We conducted an interview with Mizuki Endo, an intern working at the company. Please read to the end!
Q.Please give a brief self-introduction.
After graduating from the Department of International Public Policy, Faculty of Law, Osaka University, I am currently a second-year professional master’s student in the Department of Public Policy, Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, The University of Tokyo. At undergraduate level, I studied and researched economic policy related to renewable energy, and at postgraduate level, I am studying energy and environmental policy comprehensively, while at the same time working hard to acquire knowledge on policy-making. After graduating from the graduate school, she plans to work for a think-tank.
I moved to Tokyo and started living alone when I entered postgraduate school, and this year is finally my second year! I still take the Yamanote Line backwards and make mistakes on the Metro, but I’m doing fine.
I am from the south of Kyoto Prefecture and spent my childhood surrounded by mountains. My hobbies are games, Japanese rock music and travelling. I like going to the countryside and remote islands, and my boom is to take photos that make it look as if I’ve been lost in the countryside.
At GreenCarbon, I am involved in a wide range of work, from domestic projects such as the rice farming consortium to ESG consulting projects. I also participate in meet-ups conducted in English when employees ask me to try it. And I plan to use my experiences here as the basis for a research paper on carbon credits and local government.
Q.What made you decide to work for GreenCarbon?
I have always had an interest in environmental issues and was introduced to an internship at GreenCarbon by a senior graduate student, which has allowed me to work there.
As mentioned earlier, I am from the countryside, but when I was in junior high school I moved to Osaka City and was shocked by how dirty the rivers were. I then realised that I had been taking the benefits of nature for granted and became interested in environmental issues as a social issue. While studying environmental policy at undergraduate and postgraduate level, I came to know about carbon credits and began to think that they might be a way of approaching my own goal of ‘solving environmental problems and realising a prosperous economic society at the same time’, and I wanted to know more about them! I joined the internship because I wanted to know more about it.
Q.What makes your job worthwhile?
This is the point where your work and what you say is directly used. Since I am treated almost like an employee, the content of my research and the documents I produce are often used as they are, although of course they are checked. Also, you are often alone in dealing with emails, which is very challenging, although you have a sense of responsibility and tension. You can work with a very strong sense of ownership.
Q.What challenges have you faced so far?
It is about completing work efficiently and on time. In my opinion, students have the advantage that every day is Monday and Sunday, so they can work and research for as long as they want and as much as they want. I have realised how important it is to complete the work in a short time so that it can be accepted by employees and customers.
Another issue is that we have sweets in the office as part of our welfare package, but I think the problem is that I eat them endlessly (laughs).
Q.Finally, do you have a message for people who want to work for GreenCarbon?
I think GreenCarbon is an environment where I can improve my skills as a member of society and at the same time challenge myself to do what I am interested in. I didn’t know much about carbon credits before my internship! But I was able to learn and learn from the employees as I worked with them, so as long as you are motivated, you will be fine! I look forward to working with you.