From early on, protecting the environment felt like an obvious calling. With the idealism of someone fresh out of university, I went straight to work in the field of non-profits dedicated to nature conservation, convinced that this was the path to action. I quickly came to appreciate that a constant search for resources sustained every non-profit, and grant writing became an integral thread running through my daily work.
Discovering the power of a proposal
I was drawn to the creative challenge of crafting a compelling proposal: a story that at the same time evoked emotion from the reader, a sense of urgency, and an understanding of why this matters and balanced the cost of inaction with hard data, solid evidence, and a credible plan to address the environmental challenges at hand. That effort was only matched by witnessing funded projects take shape on the ground and knowing that the proposal had been the driver of it all. While I enjoyed the process, I didn’t imagine I could build a career around it.
A conversation that opened a new door
A conversation with a friend revealed an opportunity to build proposals, but for another space, working with innovative, ambitious organisations at the frontier of technology and science who were trying to bridge the gap between idea and impact. She suggested I give it a try.
A different kind of impact
Now, I was working across so many exciting frontiers on concepts that would drastically reduce water consumption in homes and displace the synthetic chemicals and materials we have come to depend on; solutions to enable energy entrepreneurship in remote communities in Africa; radical recycling methods that challenge the limits of conventional systems, and environmental monitoring tools that could give us a sharper look at the health of our planet.
Building the case for change
Since joining Iconiq, my days are spent helping build the case for ideas and technologies that have the potential to fundamentally reshape how Europe produces its energy, manages its natural resources, and builds a more sustainable economy. Each project has left me with pride at helping give a voice to some of Europe’s best and brightest, and helping them continue to push the envelope on what’s possible scientifically, even when the market hasn’t quite caught up. It also continuously renews my hope in the world I’ll leave my children, that I’m doing my part in shaping that in the best way possible.
Author: Cristina Brabyn
Photo by Alan Rodriguez on Unsplash