Driving change for people and the planet
From graduate to Sustainability Consultant – meet Lily and see how she’s building a career with impact.
Meet Lily – Environmental Sustainability Science graduate and Sustainability Consultant at From Now. Since graduating in 2024, Lily has turned her passion for people, planet and purpose into a career helping organisations design events that leave a positive legacy.
At From Now, Lily makes sure sustainability runs through every stage of event planning – from carbon balancing travel and auditing suppliers to creating waste plans and organising donations of leftover food, décor and equipment. Accessibility and inclusion are always front of mind, ensuring everyone can enjoy the experience equally.
Lily’s interest in sustainability began early, driven by a desire to protect natural habitats and tackle climate change without compromising the things people enjoy.
Turning passion into purpose
“I’ve always believed there’s so much opportunity to look after our planet and each other. Sustainability is about more than the environment – it’s about equity, wellbeing, and creating communities that support one another.”
Her journey began at Cardiff University, where her degree in Environmental Sustainability Science gave her both the technical understanding and advocacy mindset to take action. A summer internship with Community Energy South helped her build confidence and hands-on experience – an important stepping stone to her current role.
Lily’s role is all about action.
She supports her team’s Ecovadis and B Corp accreditations, audits suppliers, runs educational workshops, and develops sustainability guides to embed greener practices across the company.
Events, she explains, can be hugely wasteful, but also full of potential.
“By planning donations, rethinking travel, and measuring carbon, we can drastically cut waste and emissions. Seeing those results in our post-event reports is incredibly rewarding.”
Lily explains her favourite part of the job: “Organising donations. Knowing that décor, food or furniture is being used again instead of ending up in landfill is so satisfying – and it builds a real sense of community.”
Convincing clients to invest in sustainability can be tough, Lily admits: “There’s still a misconception that being sustainable means being more expensive or less high-quality. But the opposite is often true, the long-term savings and positive impact are huge.”
She keeps up to date through LinkedIn, industry forums and training via Isla, a platform supporting sustainable events professionals. “It’s important to stay curious and question trends before jumping on them, not everything labelled ‘green’ truly is.”
“My advice for students would be to reach out to people in roles that inspire you. Most professionals are happy to share insights, and it’s the best way to build confidence and connections.”
She also recommends attending careers fairs and university events.
“At Cardiff, I met people working in areas I didn’t even know existed, including film sustainability consultants, which inspired me to apply for the job I have now.”
Looking ahead, for Lily, the future of sustainability looks bright.
“The green jobs sector is growing fast, and every company needs people who understand the balance between profit, planet, and people. Sustainability isn’t just a trend, it’s the future of work.”