My love for the environment began at a young age, hailing from New Vernon, New Jersey, I grew up close to the Loantaka Brook Reservation, a sprawling woodland with weaving trails. Growing up next to Loantaka inspired a deep sense of calm when spending time out of doors. During my undergraduate career I worked with the Madison Environmental Commission, where I spent two summers removing invasive species and restoring habitat for the benefit of the local community. 

During my junior year I transferred to Eckerd College, a small school situated on the Gulf of Mexico, the motto being: “Think Outside”. Eckerd is renowned for their Environmental Studies Program and the motto spoke to me while addressing challenges in a new light but to encourage myself to spend as much time in nature as possible. While I was pursuing my Master’s in London, I lived in a small flat pushing me to explore East London’s  green spaces to recharge (Weaver’s Fields and Bethnal Green Gardens being my favorites). During this time, I continued to grow more passionate about Green Design and Sustainability and how important it is to work with nature and provide access to people to these restorative spaces. 

My Master’s program opened my eyes to global perspectives to the climate and sustainability challenges faced in the United States and around the world. My global cohort fostered a culture built on mutual respect and collaboration. This climate motivated me to complete my dissertation on: How Behavior Change Impact the Economics of Energy Auditing. 

I’ve spent the past six years working in the sustainability space in various capacities. Most recently, working with GreenCircle Certified as a Certification Analyst. Many of the clients that we worked with were in the personal care, manufacturing, food and toy sectors that allowed me to gain insight into the sustainability needs of different sectors. Having also worked in the residential solar space I was able to gain insight into the schematics of building design and how utilities are changing the way that they operate to ‘future-proof’ themselves.I’m deeply passionate about education and in an attempt to extend my academic exploration beyond my masters program, I began a blog focused on Green Building. The Sustainable Swimmer provides the space for me to share my thoughts on building types that I may not otherwise have direct exposure to in my work. As a kid, I didn’t know that sustainable building was even an option to pursue, so I enjoy doing what I can to make others aware of this incredible field. 

Outside of work, you can find me four days a week in the pool with the US Masters. I love my swim team and compete in multiple meets per year. I’ve also joined the Yardstick club with our team's collective goal to “swim to the moon and back”. Having this communal goal between 40+ swimmers has allowed me to have the confidence to think of larger goals for myself such as wanting to achieve a national qualifying time in the 500, 1000 or 1650 freestyle. While I am still training for this goal I firmly believe that I can achieve this with hard work and dedication.  I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to act as a swim coach for multiple summers growing up and greatly value the mind and body reset opportunity swimming has provided me. Swimming allows me the space to clear my head and be ready to tackle big challenges when I’m back in the office. When I’m not swimming I enjoy taking walks around my neighborhood or pouring over a big puzzle on my dining room table. 

Reversing the long term effects of climate change has long been something that I have been passionate about as I feel as though if I make even a 1% difference its 1% in the right direction. While climate change is a multifaceted issue I am inspired to help everyone find their niche within the climate space,  my focus being decarbonizing the built environment space and making buildings along with the people who occupy them healthier. This focus allows me to draw in my passion for climate change while allowing me to relate and interact with different kinds of people to get them synchronized for the common good.

Interested in connecting further? Please feel free to connect on LinkedIn or email me at cekelly54@gmail.com