Edwin Chu is one of thinkstep-anz’s Excel gurus. He enjoys crunching data and creating calculators. But he loves it most when a project comes together, and he can see how our work has a lasting impact.
What work are you doing at thinkstep-anz?
I help our clients with their sustainability challenges by building tools and methodologies. I also work on life cycle assessments (LCA) and carbon footprint projects.
What attracted you to thinkstep-anz?
I was always a numbers person, and I was attracted by thinkstep-anz’s focus on science and data. I quickly realised that I was surrounded by people like me who are also ‘obsessed’ with data but can also translate them into meaningful messages for our clients.
In my very first week at thinkstep-anz, I was pulled into an urgent project. Before I knew it, I was crunching numbers. Some months later all these numbers and calculations were part of a big report with great infographics.
Seeing how we present and communicate our results is what makes the difference. Being part of a team that takes a lot of data, crunches it, interprets it and then develops strategies that an industry can use to make a difference is fun and very satisfying.
How did you get started with working in sustainability?
I studied civil engineering and project management at the University of Sydney. At the time there were no electives that focused on sustainability. To get into the field, I did an internship at the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and continued to work there for five years. I was involved with creating a digital platform for Green Star submissions. This is where my interest in product software and my passion for calculators started.
I also learned a lot about the built environment. My role at thinkstep-anz allows me now to branch out in more areas. This includes products, manufacturing and packaging as well as LCA and carbon footprinting.
What did you take on board from your time at the GBCA?
At the GBCA, we often talked about how the most important part of something like Green Star is getting industries to come along on the journey towards a common goal. It’s all about working with a wide range of stakeholders and partners to make progress.
Before I joined the GBCA, I had the impression Green Star was something like a compulsory government standard. However, I realised soon that sustainability was still evolving.
Clients now demand more sustainable buildings, practices, products and services and so contractors and businesses realise that they must deliver. And I learnt that while it can be important to mandate some of these things, it’s also very important to convince people to become more sustainable. That it’s worthwhile and beneficial and that it does matter.
What do you enjoy about working at thinkstep-anz?
We care about helping our clients. We’re delivering what a client needs and through this work we often also educate them. Rather than guiding our clients through a box-ticking exercise, we take them on that journey of understanding and show them why every step matters. This way our work has a lasting impact. Once they seethe benefits, they tell othersand our impact ripples out into their industry and sometimes, through the supply chain, other industries.
Where are your interests in the future?
I would love to do more work in packaging and consumer products. They’re things we interact with every day and there is a lot of greenwashing going on. It would be great to be able to help consumers make better decisions.
What are some sustainable and unsustainable things that you’ve done recently?
The most unsustainable thing was taking two or three Ubers last week while I was travelling. And the most sustainable was repairing a pair of my shoes instead of buying new ones.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
I enjoy eating out and I love restaurants. I love cooking as well. My favourite cuisine at the moment is Spanish, and my all-time favourite is Japanese.