Chartered Environmentalist profile: Bart Kolodziejczyk

Bart Kolodziejczyk is currently working on various green hydrogen projects, with decarbonization of the energy sector, including transportation, being one of his main areas of interest. Bart has been working within the green hydrogen sector for over a decade.

Making a difference whilst educating the next generation

“In the last two to three years, investment in hydrogen is gaining a significant momentum globally. Hydrogen can play a vital role in the green economy, and predominantly green transportation. The field of hydrogen is fascinating, and because we are in the early stages of implementation, there are still many unknowns, which makes it even more exciting. Besides this, I am involved in policy work through the UN Environment Programme, IUCN, G20, and many more.

My policy work revolves around emerging technologies and their effects on the environment. I advise various agencies on emerging issues related to nanotechnology, synesthetic biology, and plastic waste. In my free time, I run a not-for-profit organisation that has observer status within the United Nations Environment Programme. We do quite a bit of environmental policy work, but also run various workshops, and outreach activities aimed mainly at high school students to raise awareness of climate change and other ecological challenges. My evenings are occupied by a Master’s degree in Education for Sustainable Development, which I am currently pursuing.”

How it feels to be a Chartered Environmentalist

“It may sound a bit bizarre, but since achieving Chartered Environmentalist status with the Royal Society of Chemistry, I feel even more obliged to enable and drive environmental change.”

Making an impact now – and for the future

“I believe that in the next five years, we will experience a paradigm shift, where our society will become more environmentally friendly. This shift will predominantly rely upon new economic and business models, for example, the circular economy. We will also see broader uptake of green technologies and increased investment in nature-based solutions, which are very cost effective and yet a potent option to combating climate change.

Already today, we see investment funds that are investing in green technologies and solutions to climate change are often doing better than investment funds that support business as usual. Hopefully, in the next five years, we’ll have an answer to plastic pollution, which becomes a significant challenge of the 21st century.”

Effort versus reward

“Becoming a Chartered Environmentalist is a competitive process, and the CEnv postnominals are globally recognised. To me, gaining chartership was predominantly driven by a desire to check whether my environmental work is substantial enough to receive this honour. The main advantage of gaining Chartered Environmentalist to date was exposure to a global and very supportive network of very experienced like-minded individuals. The Chartered Environmentalist community is vibrant and diverse. Chartered Environmentalists come from various fields and disciplines, and they are always open to share their knowledge and expertise.

To practising chemists who are considering whether to apply for CEnv status, I would say, go ahead and apply! If successful, your tireless environmental work will be recognised, but more importantly, you’ll gain access to a network of very knowledgeable like-minded individuals.”