Rise Up for BeyondZero: A Q&A with Jim Kelly

BeyondZero® is our approach to the health, safety and security of our people, the protection of the environment and the resilience of Jacobs. BeyondZero is so much more than a typical safety program. It’s helped us recognize and emphasize our whole selves, clearing the way for safety that encompasses the physical and emotional alongside the courage to raise our hands, speak up and stand down to create our Culture of Caring.

This year, BeyondZero is marking the 15-year anniversary of its launch – creating an opportunity for each of us to make an immediate and enduring commitment to contribute to our culture of work that’s healthy, safe and secure for our people and our planet. 

In celebration, we’re talking with some of the team members leading the efforts to extend BeyondZero beyond where we work and into our daily lives, so we’re able to create a safer and healthier future for our families and our communities.

In this feature, we’re talking with Jim Kelly, who is our Senior Director of Global Environment.

Hi, Jim. Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.  

I am an environmental attorney, responsible for Jacobs’ global environmental management within our Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) program.  I also oversee the environmental aspects of our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting.

I’m rising up for BeyondZero because…

I want to make sure no one forgets the E in HSE!  BeyondZero includes the protection of the environment, which is foundational to everything we do, especially to our industry-leading climate action commitments.

How do you see BeyondZero supporting our strategy to boldly move the company forward? 

Jacobs has established bold climate commitments in our Climate Action Plan to combat climate change for our operations and for our clients.  But our climate success is predicated on meeting our Environmental Management Commitments and protecting the environment through a strong BeyondZero culture.  By caring for one another and the environment – BeyondZero – we can achieve our bold climate commitments and create a more connected, sustainable world.

What is an action we can each take today to support our Culture of Caring?

Talk about it! According to the UN Environment Programme, the #1 way to help make positive changes to our environment and reverse the effects of climate change is to speak up!  Encourage your coworkers, friends and family to talk about their environmental impacts and how they can reduce their carbon emissions. Have them join a global movement like Count Us In or the UN’s #ActNow campaign to help spread the word and show they care.

Tell us about a career moment you’re most proud of.

I am proud of the work we did to provide logistics and support for the National Science Foundation which involved a trip to Greenland to witness the spiraling effects of climate change.  While I was there, we toured manmade ice caves created to preserve ice core samples that would otherwise melt at the surface – something that wasn’t needed just a decade earlier.  I also saw glaciers that had receded 200 yards in the two years since we started the project.