• A Day in the Life, Part 1

    Recently I have had several discussions with students and mentees who are interested in the activities of an environmental consultant. Understanding the daily tasks and business undertakings related to a potential career in environmental geoscience or engineering, is an important part of evaluating

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    October 2020 – Exploring Your Career Path

    As my regular readers may know, I am a big proponent of mentoring, and one of the common issues I talk about with new mentees (especially students and recent graduates) is trying to decide what career path to take in environmental geoscience. Some people know exactly what they want to do with their

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    So you want to start your own consulting business…. Part 2

    Last month I wrote about some of the important things to plan for if you want to start your own business. This moth I continue that discussion with more thoughts on the pitfalls and successes you may experience along the way. Build Your Team As a personal corporation or sole-proprietor you may

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    So you want to start your own consulting business…. Part 1

    I am sure there are many consultants out there who have been working from home for a few months, or they have been ‘Covid-ized’ and are looking for work; and are now seriously considering starting their own company and working for themselves. In fact, I have had several colleagues and mentees

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    Effective Communication

    I recently spent time dealing with the frustration of really poor communication from a variety of service providers. In contrast I also recently attended a post-report meeting with a new client, whose first comment was how pleased they were with the level of communication. From my viewpoint, I was

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    Tips For Working from Home

    Many people have been learning to work from home during this pandemic. For those of us who have been doing this for years, it’s no big change; but for new ‘WFH-ers’ this can be a challenge. For those just getting used to this (and it may continue for a while), or if you’re thinking of

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    Conducting ESA’s During a Pandemic

    There is so much information, and some disinformation regarding the current Covid-19 virus pandemic, I thought it would be timely to discuss a few suggestions for conducting Environmental Site Assessments in these crazy times. I won’t elaborate on hand-washing, social distancing, staying at

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    It's Not Easy Being Green

    I fondly recall Kermit the Frog on Sesame Street, singing “It’s not easy being green.” As an environmental scientist, I like to think I am pretty ‘green’. I advise clients how to prevent pollution, I clean up contaminated sites, and I am a big proponent of sustainable

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    Looking Ahead: Bold Predictions for the Next Decade

    Last month I looked back at some significant environmental events from the twenty-tens; this month I dust off my crystal ball and make a few bold predictions for the decade(s) to come. Sustainability and the ‘Green’ Economy We have already seen emerging technologies and new industries

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    Looking Back: A Decade in Review

    As we begin a new decade, I thought I would look back at a few significant environmental events and trends from the twenty-tens. Updated Regulations and Standards The 'tens' saw the modernization of numerous environmental regulations in many Canadian jurisdictions, with a focus on environmental

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