Wendy Macdonald, the first national sustainability and carbon leader for RJC Engineers, aspires to infuse a green mindset throughout the Canadian firm — from consultants to clients.

Macdonald is a veteran LEED and sustainability consultant based in Victoria, B.C. with a background in energy modelling, climate risk analysis and mechanical design. Before RJC, she worked for Advicas and Stantec.

From 2023 to 2025, Macdonald served as chair of the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Steering Committee. She was at the helm when the group developed the fourth version of the Zero Carbon Building Standards.

RJC recognized it needed someone dedicated to sustainability and carbon, she said in an interview with Sustainable Biz Canada, especially with the employee-owned engineering firm expanding its sustainability services.

“It’s not the economy versus the environment. This is the most cost-effective thing to do, is to build sustainably now,” Macdonald said.

From a generalist to specialist

A mechanical engineer by education, Macdonald said she has been dedicated to addressing environmental issues since high school. Her passion led to a career as a consultant in the building and construction sectors where she would guide clients through planning and developing green buildings.

“I was able to use my engineering background in a more holistic, generalist position so that you’re pulling together the experts from their various fields,” Macdonald said, before asking, “How do we make this building as green as we can?”

One of the first projects that sprung to Macdonald’s memory when asked about her portfolio of work is Camas Gardens. She is proud of how the supportive housing project in Victoria weaved together environmental and social sustainability. It features rooftop solar panels and was built to LEED Gold standards. Just as importantly, finishing Camas Gardens meant “stories of people moving in from their tents into a beautiful place that they could call their own home.”

After years in a generalist role, she felt a pull toward addressing energy and carbon. Macdonald joined RJC in 2022 as a consultant to scratch that itch. Now, she has the opportunity to lead RJC’s strategy in those fields as its national sustainability and carbon leader.

Leading RJC’s sustainability

Macdonald described her new position as being the “point person” who will direct the RJC’s sustainability services and ensure there is consistency across the firm.

One of her key priorities is to chair RJC’s sustainable design group, which advises the firm. Macdonald will focus on development of sustainability education for RJC’s engineers so they can be better equipped to assist clients on sustainability and educate them about its importance.

It is critical RJC’s clients understand the benefits of investing in decarbonization and climate resilience from the beginning, Macdonald said. Taking early action means cutting embodied and operational carbon, while saving on material costs, enhancing occupant comfort and boosting resilience to extreme weather.

“When you think in terms of resilient buildings encapsulating not just adaptation to climate but also climate mitigation, a resilient building just does both,” Macdonald said.

Macdonald sees urgency in sustainable buildings

Macdonald will also look to bring experience from her stint as chair of the Zero Carbon Building Steering Committee to RJC.

As the head of the committee, she returned to her roots as a consultant by pulling ideas from a range of experts to hash out a cohesive solution. Macdonald said she worked to spark constructive arguments in the committee, aware everyone was moving toward the goal of addressing climate change, “the world’s largest group project.”

“I enjoy helping create spaces to have those conversations and get to a, ‘Yep, this is what we need to do.’”

On the committee, Macdonald said she had the opportunity to learn more about herself. She saw two main camps in the committee: purists who are adamant about buildings being designed and built to meet ambitious climate goals, and accessibility advocates who look for compromise so building owners are not scared away from committing.

Previously, she viewed herself as the latter. Now, Macdonald believes the time for deliberation has ended. “I’m more amenable to pushing people than I used to be.” Adding to her urgency is how sustainability is becoming less about simply saving polar bears - which is still important - but more about also saving our own backyards.

Macdonald recalled how British Columbia was afflicted by a lethal heat dome in 2021, leading to the deaths of over 600 people. The town of Lytton was wiped off the map by a raging wildfire in the same summer. Extreme weather at such magnitude is expected to be more frequent due to climate change.

Her clients would sometimes balk at the higher upfront costs of sustainability. Today, more know “how building low-carbon, resilient buildings is the most practical thing,” she said.