Liz Baird
Here at Autodesk, impact is core to our vision of helping people imagine, design, and make a better world. This means making our company more sustainable, equipping our customers to realize their sustainability outcomes, and transforming entire industries by enabling innovators working on social and environmental challenges through the Autodesk Foundation. Key to scaling impact at Autodesk is helping all Autodeskers build impact into their own work and lives.
One of the ways we do this is by hosting an annual Global Month of Impact, where employees unite around a common theme. This year, our Global Month of Impact took place in June and focused on carbon: reducing individual carbon footprints, how Autodesk manages its corporate carbon emissions, and ultimately how Autodesk tools are enabling customers to design and build a low-carbon future.
In previous years, we’ve come together to make things – like solar lights for kids without electricity, or water filters for people without access to clean water. This year, we did something slightly different: We hosted ten hybrid and virtual curated events where 2,500 Autodeskers calculated their own carbon footprints, dove into the details around corporate carbon offsets, and learned how one customer used Autodesk’s solutions to reduce embodied carbon in a new mass timber building in San Francisco.
Throughout the month, in-person volunteer events were also held at multiple locations across the globe, hosted by our Impact Champions (Autodeskers who inspire and organize their colleagues to support important causes and have a positive impact):
- In Portland, Oregon, we brought in a recycling expert to learn more about what we can do in the office and at home.
- In San Rafael, California, we hosted “Swap-a-Palooza,” a swap-meet and live music event from our Autodesk Music Makers group.
- In Barcelona, we held a series of webinars and activities from our Green Committee.
- In Bengaluru, we partnered with the Lovedale Foundation and Little Sisters of the Poor to plant tree saplings.
- And teams from Montreal, Paris, Singapore, Toronto, and Costa Rica dedicated days to cleaning up canal banks, waterways, downtowns, beaches, and rivers.
In Paris alone, volunteers traveled two kilometers, collecting 1,200 cigarette butts and sorting several kilos of plastic waste, metals, glass, and paper. They even found a discarded beach chair!
“I volunteered because I wanted to celebrate Autodesk’s commitment to giving back without leaving a destructive footprint. I love the fact that Autodesk helps its people build their resilience, enhance their knowledge base, and gain a sense of responsibility for their own community. Doing good for others and the community provides a natural sense of accomplishment, and being an Impact Champion can also give you a sense of pride and identity.”
Anamika Ghosh, Customer Experience Analyst
“It was a wonderful experience to support this year Autodesk’s Global Month of Impact initiative. I am proud that Autodesk always thrives for sustainability and supports every individual to fulfill their dream for a better world. It’s great to share that Autodesk software enables customers to design and build a low-carbon future – it’s a great aspiration for the young professional for their future. Thanks to all volunteers for their continuous support, and to Autodesk for giving us this opportunity to come together to build a better world.”
Abhik Meher, Robotic Process Automation Data Scientist
The ability to participate in events like this and make a positive difference for the company, our customers, and the world, is one of the things I love most about working at Autodesk. And this isn’t something that’s just limited to the Global Month of Impact – we’re encouraged to give back year-round!
You can learn more about all our impact efforts by reading our FY22 Impact Report. And if you’re interested in being part of a company that is working to make a better, more sustainable world, come join us!