Name: Claire McLeish

Class Year: 2016

Internship Placement: Quantis International in Boston. The firm focuses on environmental impact assessment and they specialize in life cycle assessment – specifically, they examine products from production to disposal to calculate their impact on the environment. During my time there I will be evaluating various “green” daily actions, examining the ingredients of food products, and improving data collection for the Carbon Disclosure Project.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

This summer I’m working at the environmental impact assessment firm called Quantis Intl. The field of environmental assessment is an exciting and emerging field that examines products, processes, and companies from “cradle to grave” (production to disposal) to determine their impact on the environment. It’s a highly quantitative field, and my background in economics is proving very useful for this type of work. Impact assessment helps identify how products can be made more efficiently, can help companies improve their processes and be more truthful at marketing, and it can help consumers choose what to buy (paper versus plastic!).

I have been able to take the lead on a few projects, one of which will improve the way that data on large company operations is collected and reported to a well-known international ranking called the Carbon Disclosure Project. In addition, I’m working with an online software company to compile data on the impact of “green” actions – composting your Christmas tree, unplugging unused appliances, eating organic meat, etc. Through this work, as well as a class on sustainability at Harvard University, I’ve had exposure to international standards on environmental assessment, client projects, process databases, and have been learning the field’s terminology (like any good science-based field there are acronyms galore!).

Outside of the office, my mantra for the summer is “it’s very important to run, for it strengthens the mind and body. It’s also important to strengthen the mind and soul by stopping when you see a beautiful sunset.”