Hi everyone, I’m Ilona and I am a newly appointed member of the co2balance UK based team in Taunton. My role as Carbon Projects Officer has stretched two weeks now and I already feel welcomed and excited to work with such a knowledgeable team holding expertise in the management of carbon offset projects internationally. I’m really passionate about mitigating climate change and more importantly, providing environmental, economic and social benefits to developing communities through co2balance projects.
I have recently finished an MSc in Agricultural Economics at the University of Reading where I focused on climate change and development in sub-Saharan Africa. My dissertation, which looked at the social impacts of gender in rural communities in Uganda, has helped me to understand the daily challenges faced by rural men and women – knowledge which I can apply when assessing the benefits of small projects which frequently have large positive impacts!
I’m really looking forward to working on projects which transition the lives of local communities and provide vulnerable people with water and cooking facilities, in addition to containing measurable emissions reductions. Working with the team so far has been very enjoyable and I hope to continue to learn from them and get up to speed with on-going projects, and meet the overseas staff in the future.
My hobbies outside of work are cycling, mountain walking and practicing the French language. I hope to be writing on the blog again soon with some co2balance project updates. Until then, below is a picture of me with the first tree I planted in Cornwall in 2016.
