Our Sustainability Policy and HSE Policy confirm our commitment to care for the health and safety of our people and the environment. Support is provided through the consistent applications of these policies which are internationally certified through GHD’s HSE Management System. The strategic and operational implementation of HSE at an organisational level is the responsibility of the Executive Management Group (EMG) – chaired by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
GHD contributes to the public environmental debate through our involvement with industry associations and United Nations Global Compact community committees. We interact with all levels of government in the countries in which we operate on matters within our sphere of influence.
Sustainability targets and indicators (economic, environmental and social) as they relate to GHD are reported on a regular basis through the Executive Reporting System as well as Executive and Operating Centre management structures.
The GHD Environmental Stewardship approach details the environment specific objectives and targets and the reporting requirements for each.
GHD influences ‘downstream’ vendors via procurement processes requirements including Registration of Subcontractors, and Terms of Engagement. Project Impact Assessment is a methodology used by GHD business development and project teams to evaluate the social, economic and environmental impacts of projects and as a way to brainstorm project improvement strategies. This is also supported by the Environment in Design Guidelines for smaller projects. Coupled with partnerships with industry organisations, our people maintain the currency of their discipline via structured technical forums. Additionally, GHD makes the ‘best available technology’ available to client organisations.
Protecting the planet for future generations is an important issue for our people and our commitment to achieving carbon neutrality is a real step forward on GHD’s sustainability journey. We are committed to making this happen by placing resources and effort in the right places for this to become a reality.
Supporting the achievement of this important objective, the illustrated Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality has been created to guide the carbon neutrality journey and embedding the SDGs within our operations. See below information regarding GHD’s Environmental Stewardship program detailing strategies for reducing our environmental footprint.
GHD is internationally certified to ISO14001 and implements a range of intiatives to reduce it's environment footprint. GHD’s approach to Environmental Stewardship is based on proactive identification of measures that will positively affect our environmental footprint. In early 2018, we set ambitious 4 year targets for all of our operations. Select each of the key result areas below to see our targets and how we are tracking.
In 2011, we established the GHD in the Community program. GITC provides funding and resources support for worthwhile activities in the global and local communities within which GHD operates its business. It is designed to promote the ideal that we all like give back to our communities, in a meaningful way, as an organisation and as individuals.
Generally, the nature of GITC activities is philanthropic and humanitarian, combining the resources of GHD with the enthusiasm, commitment and ideas of our people to engage in beneficial opportunities that make a difference for less advantaged people within our communities and other worthy causes.
The GITC objectives are to:
GHD recognises and acknowledges employees for their personal contribution in activities that help promote the key themes of education, disaster recovery, skilled volunteering, diversity and inclusion and enterprise development.
Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS)
GHD’s Melbourne office in Australia has been a long supporter of the MITS, which exists to create greater opportunities for Indigenous students from remote and regional communities. This year, GHD provided a range of pro bono building services including: mechanical, electrical, fire, hydraulic and structural services in order to convert part of an existing three-storey office into ‘respite’ style accommodation.
Our work has helped to create a place where Indigenous children from remote communities can pursue educational opportunities at Melbourne schools.
Career guidance for future Fiji rugby stars
GHD’s Fiji team is proud to work alongside the Rugby Academy Fiji, which coaches local children both on and off the field. Through teaching rugby skills, theory, and fitness, the Academy opens up options for students’ development through education and career paths. While learning to play, students are encouraged to pursue professional careers during and after their competitive rugby days.
Our Fiji team is a long-term sponsor of the Academy, providing training materials and hosting clinics teaching students basic structural engineering principles. Through fun, interactive activities, students learn about engineering in a real-world context, with our team guiding them on the challenges and opportunities of engineering career.
Volunteering for Veterans
A team from our Cameron Park and Roseville, California, offices volunteered with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity for their first-ever Veterans Build, an initiative focused on providing homeownership to US veterans, military service members, and their families.
Our people contributed 500 hours of 'sweat equity' to help build a veteran’s family home and helped with a wide range of tasks, including painting, backfilling the water main trench to the house, putting up siding, attaching trim boards, and cutting brush. The work on this project is indicative of the many projects GHD people across North America contribute to in order to build stronger and lasting local communities.
Engineering new opportunities for female school students
Our Newcastle, Australia office signed a powerful partnership with HunterWiSE, which is a University of Newcastle initiative aimed at increasing the participation of female high school students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The program opens avenues for women in STEM to liaise, collaborate and mentor each other, as well as create positive perceptions of STEM careers amongst school-aged girls.
As part of our sponsorship, GHD people mentored female Year 8 students from Hunter River High School, which is a comprehensive, co-educational secondary school with over 700 students, in which 15 percent of the school population identifiy as Aboriginal. During the second term of the 2019 school year, GHD hosted the students, helping them take part in a range of hands-on workshops including bridge and road modelling, visiting a virtual mine site, noise monitoring, ecology under the microscope, and the endless possibilities of drones and data.
Client partnership to restore coastal prairie in Texas
In honor of Earth Day, peope from GHD's Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Houston; Texas; and Calgary, Alberta, office volunteered to removed invasive species and help restore the Texas City Prairie Preserve, a 2,300-acre nature preserve home to hundreds of coastal prairie species, such as native ducks and migratory birds.
The event was organised by the Nature Conservancy, a world-leading environmental organization, and Baker Hughes (BHGE), one of GHD’s clients. Volunteers from GHD and BHGE collected hundreds of pounds of garbage along the coastline and beach and applied herbicide to the invasive Chinese tallow tree, which grows quickly and covers portions of the native wetlands. Several hundred trees were cut down, and their removal provided the opportunity to add a kayak trail for Texas City Prairie Preserve visitors.
UAE Turtle Beach clean-up
A team of GHD young professionals initiated a clean-up of Dibba Beach, Fujairah, UAE that is known for its wild turtle population.
The GHD volunteers’ efforts targeted the plastic pollution of the beach and 152 kg of rubbish was collected from the beach: 50 percent plastics, 20 percent glass, 10 percent varying iron and 20 percent miscellaneous.
This initiative is indicative of many other volunteer efforts by our people globally.
