climate equity and employee action

Graduating from my PhD program, I was confronted with the task of securing a job that not only aligns with my values but also offers the required immigration assistance. Luckily, I discovered Lam Research and its engineering rotation program, which offered the diversity and range of professional experiences I was seeking. Despite this, many questioned why I didn't pursue industries more commonly associated with clean technology, such as solar power or batteries. While I enjoyed utilizing my PhD skills for one of the most impactful and technically complex industries in the world, I wanted to link my work to environmental sustainability.

I wondered how many other colleagues share my interest in sustainability. Eventually, I took the initiative to organize an informal lunch.It quickly turned out that many people resonated with this idea and were excited to share their passion, projects, and interests. Each event motivated more people to show up and empowered us to do more. 

As we talked, it became evident that employees are passionate about making change, not just getting together for conversations. Fortunately, our company had a framework for employee resource groups (ERG), and with executive support, we were able to establish the Lam Employee Sustainability Community (LESC).

I'm sharing this story because combining top-down and bottom-up approaches to environmental sustainability in corporations is likely the best way to succeed. While the majority of bigb companies have already made environmental pledges, I believe that bottom-up approaches remain an underexplored space. There are enough employees passionate about sustainability, that as a collective, they can achieve much more than individuals. Their enthusiasm needs to be matched with the right top-down business support, but when such support is provided, it acts as a foundation on top of which the bottom-up, flexible and organic initiatives can flourish. 

Employee groups are also uniquely well-positioned to explore the issues of I&D, inclusion and diversity. At first glance, environmental issues may not have much to do with I&D or DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion), but there is a significant overlap between them. The space of climate justice the deep entanglement of issues our society faces. At LESC, we have made a deliberate effort to concentrate on equity, educating ourselves and determining where our actions can have the greatest impact.

Thanks to SEMI and its sustainability efforts, I have been able to bring the LESC learnings and share them with other companies in the semiconductor industry. As a chair of the Climate Equity and Social Impact (CESI) group, I have the opportunity to meet, work, and learn from other environmental volunteering groups in our industry. We are always stronger together and I continue being impressed with the number of people willing to donate their time to this cause.