The climate crisis and the role we play

September 22, 2022

The importance of corporate social responsibility is on the rise now more than ever as we see the continued growth of Millennials and Gen Z in the workplace. We've heard their voices loud and clear across the United States and the world demanding change for a better future. This change is challenging not only Deloitte, but clients are also facing the question of how they can do better. How can we collectively use our superpowers for the greater good?

As a self-proclaimed environmentalist, I began to wonder what more outside of my personal life can be done to move the needle and be the change the world needs. In my quest to save the world one person at a time, I found a community of like-minded people at Deloitte who energized me to be part of the future ahead.

I invited a few of my new friends at Deloitte to join me for a conversation about the current and future state of the environment and to share what Deloitte is doing to create a positive impact on our people and the planet.

We are also all members of the US Green Team Network, which is a group of cross-business Deloitte professionals who aim to make Deloitte a more sustainable place to work while empowering our fellow professionals to take action on climate change and live more environmentally conscious lives.

A few professionals at Deloitte taking climate action:

Emma Howe
Emma is a huge advocate for empowering people to take equitable action on climate change. To her, there’s no denying how important it is for us all to adopt a more inclusive view of climate change and sustainability, one where we recognize how it ties into social justice and social crises and find solutions that lie at those intersections. It is her goal to help bring that intersectional lens to Deloitte through her role on the Sustainability + Climate Change team and as a co-lead of the organization’s employee-driven US Green Team Network.

Duncan Masland
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Duncan learned firsthand the importance of protecting our surroundings throughout early childhood. As an aspiring mountain gardener, Duncan spends his winters harvesting the Sierra Nevada’s freshest snow and his summers tending to cold-hardy crops. When not outside, he is making moves to achieve our sustainability goals within our Purpose Office.

Joseph Hodges
Lover of all things outdoors, Joseph is a big advocate for change and protecting our surroundings for those now and in the future to enjoy. While his large focus is on core strategy within our consulting practice, he continues to drive the message of caring about the environment at every turn.

Shehnaz Mannan
With a background in environmental science and energy, Shehnaz has always been passionate about climate change and renewable energy generation. When she isn’t watching the latest Planet Earth documentary or reading renewable energy headlines, she can be found planning the next green campaign or event as the co-lead of the Sacramento Green Team.

Pete Edmunds
After completing coursework in economics and environmental studies during school, Pete is eager to bring his experience to sustainability projects that balance profitability with reducing environmental footprints for our clients.

Together we unpacked Deloitte's WorldClimate strategy and how Deloitte is centered on changing behaviors within our organization, accelerating our clients’ transformation to a low-carbon future, and catalyzing bold climate action in the communities that we serve.

Since launching WorldClimate in September 2020, Deloitte US has already made meaningful progress towards our goals:

• As an organization: Deloitte became a member of the CDP Supply Chain program to better understand our emissions across our full business lifecycle and encourage suppliers to set their own science-based targets. We’ve also made strides in empowering and educating our people through our practitioner-lead US Green Team Network and climate learning offerings.
• With our clients: Our commitment to environmental sustainability extends to client services as well. Building upon decades of sustainability, climate, and equity client service, Deloitte recently announced a significant expansion of and investment in our global sustainability practice. We have served clients across all industries with a wide range of sustainability strategy, operations, finance, and reporting offerings. Learn more about Deloitte US’s sustainability practice.

After our time together, we left our conversation feeling energized. Energized to take action leading to positive ripple effects of change. Energized to see the motivation of our colleagues to pursue purpose-driven work and take collective action. Together, we have the energy to be the change the world needs to see.

So tell us, what climate action will you take today?


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At Deloitte, our range of services, client work and depth of resources create the potential to make an impact through most any career. In addition to challenging and meaningful work, you will have the chance to give back to your community, have opportunities to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, and find the support, coaching, and training it takes to advance your career. Explore what it means to be part of Deloitte.

About the author

Liliana Cruz is a corporate citizenship lead for Deloitte Services LP, based in our Houston, TX office.