Our Team

Nigel Howard is a scientist of international repute who has held senior positions in the UK, the US and in Australia as COO for the Green Building Council Australia.

Prior to coming to Australia he was Vice President of the US Green Building Council, responsible for the development and implementation of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) environmental rating system.

Under his direction, USGBC grew from 6 to over 60 staff and the LEED programme grew 30-fold financially, expanding from a single pilot rating system for New Commercial Buildings to six - Existing Buildings, Commercial Interiors, Core & Shell Buildings, Homes and Neighborhood Developments. He also initiated the LCA into LEED project and the Technical & Scientific Advisory Committee for investigating contentious technical issues.

Nigel is also a former Director of the Center for Sustainable Construction at BRE in the UK, where he was responsible for BREEAM, EcoHomes (the forerunner to the UK Code for Sustainable Homes), the planning tool ASCD and the Life Cycle Assessment team which developed the Green Guides to Specification and the ENVEST LCA design tool. Nigel was the President of the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society 2009 - 2011, working with academia, industry and government to develop a Life Cycle approach to rating and ecolabelling building products and materials in Australasia and developing LCA based design tools.

Nigel was a founder member and former Vice President of the International Initiative for Sustainability in the Built Environment (iiSBE) and a founder member of the World Green Building Council.

Nigel project managed and facilitating the joint project with the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS), CSIRO, BRANZ, State and Federal Government in Australia. The project will establish a methodology and database of consistent life cycle data, a consistent set of data for material and product replacement intervals and a consistent set of weightings for the relative importance of different environmental impacts in different climates.

Nigel is an avid sailor, windsurfer, kayaker and wannabe kite surfer and failed golfer to go with his passion for sustainability, often seen leaving the beach with a carrier bag full of litter muttering with self-righteous indignation.

Jonas is a founder and director of Edge Environment with 9 years consulting experience. He came to Australia in 2005 after working four years as a systems engineer in vehicle electronic and software development projects for Honda, Opel and SAAB in Europe and the U.S. He holds a MSc Physics and Diploma in Psychology from the University of Gothenburg and a Master of Environmental Management from the University of NSW.

Jonas is specialised in the areas of life cycle assessment and sustainability ratings and certifications. He was part of Edge Environment's team supporting and contributing to the development of the Australian Building Products Life Cycle Inventory between 2007 and 2011. His main contributions were towards developing an Australian level playing field life cycle impact assessment method.

Jonas is currently providing life cycle assessment and product certification advisory to a diverse range of Australian and international clients, including retailers, road authorities, food producers, infrastructure project and building product teams. He has a long standing commitment with Fundación Chile, the Sustainability Consortium and Walmart to deliver the product sustainability index for the Chilean market.

He regularly presents on the topic of climate change adaptation and life cycle assessment at conferences in Australia and internationally. He delivers the LCA Master Class at the Green Building Council Australia's Green Cities and master class conferences since 2009.

Jonas is an improving surfer, relentless advocate and user of public transport and his rusty old bike, occasional car borrower and lift cadger and a keen recycler which practically demonstrates his passion for sustainability.

Tom has been working in the environment field in Australia for seven years. Tom came to Australia from the UK where he trained as a chemist and served as an Army Officer before coming to Australia to pursue a career in the environment. Tom is a passionate environmentalist and sees that business and the markets provide the most dynamic mechanism to make the changes required to address growing sustainability issues. Over the last seven years Tom has collected diverse experience from contaminated land and land remediation and the Houses of the Future project to establishing an industrial ecology network in NSW and leading edge environmental practice. Tom is responsible for Edge Environment's government programmes and business development.

Tom established the sustainability strategy for the timber industry before moving to BRANZ to pioneer formation of the Sustainable Built Environment team in Australia. From BRANZ Tom founded and established Edge Environment with Jonas and Nigel. Tom has also invested time in the development of the environment profession in Australia, based on the recognition that the issues that the environment is facing requires good people with good skills in the right places. In this way Tom co-founded the Environmental Professionals Forum and has become the President of the NSW Division of the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand.

A developing field and interest for Tom is industrial ecology as a means to reduce the Life Cycle impacts of products and close waste loops, and Tom has played a pivotal role in establishing the Industrial Ecology Network in Australia which, as an entity, is helping business and government realise cleaner production opportunities and financial bottom line savings. For more details on Tom's recent work see Publications.

Tom is famous for his intimate interest in recycling timber to turn into objects of rustic beauty - no firewood pile is safe and there is no such thing as waste, only resources. Tom is always building something, somewhere, and claims that his surfing is improving incrementally.

