Hi I’m Lauren Kennedy! I graduated from UTK in ‘24 with a BA in Sustainability and a minor in Business Administration. I’ve wanted to work in the environmental space since I was young and some great professors and classes at UT really helped confirm that path for me.

After graduating from UT, I joined the Sustainability Team at Ascend Amphitheater. I had the chance to watch dozens of concerts before the post-show sort where we would haul and sort through thousands of pounds of waste. This past season we diverted over 90% of venue waste from landfills through recycling, composting, and donations. You’d be surprised how many people leave a concert without their shoes! It wasn’t glamorous work but it was the most fun job and rewarding job I’ve had, knowing my impact on the environment was so direct.

During my time at Ascend, my neighbor told me about a sustainability intern position at his company, Roger’s Group, which is a mining and asphalt construction company. I interviewed the next day and have been there ever since! I never anticipated working in this type of industry but have really grown to love it. Being a young woman in the construction industry does have its own challenges but I’ve gained confidence and I’m finding my footing.

The sustainability program at Rogers Group is fairly new and we are working towards getting a full program built out. As the Sustainability Analyst, I track all energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, create dashboards to interact with and analyze the data, help coordinate on-site energy audits to assess operational or equipment energy inefficiencies, and usually have a handful of side projects going on.  My favorite project so far has been setting up the first “Earth Week” at the corporate office. Because my work overlaps with so many departments there’s always something to learn and it keeps it interesting, no day is the same!

Some advice I would give to my senior-year self, is to network and get more involved on campus! The job market for sustainability is pretty tough right now and having more connections in this space can only help you! Go Vols!