CIWEM celebrates its Young Environmentalist of the Year 2022 runners up

CIWEM has awarded the Young Environmentalist of the Year (YEOTY) runner-up awards to Environment Agency permitting officer Annabel Moore and Mott MacDonald graduate asset management consultant Emma Sherburn.

The YEOTY award, sponsored by Jacobs, recognises the next generation of environmentalists. The runners up have shown incredible achievements and passion for the environment. Chloe Goode catches up with them.

Annabel Moore

Moore is a Water Resources Permitting Officer with the Environment Agency, based in Ipswich. In her day job, she enjoys bringing balance between water demands of people and the planet. She believes the future depends on how water is resourced and we must ensure flows, habitats and species are protected.

Outside of work, Moore is interested in conservation, regeneration, and preservation for native species. She breeds endangered and vulnerable insects and releases native species of butterflies, spiders and snails. She has engaged in national breeding programmes for axolotls, a critically endangered amphibian, and contributes to the breeding initiatives at Chester Zoo.

On being recognised as a runner up, Moore responded: "Winning this award, even as a runner up is a huge privilege. I’m donating 50 per cent of the prize money to Suffolk Wildlife Trust and will use the rest to invest in more equipment to increase my captive breeding capabilities”.

Being an environmentalist means to me…

Something quite literal. To be an environmentalist is to live and operate in the environment in a way that is not just beneficial to me but also to my community.

What’s the thing that inspires you to be an environmentalist the most?

I find great inspiration in the everyday. Being down by the harbour and watching moon jellyfish pulse by with intermittent plastic pollution it the thing that really strikes a fire in my heart. To me, this is the reality of what our aquatic environments will look like in the next 20-30 years which motivates and inspires me to act.

If you could swap places with Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey for the day, what is the first thing you’d do?

Continue our valuable work in preserving and enhancing our waters and make sure water companies are fully held to account.

How has your job shaped your view of the environment and the challenges that face it?

My job has given me greater awareness of how water resource is used in the UK and how unlicensed abstractions, sewage discharges and over abstractions can significantly alter the functioning and stability of water supplies. I view freshwater in high regard and seek innovative solutions to reduce freshwater consumption and wastage.

Where did your love for the environment begin?

I’ve always been a wild child and have fond memories of running through the woods, climbing trees, bird watching and coming home with animals. What cemented my career in aquatics was watching the original series of Blue Planet on VHS. I was totally fascinated that there was this big blue world out there. I'd spent so much of my life being immersed in greenery that when I saw these underwater paradises of coral and kelp it had a profound impact. I knew I was going to grow up to be a marine biologist.

What’s next for you?

The future? Who can predict it really! The future comes from the inside out and so I’m currently engaging in non-scientific support, and I've found my love of cross stitch again. I will continue to pursue my career in aquatics and look to get involved in more local projects such as seagrass restoration. I've always been fiercely independent and now is the time to look to share my skills and knowledge with individuals outside of my current community. I have a year left of being young enough to apply for this award, so this might not be the last you hear of me.

Emma Sherburn GradCIWEM

Sherburn is a Water and Carbon Graduate Asset Management Consultant at Mott MacDonald and believes everyone should have access to nature. Outside of her job, she volunteers as a Youth Trustee for the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) and as a Youth Participation Coordinator for the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust (BCNWT).

Sherburn invests her time in engaging young people in nature. She facilitates youth forms which provide a platform for young people to express their ideas towards the climate and nature crises. The programme is an instigator and has a snowball effect with more young people setting up their own initiatives.

On being recognised as a runner-up, Sherburn said: "To have this work recognised is an honour and I hope this highlights the positive impact that can be made by investing time in the local community, especially with young people.”

Being an environmentalist means to me…

Taking action for nature and working in collaboration to protect, respect and value the environment. Being an environmentalist isn’t an exclusive club and all positive actions should be celebrated.

What’s the thing that inspires you to be an environmentalist the most?

We can all have a positive impact whether it’s small actions in our everyday lives or influencing organisations to tackle large scale change. Seeing the depletion of nature and degradation of the environment around me invokes a great fear that we are not doing enough. It’s the driving force for my environmental actions. I can’t sit back and watch when I can help prevent it. I believe it’s possible to live in synergy with the environment and I work towards making this a reality.

If you could swap places with Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey for the day, what is the first thing you’d do?

There is a very long list, but to start I would implement the recommendations of the Skidmore review for net zero. We need leadership and direction to achieve net zero and it’s a challenge we need to make headway towards. There are some great initiatives but there’s still a lot of barriers and resistance that needs to be overcome. The UK could be a leader, and we should really take that on with full force.

How has your job shaped your view of the environment and the challenges that face it?

My current role has been working in the net zero space for the water sector, conducting carbon assessments, working on net zero strategy and policy engagement. It is evident we can’t tackle the challenges the sector faces without collaboration and leadership, at company, sector, and government scale. I’ve seen the power of collaboration for the benefit of projects I’ve worked on, and the benefit of holistic thinking offers great opportunities for the future.

Where did your love for the environment begin?

I’ve always found a sense of calm when in nature and sought to protect natural spaces by volunteering my time. Growing up in Nottinghamshire surrounded by the Sherwood Forest is to thank for that.

What’s next for you?

My work with the Wildlife Trusts isn’t over, I’m continuing as a Trustee at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. I will be working with other Wildlife Trusts to appoint youth trustees and start youth forums. I’m excited to be taking on more challenges in my career this year, getting involved in larger scale projects.

Entries for the 2023 award will be announced in summer 2023. Stay tuned for updates at www.ciwem.org/awards