Environmental consulting might sound like just another buzzword, but what does it really mean? What do environmental consultants do, and when might you need one? More importantly, what should you know before hiring an environmental consultant? In this post, we'll explore these questions and demystify the world of environmental consulting, starting with the basics.
What is Environmental Consulting?
Environmental consulting is the science-backed process of recognising, assessing and solving issues relating to the environment, including maintaining regulatory compliance. The environment here refers to both the built and natural environments where people live, play, work and steward the land for future generations. This broad definition encompasses a wide variety of environmental concerns relating to drinking water and groundwater, soil, waste, flora, fauna and natural resource management, hazardous materials, and indoor environments, to name just a few.
When might you need the services of an environmental consultant?
Hiring a good consultant is a bit like hiring a good financial planner – getting good advice in the early stages of a project before you make critical decisions can pay off big time for years to come. So, if you’re planning a development, looking to address indoor environmental concerns, renovating a space with possible hazardous materials present, demolishing an old building, building roads through habitat, concerned about occupational health and safety, due diligence or compliance, you’d be looking to hire an environmental consultant.
In fact, if you’re looking to alter anything in the natural or built environments, you should consider hiring an environmental consultant that specializes in the assessment of materials you’ll be disturbing. It’s a big list!
And each consultant will likely specialise in a particular area; with some firms offering boutique and focused assessments on particular environments, or broader zones of expertise serviced by a variety of industry professionals.
Environmental consultants are well versed in applicable regulatory requirements and industry best practices and will help ensure you don’t break any laws. There are a lot more regulations than most people realise!
10 things to be aware of when hiring an environmental consultant
Whatever environment you’re working or living in, it’s important to be aware of some key factors to measure prospective environmental consultants against. Here are 10 things to be aware of when looking to hire an environmental consultant.
1. Price isn’t everything
Yes, you might save a couple hundred bucks by simply selecting the lowest cost provider, but are you factoring in the immeasurable costs of hiring inexperienced, cookie-cutter consultants to manage your environmental, health and safety risks? Health, reputation, dollars, liability, and long-term proactive strategy can all be sacrificed on the altar of ‘cheapest now’. For interesting case studies on cost cutting impacts in environmental due diligence projects, see Chris Nielsen’s LinkedIn article here:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/environmental-due-diligence-why-bother-chris-nielsen/
2. Do they know your industry?
When consultants understand the key issues in your industry, solutions are much more likely to be well-rounded, relevant and complete. For example, if you’re a property manager looking for a consultant to assess mould in a multi-residential building, find a consultant who is familiar with the building science and management of the various components of these facilities.
3. Do they care?
Do they take the time to learn about you and your clients? Do they take pride in a job well done and become a trusted partner?
Caring about the outcome and its impact on your people and property is a sure sign of a consultant invested in the long-term health and prosperity of your business.
It may be hard to judge this element before hiring a consultant, but speaking to others who have retained the firm previously will give you a good idea of their care factor.
4. Are they a collaborative team of experts?
Look for a consultant who has a team behind them with a variety of specialties, so the recommendations and services offered are as comprehensive as possible. Size could matter here too: large corporations may have an array of internal processes that slow down their collaboration and responsiveness, whereas smaller organizations may not have access to all the expertise needed to comprehensively solve your environmental problems.
5. Responsiveness matters
Do you have 24/7 access to your consultant? Knowing you can pick up the phone and receive help any time of day or night is critical to success when managing environmental challenges. Many will say 24/7, but do they have the internal processes and available resources to support this claim? Don’t be afraid to ask these hard questions when searching for the right consultant partner.
6. Are they resilient and able to handle unforeseen roadblocks?
Your environmental consultant should be a trusted advisor. Being able to adapt quickly to unforeseen challenges with integrity and flexibility is a KPI for a consultant you can rely on. Inquire about previous projects where something went wrong, and how the consultant pivoted to solve it. If there are claims that ‘nothing goes wrong for us’, be suspicious. Life happens: dealing with setbacks with honesty and reliability is what sets great environmental consultants apart.
7. Are they experienced?
Do they have a long and proven track record of providing solutions to similar clients? Ask for case studies or project examples to make sure.
8. Are they qualified?
Do they have relevant, up-to-date certifications and industry knowledge? For environmental projects, look for MECP Qualified Persons (QPESA) who are either a Professional Geoscientist (P. Geo.) or suitably qualified Professional Engineer (P. Eng.). Depending on the hazardous materials or health & safety issues at hand, relevant qualifications could include Registered Occupational Hygienist (ROH) or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).
9. Do they approach problems with a proactive mindset?
Good Environmental Consultants solve for more than the immediate issue, taking the initiative to recommend an approach that will reduce future challenges. Going the extra mile is a value-add service the separates a great consultant from a good one.
10. Do others have good things to say about them?
We trust who we know! What does the industry say about this consultant? Check out testimonials and project references to make sure others are having success with your consultant of choice.
Environmental consulting firms are critical partners in operations that may impact the natural and built environments. From re-developing brownfield land to running conduit through a ceiling space that may contain asbestos, from underground storage tank removals through ergonomic assessments in an office, environmental consultants do it all.
To find out if ECOH might be the right environmental consulting partner for you, feel free to reach out to our team at info@ecoh.ca or 905-795-2800 for a no obligation chat. We’re here to protect people, property, and planet for our valued clients and future generations.
