnRan his own u003cstrongu003esmall building company after graduatingu003c/strongu003ernBSc Construction Management, u003cstrongu003eOxford Brookes Universityu003c/strongu003eu003c/pu003e
Carrying bricks
Keyani’s first job in construction was carrying bricks while he studied for his construction management degree. It was not until his late 20s that he moved into environmental, health and safety management, working initially for DW Contractors in Oxford.
More recently, working with firms such as Mace, he has taken a keen interest in the governance side of sustainability, deploying standards such as ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems – which Cilantro achieved in 2017 – and BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products.
“Get the knowledge and experience first,” Keyani advises others going for CEnv. “Working with principal contractors and other supply chains, I learn so much about what other people are doing.”
Walking around Cilantro’s projects to run checks is a big part of his role, but Keyani is keen to find more efficient ways to do things. Having saved significant quantities of carbon and cash by switching to apps from paper systems, he wants to make digital tools easier for older and migrant workers. He uses videos and photos for some risk assessment and method statements.
Keyani is currently studying for a doctorate at Anglia Ruskin University, looking at the usability of digital management systems and the ageing population.
‘Let’s banish sustainababble’
u003cstrongu003eGreg Chant-Hall, director, Square Gainrnu003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003eMCIOB, CEnv, FIEMA, FRSA, MCIBSEu003c/strongu003ernu003cstrongu003eDirector of sustainabilityu003c/strongu003e at consultancy Square Gain since 2017rnu003cstrongu003eDirector of The Carbon Free Groupu003c/strongu003e, a consortium of companies dedicated to low carbon and sustainable living, since 2018rnWorked for u003cstrongu003eSkanskau003c/strongu003e 2005-2009 and 2011-2018, rising to head up sustainability for global investment projectsrnFirst role with u003cstrongu003eCIRIAu003c/strongu003e in environment teamrnBSc Geography and Environmental Science, u003cstrongu003eUniversity of Surreyu003c/strongu003e
The biggest challenge in getting people to behave more sustainably is convincing them to change, says Greg Chant-Hall, director of consultancy Square Gain.
“People are scared of doing things differently – they see it as them having to take a risk personally,” he says. “They don’t need people talking sustainababble such as ‘net zero’ or ‘circular economy’ without explaining them properly.”
Chant-Hall has been working in the construction sector for more than 20 years, including two stints with Skanska. The second of these saw him start as sustainability manager on the group’s £1.1bn Barts and Royal London hospitals PFI, moving up to oversee all projects globally where Skanska had a financial stake.
Zero-carbon goals
At Square Gain, he works with organisations across the built environment, from financiers to supply chain companies. The consultancy provides training and e-learning resources, helps councils work out routes to their zero-carbon goals and recently wrote what Chant‑Hall says is “the world’s first net-zero building standard” for NHS England.
Chant-Hall, who gained his CEnv status more than a decade ago, thinks the best thing about the accreditation is how it links across different sectors, whether financial, construction, logistics, retail and more.
“CEnv joins the dots,” he explains. “It is saying that the environmental management piece is part of everyone’s job and that it’s good for society and good for business. It gives individuals recognition, but it should make their businesses better too.”
‘We are going to see a green revolution’
u003cstrongu003eEmma Nicholson, principal sustainability project manager, Pick Everardu003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003eFCIOB, CEnv, FIEMA, FAPMu003c/strongu003ernJoined u003cstrongu003ePick Everardu003c/strongu003e in September 2022rnFounded the u003cstrongu003eWomen in Sustainable Construction u0026amp; Property u003c/strongu003eLinkedIn community in 2011rnFirst job in construction as u003cstrongu003eassistant project manager in 1998u003c/strongu003e, then worked for various consultancies as project and sustainability managerrnMSc in Construction Project Management from u003cstrongu003eSouth Bank Universityu003c/strongu003ernDegree in u003cstrongu003eEnglish Literatureu003c/strongu003e
Emma Nicholson’s passion for sustainability dates back 15 years, and runs through her day job, volunteering and mentoring others.
“The built environment particularly has a critical role to play in reducing greenhouse gases and tackling the climate and biodiversity emergencies the planet is facing,” she says.
“There is a pressing need for more chartered environmentalists and for all built environment specialists to keep up with key legislation.”
Outside construction
Nicholson’s career began outside construction. Having studied a degree in English Literature, she worked in journalism and PR and was working in interior design when the opportunity to apply for a job as a trainee project manager arose.
After gaining a construction project management degree, and working across different sectors, Nicholson’s interest in sustainability and environmental issues grew.
She gained her environmental chartership in 2010 and in the same year was named a ‘rising star’ by the Society for the Environment. She then worked as venues sustainability manager for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Recently she moved to Pick Everard, where she is a principal sustainability project manager.
‘Include sustainability in everything you do’
u003cstrongu003ePeter Egan, requirements portfolio manager, Strategic Commandu003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003eFCIOB, CEnv, CEng, FInstREu003c/strongu003ernSet up sustainability consultancy u003cstrongu003eEGS Consultu003c/strongu003e in 2021, ahead of retiring from armyrnRoles in the military include u003cstrongu003eproject manageru003c/strongu003e and u003cstrongu003estructural designeru003c/strongu003e for infrastructure projects around the world, planning and implementing engineering projects in the UK, overseeing training at the u003cstrongu003eCorps of Royal Engineers Professional Engineering Wingu003c/strongu003e and working for u003cstrongu003eStrategic Commandu003c/strongu003ernJoined HM Forces (Army) u003cstrongu003eCorps of Royal Engineeringu003c/strongu003e in 1996rnMSc Sustainability and Adaptability in the Built Environment, u003cstrongu003eCentre for Alternative Technologyu003c/strongu003e
There won’t be many CIOB fellows who have worked on as diverse a range of projects as Peter Egan. Over his 26 years in the Royal Engineering Corps, he has worked in Macedonia, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Falklands and South Sudan.
Environmental and sustainability issues always interested Egan. When he qualified in 2011 to become a ‘clerk of works’ – a military term for someone who produces high-level engineering designs and provides expert advice on projects – he started to take positive action.
“I started to understand the impacts of the buildings and infrastructure we were constructing, and I tried to include sustainability in everything we did,” he says.
Egan’s green achievements include cancelling out the carbon emissions from concrete in a new accommodation building on the Falkland Islands – replacing cement with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and planting trees to offset the rest – and using vernacular materials and local tradespeople on two huge hospital projects in South Sudan.
At his membership interview for CIOB, his sustainability knowledge was so evident that he was advised to apply for the chartered environmentalist accreditation. Now he is part of CIOB’s validation process for new CEnv applicants.
“Chartered environmentalist status gives you extra credibility and validation when you are discussing technical issues,” says Egan.
CIOB and SocEnv
The construction industry has never seen greater demand for sustainability expertise – and one way to demonstrate competency is through gaining chartered environmentalist status, CEnv, from the Society for the Environment (SocEnv).
SocEnv is an umbrella organisation that licenses other professional bodies from almost every sector to award the CEnv qualification. CIOB is one of those bodies.
The application process for those CIOB members who want to become a chartered environmentalist involves submitting a master’s-level written application. There follows a professional interview with specialist assessors.
SocEnv has awarded some 7,500 CEnvs since 2004 across all industries.
This article was originally published in Construction Management.
