Alisha's Internship Reflections
During the last few months, Accelar has had the pleasure of hosting Alisha Datta from the University of Birmingham as an intern. Over the course of the internship, Alisha embraced hybrid working to support the team on various projects. As her time with us comes to a close, Alisha has taken the time to share her reflections below, describing her highlights and learnings. From everyone at Accelar, we have thoroughly enjoyed having her as part of the team and wish her the best of luck in all her future academic and career endeavours.
“As a Biological Sciences Student, the concept of sustainability and conservation has been ingrained in my academic journey from the outset. The pressing need to preserve our planet's biodiversity and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come has always been one of my driving forces. This passion led me to pursue an internship with Accelar, a sustainability consultancy firm dedicated to catalysing positive environmental change through innovative solutions.
During my role over the last three months at Accelar, I had the privilege of diving into biodiversity net gain (BNG), a pivotal and mandatory aspect of new developments in the UK. My primary focus revolved around Accelar's BNGFinder, a revolutionary tool aimed at helping landowners and developers find and sell biodiversity units to help achieve a positive impact on nature. One of the most fulfilling aspects of my internship was engaging with potential developers and suppliers and advocating for the utilisation of the BNGFinder tool in their projects. Witnessing the gradual growing interest from clients in incorporating biodiversity net gain into their plans was quite inspiring! It underscored the tangible impact that innovative tools like the BNGFinder can have in driving positive change within the development sector.
Moreover, I was able to engage in a learning session about the circular economy, which is one of Accelar's fundamental guiding principles. Here I gained comprehensive insights into the principles and practices aimed at redefining our approach to resource consumption and waste management. Through various case studies, I learned about innovative strategies for closing the loop in production cycles and promoting reuse, repair, and recycling. I understood the importance of designing systems that minimise waste and maximise the value of resources, highlighting the economic and environmental benefits of adopting these approaches further reinforcing the importance of integrating economic incentives with environmental stewardship to achieve sustainable outcomes.
Throughout my internship journey, I was continually impressed by the breadth of projects I had the opportunity to contribute to. For instance, I was able to share some of my marketing initiatives with Avery and Brown, to integrate design features such as feedback forms into the BNGFinder Website to improve accessibility and user experience. I also observed external client meetings with planning consultancies to pitch the BNGFinder tool which further enriched my understanding of sustainability in practice. The diverse skill set I acquired during this period will undoubtedly serve as a solid foundation as I progress in my academic and professional endeavours.
Reflecting on this internship with Accelar, I feel fortunate to have gained so many valuable skills and insights that I am eager to apply in advocating for sustainability, both professionally and personally. I must also express my heartfelt gratitude to the Accelar team for their unwavering support and warmth throughout my internship! Their encouragement served as a constant source of motivation, and their collective dedication reaffirmed my belief in the transformative power of collaboration and collective action in fostering meaningful change. Whilst I recognise there remain several challenges ahead in the green transition, I am fully committed to contributing to a sustainable future and I am so excited to have been a part of a movement towards thriving biodiversity and environmental responsibility.”