Celebrate Earth Day!
Personal Sustainability Starts With You
This Earth Day, we invite you to explore how small actions in your daily life can lead to big changes for the planet.
At Walker, we believe that this philosophy applies at both personal and organizational levels. That’s why we integrate sustainable practices into our work—from designing green infrastructure to supporting multimodal transportation centers that reduce carbon emissions.
Sustainability isn’t one-size-fits-all, and it starts with understanding your own impact and finding ways to get involved in your community.
Know Your Footprint
Take a moment to calculate your personal carbon footprint with this Carbon Footprint Calculator. It’s a simple way to see how your lifestyle—from travel habits to food choices—affects the environment.
In our own work, we’ve applied this mindset to projects like the Monument Drive Parking Garage and Transit Center, where we helped reduce the environmental impact of a major parking structure by incorporating energy-efficient lighting, EV charging stations, 85% recycled construction materials, and sustainable stormwater management.
Sustainability also drives our restoration practice, which focuses on extending the life of existing structures—minimizing waste and reducing the need for new material production. For example, at the historic Amelia Island Lighthouse in Fernandina Beach, Florida, we conducted a comprehensive assessment to preserve the oldest operational lighthouse in the state. By recommending targeted, preservation-focused repairs in line with national historic standards, we helped protect a vital piece of cultural heritage while promoting environmental responsibility.
Get Involved in Your Community
Walker encourages employees to become involved in their communities, lending their voluntary support to programs that positively impact the quality of life within these communities. To support this, we provide paid volunteer time, empowering our team members to contribute to causes they care about during the workweek.
Our Charlotte team teamed up with Carolina Thread Trail for a volunteer day at Whitehall Preserve, helping to clean up trash and remove invasive privet plants.
Our commitment to community well-being also comes to life in our project work. In California’s Central Valley, we’re leading a transformative effort with the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency to develop the nation’s first transit-focused solar microgrid and multi-modal resiliency hub network. This innovative project supports a full transition to a zero-emissions transit fleet while expanding essential services like public EV charging, Wi-Fi, and emergency backup power for rural communities—all shaped by input from over 1,000 local residents.
Wherever you live, there are ways to support local sustainability efforts. Here are a few ideas:
- Join environmental cleanups at local parks, rivers, or beaches.
- Volunteer with land trusts that protect open space and natural habitats.
- Support food waste reduction initiatives, such as local food banks or composting programs.
- Help out at a community garden or urban farm.
- Look for nonprofit organizations focused on conservation, recycling, or green education.
Not sure where to start? Check out platforms like landtrustalliance.org, VolunteerMatch.org and Idealist.org to find environmental volunteer opportunities near you.
