IMEG carbon reduction plan takes a whole new, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary approach
By Taylor Gawthorp-Cruse and Laura Hagan
IMEG’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and the fight against climate change has risen to the next level with the recent release of the firm’s Whole Carbon Action Plan (WCAP). This is IMEG’s first comprehensive plan to outline a multidisciplinary whole-building approach to our projects and set our goals toward net zero embodied and operational carbon.
The 2025 WCAP provides a comprehensive strategy for achieving substantial carbon reductions while aligning with industry-leading initiatives including MEP 2040 and SE 2050. Our plan prioritizes tracking, measuring, and mitigating carbon emissions across all project phases, ensuring that sustainability is seamlessly integrated into our design and engineering processes through our commitment to educating our staff. By leveraging data-driven decision-making, advanced analytical tools, and proactive industry engagement, we aim to set new standards in sustainable engineering and push for continuous improvements in carbon reduction methodologies.
We created the 30-page plan along with Jessica Lee, Kaylee Levine, and Olivia Paxson—a multidisciplinary group we call the Comprehensive Carbon Reduction Collective. The WCAP details 99 goals and tasks, some completed, others in process or soon to begin, that will drive multidisciplinary or discipline-specific decarbonization initiatives of our structural, MEP, and civil teams. Each initiative—some internal, others external—resides within one of the WCAP’s four main sections, each of which examines a distinct aspect of the effort to reduce and sequester carbon in the built environment: Educate, Report, Reduce, Advocate.
At the core of our approach are two key objectives: 1) developing a company-wide carbon tracking dashboard to consolidate essential carbon data and monitor reductions, and 2) establishing a transparent annual reporting framework that aligns with evolving industry standards and best practices. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, continuous learning, and proactive advocacy with our clients and teaming partners, we are not only designing low-carbon solutions but also leading a transformative movement toward a more energy-efficient and climate-conscious future.
Such a collaborative effort is vitally important considering that buildings are responsible for nearly 40 percent of global carbon emissions, making them a critical focal point in the fight against climate change. As a company deeply committed to sustainability, IMEG acknowledges the urgency of this challenge and embraces its role in reducing carbon emissions through innovative engineering, strategic planning, and collaborative action.
Our employee-owners are passionate about creating a built environment that is both high-performing and environmentally responsible. We will continue to reflect and build upon this WCAP each year as we push to achieve net zero embodied and operational carbon in our MEP systems, net zero embodied carbon in our structures, and understand the impact of embodied carbon emissions in landscape and infrastructure.
We believe that through our expertise in structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and civil engineering, we can drive measurable carbon reductions and contribute meaningfully to global decarbonization efforts.
To learn more, read IMEG’s 2025 WCAP.
