Lilja joined Envirosoft as an Environmental Analyst in October 2021, shortly after moving to Calgary from her hometown of Deep River, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Dalhousie University. We sat down with Lilja to chat about her role, the energy transition, and what counts as outdoor activity.
Tell us a little about the day-to-day responsibilities of your role.
L: It varies day to day. Some days are a lot of communicating with clients, troubleshooting, problem solving, helping them use our software, understanding where data is coming from. Other days it’s heavier on the data side; analyzing our data, putting it together, compiling reports.
Do you have a preference of one or the other?
L: I like a mix. Working with clients is more engaging; it’s nice to talk to people. Some of the data problems are really interesting though - evaluating scenarios, understanding why certain emissions are higher than expected, that sort of thing. A 50/50 split between client time and data time is pretty nice.
What’s your favourite part about coming to work?
L: The people. Everyone is really friendly and the company culture is really great. I like the office environment; everyone is chatty, open to questions and learning, and there aren’t really closed doors. The #1 reason I’m happy to come in everyday is definitely the people.
Favourite part about working in this industry?
L: I think it’s cool how much is happening right now. On the emissions side of things, there are so many changes, not just to the regulations but also to the public and private awareness. There's been so much interest in the environment in the past five years compared to ten years ago, and especially compared to twenty years ago. Now, almost all companies have ESG reports and environmental groups. They’re invested in the changes that are happening, instead of feeling forced to act upon them. Companies are seeing the value of making their businesses more sustainable, which is really neat to see.
Does it feel good knowing that the work you do contributes to positive environmental change?
L: I do feel good about being involved with companies making changes and being able to help them along their emissions reductions journeys. For example, if they want to implement an emissions reduction technology, we are able to show them what the tangible impacts of those changes would be. Working at Envirosoft, we get exposed to what’s out there for new technology, all the new equipment, and all the changes people can make to move in new directions and comply with changing regulations.
Speaking of the environment... Would you consider yourself outdoorsy?
Yes! Mostly hiking in the summer and road biking, but my boyfriend’s bike is broken so we haven’t gone much lately. In the winter, we’ve been getting into back-country skiing and cross-country skiing but I’m less keen on being outdoors when it’s cold. So sometimes just walking to the bakery on the weekends. Guilty of that! We like to walk down to La Boulangerie in Mission. Does that count as outdoor time?
Thanks for letting us get to know you better, Lilja!