We spoke to Will Henry Bailey, who forms part of our newly accredited team of Carbon Verification and Validation specialists, to find out more about his role and where his passion for sustainability stems from...
Will, run us through what you do here at Hydrock.
I’m an Energy and Sustainability Consultant. I deal with all things from whole life carbon emissions for the built environment to net zero retrofit strategies for larger estates, such as local councils and universities. I’ve also been involved with corporate and organisational emissions reductions. Moving forward, I’ll be working on Carbon Verification and Validation with our newly accredited team of specialists.
This new service provides an assurance for businesses - it’s here to protect them. You’ll find a lot of businesses claiming to be operating sustainably, but that’s not enough. The pressure is on for them to prove those claims, and that’s what we’re here to do. Not only can we act as an assurance, but we can also work with them to help further reduce their emissions and footprint.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the team?
What we do brings with it a feeling that we’re making a positive impact. Being in a team of enthusiastic and like-minded people is fantastic.
I’m really looking forward to delving deeper into carbon management and, with that, working with our clients to help them act sustainably. We walk them through their ambitions to construct a net-zero building, for example –how are they actually going to achieve that?
Carbon verification and validation is a really great way to incentivise organisations and for them to achieve the things they’ve said they are going to do.
What do you personally bring to the table for our new team of carbon specialists?
I’m an engineer by trade so I have a strong understanding of all the detailed work involved, which is needed for verification. Being able to interrogate and understand what you’re seeing and what’s being presented to you is important. Having worked in built environment for my whole career delivering a lot of the work we’re going to be verifying, this gives me a real understanding of what to expect.
Where did your passion for sustainability come from?
I’ve got quite a big family and they’re all really interested in sustainability and how we can improve the environment. I’ve always been exposed to sustainable thinking since childhood.
When I was at school, I always knew I wanted to do something beneficial and environmental based. This led on to studying mechanical engineering at Sussex University. Following this I did a summer placement at Hydrock, and was then offered a job after university. From then on, I’ve enjoyed working across both M&E and sustainability.
What do you do outside of the day job?
I like to keep busy, I’ve quite a lot of hobbies and enjoy keeping social. I actually brew my own beer — and I’ve got quite the home set-up! I’ve been doing it for about three or four years
I’ve got lots of equipment in the house, though I do try to do most of it outside in the garden as it can get quite messy. One time, it exploded which such velocity that beer splatted all over the ceiling. Mopping that up was fun. It’s very good beer though!
I also play bike polo. It’s like hockey, but on a bike. We play on courts, it’s three people per team and we cycle around with our sticks trying to aim for the goal – it’s great!
How can we help our younger generations continue the battle for greener living?
Incentivise them and give them opportunities to deliver their own ideas, because they’ve got amazing thoughts and that’s where innovation starts. So, it’s about giving them a platform and supporting them by offering them the tools to deliver.
It’s an uphill battle, but there’s so much they can get involved with to help the world on its journey. Both from a personal and a professional point of view, there are things everyone can do to help reduce their impact on the environment. There are also so many incredible community projects that young people can get involved with, bringing together like-minded people who want to achieve the same things.
Is there anyone you look up to in terms of someone who acts sustainably?
I’d say my brother. He’s a huge source of inspiration in my life. He worked within a similar engineering field to me and has since joined an organisation called C40. They do some really amazing research around consumption and climate change. They also bring the mayors of all the largest cities in the world together to create ways we can help to reduce climate change, as often, it’s hard to implement such changes on a national level. These cities have a lot of power to make a big positive impact, so it’s about bringing them together and supporting them on their journeys to greener living.
He’s also just founded a new movement called ‘The Jump’, which I supported him with Built on a ground breaking piece of research from ARUP, C40 and Leeds Uni around consumption emission, The Jump is about empowering individuals to help live happier lives whilst mitigating our impacts on the climate
Enjoyed this interview? Take a look at our interviews with Carbon Verifiers Gemma Tong, Matthew Pygott and Ruby Lowe.