Danielle is an experienced Principal Consultant with over 10 years of business consulting experience. She is currently studying for an MSc in Environmental Science at Macquarie University.

Danielle has been the account lead on a number of global engagements with responsibility for developing the strategy, establishing the team, through to ensuring a successful delivery.

Danielle was Account Lead for Hedra Consulting for the London 2012 account which delivered over $8m of revenue in strategy and procurement engagements. She was responsible for managing a team of 20+ consultants on a number of projects across the London 2012 engagement for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) in London.

Danielle's skill set includes:

• Environmental Science expertise to MSc level – includes Environmental Economics and Mgmt
• Account Management and business development
• Strategy development and delivery
• Supply chain expertise
• Cost/Benefit analysis and business case expertise
• Program and project management
• Workshop facilitation for senior executives and project teams
• Risk management

Ben is a sustainability practitioner with a focus on organisational management and life cycle assessment (LCA). He holds a MSc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering. At Edge Environment, Ben has been actively working with the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS), CSIRO, BRANZ, State and Federal Government in Australia to develop the Building Products Innovation Council (BPIC) Life Cycle Inventory database, which has now been released in March 2011. He has also been involved in a range of LCA studies and government programs, including the development of the Australian Green Infrastructure Council's rating scheme, and the management of the NSW DECCW Sustainability Advantage Programme's Property and Infrastructure Cluster.

In between projects, Ben enjoys filling his time by writing articles for sustainability magazines and presenting at local universities and conferences. Ben has written several articles for The Green Pages Magazine, held the role as a teaching assistant for UNSW's Resources, Materials and Sustainability graduate course and also presented at Surfrider Australia's national conference. Ben is a leading figure in driving the NSW ALCAS chapter.

Jacqui has a Bachelor of Commerce (liberal studies) majoring in Political Economy and Government. She has recently completed a Master of the Built Environment in Sustainable Development covering a broad range of subjects including material use, sustainable design and economic policy instruments. Jacqui completed part of each degree in European Universities which allowed for a range of perspectives and in her study. She is a Green Building Council of Australia Accredited Professional.

Previously Jacqui has worked as a Sustainability Manager in a large financial institution. Here she helped to develop a cohesive environmental management plan, establish and manage the achievement of carbon neutrality across the organisation and coordinate improvement in fit-out design standards. Jacqui has also undertaken volunteer work internationally where her sustainable design knowledge was drawn upon to improve construction plans for a school in Ntenyo, Rwanda.

Jacqui volunteers at a local food cooperative and is passionate about healthy, home cooked meals. Her competitive spirit, developed through years of sailing at a high level, is now directed to the management of caterpillars in her organic herb garden.

Laura is an Environmental Engineer from La Molina National Agrarian University in Peru. She recently completed a Masters of Environmental Management on a full scholarship granted by Macquarie University. She also holds a Diploma in Integrated Management Systems specialized in Quality, Environmental, Occupational Health & Safety and Social Responsibility Management Systems.

Previously Laura worked as an engineering estimator carrying out risk analysis, estimations, materials procurement from Australia and overseas, and managed QA/QC documentation. During her studies she worked as a consultant for the “Organic Waste Management in Commercial Buildings” project undertaken by Macquarie Uni and the GPT Group
In South America, Laura worked as an Environmental Educator for a Municipal Waste Characterization project in Lima, and as a Researcher at La Molina National Agrarian University conducting research involving biological treatment and stabilization of organic waste material using probiotic bacteria.

Laura is a native Spanish speaker and proficient in Portuguese. She enjoys cooking, especially using Peruvian spices and herbs, and occasionally traveling and snorkelling.

Rebecca Walker is a bookkeeper who looks after the financial aspect of Edge Environment. She has several years experience in a variety of areas contributing to the growth of many businesses. She has previously been running her own small business for 8 years and brings this experience to assist Edge Environment.

Rebecca likes travelling, golf and cooking. Being especially passionate about chemical free food and eating organic food is a priority.

Contact Rebecca on: Rebecca.Walker@EdgeEnvironment.com.au

Working for a variety of companies, small and large, in wide ranges of administrative roles has given Deonie a practical understanding of what makes a successful business.

Experience includes companies involved in computer software, supply chain, construction and even chemical free food.

Extensive overseas travel has made Deonie passionate about the amazing and unique natural beauty of Australia. "I love living on the Northern Beaches and am inspired by my garden and I am currently working on a grain free cook book."