Meet the OnePointFive 2025 International Summer Team!
At OnePointFive, we believe climate action is powered by people, and the more diverse the perspectives, the stronger the solutions. This summer, we were joined by an extraordinary group of sustainability practitioners-in-the-making from across the globe. Each brought a unique lens to climate action, shaped by their backgrounds, disciplines, and the realities of their home countries.
As we wrap up the season, we’re sharing their stories: why they chose sustainability, what climate looks like in their home countries, and what they’ve taken away from their time at OPF.
Thomas Walter
Switzerland, Washington, Germany
Thomas’s journey into sustainability began in high school, through the “Fridays for Future” movement. Having lived in Switzerland, USA, and Germany, he has always valued the natural beauty of the places he calls home. “My drive to work in sustainability and advocate for a healthy planet comes from wanting to protect these places.”
In Washington, USA, the effects of climate change are clear: wildfires are more frequent, threatening communities and ecosystems, while rising sea levels and changes in ocean conditions endanger marine life and coastal communities. Despite this, the region's strong environmental values are driving climate action: “People in Washington really value the environment around them, so there’s definitely a strong drive to take action and address these challenges.”
This is a value Thomas carried into his work at OPF, where he applied his computer science skills to sustainability:
”I’ve been learning how to leverage data analytics, automation, and AI to expand our impact and take on projects at a greater scale. I’ve also really enjoyed how international the team is. We have members from all over the world, each bringing their own perspective to the climate space, which has made it an energizing environment to be part of.”
(Disya) Saida Khaliladisya
Indonesia
For Disya, working in oil and gas was the logical first step after earning her degree in chemical engineering. But the more she learned, the more she felt a pull in another direction: toward applying her skills to support the environment.
“On paper, it made perfect sense. It aligned with everything I had studied in university. But as I got deeper into the work, I started questioning the long-term impact of what I was contributing to.”
That shift led her to pursue a master’s in Sustainable Chemical Engineering. Coming from Indonesia, climate change is more than a distant concern. It’s part of daily life: “The country faces increasing risks from extreme weather events like floods and droughts, as well as longer-term threats such as sea level rise, shifting rainfall patterns, and rising temperatures.”
Ranked 97th out of 181 countries in climate vulnerability (2020 ND-GAIN Country Index), Indonesia faces steep adaptation challenges, and for Disya, those numbers are personal: “These challenges shaped my decision to focus my skills and knowledge on solutions that can contribute to a more climate-resilient future for Indonesia and beyond.”
Disya first discovered OPF through a LinkedIn post about OPF Academy. While exploring the website, she came across the Summer Sustainability Consultant role, which perfectly matched her skills in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and GHG accounting. “So far, I’ve been proud to contribute to the kind of impactful work OnePointFive is known for, supporting climate solution implementation by bridging the sustainability talent gap.”
Christian Alafaa
Nigeria
Chris grew up in Nigeria’s Rivers State, a major oil-producing region where environmental damage from oil and gas extraction is a daily reality: “From a young age, I saw the contrast between resource wealth and local realities, polluted waters, gas flaring, and communities that were largely excluded from decisions impacting their lives.”
In 2020, during the COVID lockdown and while studying marine biology, he dived deeper into sustainability and climate tech, and reframed sustainability not as a constraint, but as “an enabler of resilient, long-term prosperity for all.”
Breaking into corporate sustainability in Africa meant forging his own path: building skills independently, joining global climate communities, and navigating a still-emerging market. By 2024 Chris was ready for the first step and joined OPF Academy Cohort 4, which gave him the technical skills, confidence, and credibility to land his first corporate sustainability role: “OnePointFive Academy provided exactly that, a structured pathway to translate my passion and foundational knowledge into actionable corporate sustainability expertise.”
“One thing I have learned is that there’s no perfect way to enter the climate space. I used to think I needed a specific degree or title, but most of the people I admire in this field came from unconventional paths, just like I did. My hope is that we keep creating more of those pathways, especially for young people in regions like mine.”
Narandelger Erdenebileg
Mongolia
Nara’s first encounter with climate change was deeply personal: as a middle schooler, she watched her family’s cattle suffer in extreme heat when their river ran dry. Since then, she’s seen the signs everywhere: from typhoons in Taiwan to wildfires in California.
In Mongolia, sustainability is intertwined with tradition: “If milk spills, we press a dot of it on our forehead as a show of respect and apology.” That culture of reverence for nature shapes how people consume, design technology, and approach policy, and also shaped her own interest in sustainability.
What drew Nara to OPF was the 100K initiative: the goal of training 100,000 sustainability professionals for 2030.
“If a company is offering sustainability consulting services, why would they train others to provide similar services? The answer is that OnePointFive looks beyond short-term competition, recognizing that tackling climate change requires many people working across diverse roles simultaneously. That’s why I wanted to join, to learn from a team deeply committed to the mission and to continuous growth, and my experience has been exactly that!”
Frédérique Leblanc
Canada
Frédérique grew up surrounded by a deep family commitment to environmental causes. Her father founded a nonprofit to protect urban forests, and her uncle, a cardiologist, dedicated much of his career to studying the connection between biodiversity, trees, and public health. “I have always been keenly aware of the importance of preserving nature and the increasing challenges it faces.”
In recent years, in Québec, Canada, severe wildfires have devastated large areas of forest and degraded air quality. For Frédérique, the challenge (and opportunity) is finding a balance between economic development and protecting the ecosystems that sustain it:
“My hope is that we find a way as a society to be more engaged in discussions about protecting our forests, supporting clean energy, and finding a balance between economic development and maintaining a healthy natural environment.”
At OPF, she’s been able to combine her background in management consulting skills and her passion for climate sustainabilty: “My summer at OPF has allowed me to leverage my consulting toolkit while learning about specific sustainability topics, with an amazing value-driven team.”
The Power of Diverse Perspectives
The challenges they’ve seen are different, and the solutions they’re drawn to vary. But our Summer Team shares something in common: a belief that sustainability isn’t just a job, it’s a responsibility that spans industries, borders, and generations. Their experiences remind us that diverse perspectives are essential for building a sustainable future.
As they head into their next chapters, we’re grateful for the expertise, energy, and vision they’ve brought to OnePointFive. And we can’t wait to see what they do next!
Whether you’re steering an organization that needs to stay ahead of regulations, win investor and customer confidence, or you’re an individual ready to sharpen your sustainability skills, we’re here to help you get there faster and with measurable results.
Let’s explore how we can accelerate your impact.
