Jennifer Atherton has always loved the built and natural environment, especially its non-human inhabitants. As the impacts of pollution, global warming and climate change became more felt, sustainability emerged as a path forward for Jennifer. Within this field, she could help solve the environmental crisis rather than contribute to it, protecting the critical environments where humans (and non-humans) live, work and play.

After receiving her Bachelor of Environmental Design and Environmental Science, Jennifer took her knowledge to ft3, where she became the sustainability expert and advocate. She has been instrumental in helping the firm's projects secure LEED, Green Globes and BOMA BEST certifications across several different sectors, including healthcare, education and housing.

Jennifer also conducts research, develops case studies and post-occupancy surveys, tracks ft3's progress in the 2030 challenge, and educates staff and clients on sustainability strategies, technologies, materials, and potential financial incentives that can help projects save energy and maintain a low-carbon footprint. She hopes to see provincial and national policy evolve to prioritize regenerative design principles such as resiliency, low-water and energy use, and zero-carbon building that will move the industry towards a sustainable and eventually regenerative built environment.