Becoming a Carbon Accountant in Ten Weeks
Researching carbon accounting at my desk in the R&D lab at AWF’s corporate office.
Image Credit: Lindsay Barranco
Internships are never what you expect them to be. You spend semesters fretting and fighting to get a summer internship that you hope you can handle. When the internship finally comes, it presents obstacles that test you, problems that stress you, and adversity that sometimes bests you. These hurdles can appear overwhelming, but when you’re passionate and committed, you can always find a way over those challenges. I’ve helped out with my family’s business many times over the years, but never in the capacity I did this summer. I had no idea what my time at American Wood Fibers (AWF) this summer would lead to me learning, lead to me completing, and lead to me succeeding in. Hi, I’m Sam Faehner, and this is how I became a carbon accountant in ten weeks.
My internship started off with a curveball. Instead of working on carbon accounting, which is the process of capturing emission data for a company, I instead spent the first week and a half power washing the exterior of AWF’s corporate office in Columbia, Maryland. This surprising task helped me learn how to work independently and manage myself and my resources. As I wrapped up the power washing, my manager, Kyle Juneau, informed me that I’d be able to start work on carbon accounting.
AWF is a U.S.-based manufacturer that uses wood waste from the forestry industry to create animal pet bedding for small and large animals. My role at AWF this summer would entail creating the foundation for capturing emission data at our manufacturing sites nationwide. My home base while completing this task would be at the Columbia, Maryland, corporate office’s R&D lab. This meant that I’d have to figure out carbon accounting on my own and eventually present tangible data that the company could use to meet benchmarks presented by customers and government regulators. Accompanying my time researching carbon accounting and becoming knowledgeable in its complex process, I researched energy rebate opportunities for our manufacturing plant in Virginia, became OSHA certified, worked with R&D industry leaders on carbon accounting, and produced a figure that captured annual emission data for our corporate office.
My internship at AWF set the groundwork for the company’s future carbon accounting endeavors and equipped me to succeed independently in any future professional setting. As my supervisor Kyle, noted, “Sam was a pioneer in our carbon accounting research and was an invaluable resource that was able to efficiently and thoroughly complete his work on his own.” I thoroughly enjoyed my time at AWF and intend to apply the skills I gained over the course of my internship to expand my professional capabilities.
