Laura Paul

Laura Paul’s, P.Eng wide-ranging experience encompasses multiple perspectives: Client, Designer and Contractor. She is currently the Head of Operations at Baird & Associates, an innovative engineering firm specializing in coastal, riverine, estuarine and ocean environments, including work to combat and mitigate the impacts of climate change.  

Previously she worked in Sustainable Building Design, helping teams to integrate environmental sustainability (focusing on: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design). Laura’s passion for integrating environmental considerations began while working as a Field Engineer for a large General Contractor on-site of a LEED Gold Building, she went on to work as an internal Sustainability Strategist further supporting the companies people, projects, and practices.

In 2014 Laura was appointed as President of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) Ottawa Region Chapter, and was instrumental in building and supporting Emerging Green Builder (EBG) Groups across Canada.  She achieved a National Leadership award from the Canada Green Building Council, Carson Award for Community and Environmental Leadership, and was ranked as a top 20 Influencer for Sustainability and the Built Environment on Twitter. She is a published contributor for ‘Global Chorus’ – a collection of over 365 perspectives on our environmental future, including contributions from: David Suzuki, Paul Hawken, Bill McKibben, William McDonough, Michael Reynolds, and Rick Fedrizzi.

Laura obtained her Civil Engineering degree from the University of New Brunswick, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario. She holds an MBA from Telfer School of Management at University of Ottawa, and has obtained multiple industry credentials including Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification as well as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) – with specialties in New Construction, Existing Building Operations & Maintenance, and Neighborhood Design.

Laura’s passion for sustainability extends to her personal life as well – she lives in a small condo (walkscore: 90), implements energy and water saving measures, purchases offsets for green electricity, and participates in the share economy (Airbnb).