Kelly in front of her 1913 West Seattle home that helped inspire her green building career change. Visible in picture: Safecoat low VOC paint from Ecohaus and high energy-efficient windows. Photo courtesy of Kelly.

“I always wanted to study biology,” Kelly Kirkland began, “probably because of the many summers I spent at science camp as a kid.” So when she started at the University of Washington, choosing a major was no problem. What wasn’t so apparent at the time was what exactly she wanted to do with a biology degree. But one of the great things about majoring in biology is that there are many classes that satisfy degree requirements, so students can take which classes most align with their interests. Kelly focused in the conservation biology and ecology track.

As a student Kelly worked on campus at the First Year Programs office, which runs new student orientations. The job involved a lot of coordinating and event planning and offered plenty of leadership opportunities. Kelly capitalized on such opportunities by managing different orientation events and gained valuable experience that proved key to the landing of her first job after college. “Since educating new students about the UW was part of my job and because we shared office space with the Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center, I got to know about a lot of great opportunities,” Kelly explained. “I ended up doing an internship with an environmental non-profit and studying abroad. And I’m really glad I did.”

After Kelly graduated she spent a lot of time in the UW Career Center looking through huge binders full of different job opportunities. Sifting through the volumes of information, she found one that looked like the perfect fit: a position at Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. They were looking for someone with several years of experience coordinating volunteers and Kelly’s time coordinating freshmen orientations, her personal record as a volunteer, and her clear passion for the work proved to be enough to get the job.

Kelly spent six years with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, working to recruit and manage thousands of volunteers. The Greenway Trust works to protect the natural areas and trails along Interstate 90. Her job involved planning events, public speaking, writing, and leading tree planting and trail work events outside, rain or shine. “It was my dream job,” Kelly said. “I got to meet some amazing people and I felt really lucky to get paid to make a difference.”

In the meantime, she had bought her first home in West Seattle and slowly began to remodel it. Wanting to be as environmentally friendly as possible with each decision, Kelly did a lot of research on green building methods and products. She found the new information exciting and it reminded her how much she enjoyed technical and science-oriented work. That’s when she discovered a nine-month course called the Sustainable Building Advisor Program. “I wasn’t sure what would happen if I took the course,” Kelly recalled. “But I thought that it would help me explore a new career direction and at least I would be able to use the knowledge on my own home.”

Even the backyard chickens get a "green" building. The coop is made from scrap wood including some from an old mattress frame. The roof is made from recycled-content shingles Kelly recovered from one of her father's building projects. The foundation includes chunks of concrete that she removed from around the house. Photo courtesy of Kelly. The lead instructor for the course is Kathleen O’Brien, president of O’Brien & Company, a Seattle-based green building consulting company. Last summer Kelly completed the course and passed the professional exam to become a Certified Sustainable Building Advisor (CSBA). The same month, O’Brien & Company advertised an opening. Kelly applied for the Marketing and Project Assistant position and got the job and an opportunity to put her new education to good use. To successfully build a green building, Kelly explains, you need to have a truly integrated design process, which means everyone working together throughout the process – architects, engineers, contractors, facility managers, and building occupants. A major component of O’Brien & Company’s work in green building is helping that group set green goals, finding strategies that make sense for that project, and guiding the process through completion. Kelly is really happy in her new position and describes O’Brien & Company as “a mission-based company. My coworkers are brilliant people and they do this work because it’s meaningful. Since I’m still new to the industry, I’m really benefiting from working with people who are really experienced but who are also looking for the best new ideas. We don’t just do green buildings, either. We help companies and municipalities develop broad sustainability strategies and we run the Sustainable Development Training Institute, where we offer workshops and trainings. I may even get to do some teaching this year. The whole thing is just really exciting.” Outside of work Kelly and her husband are still working on their house. They’ve put salvaged wood in their living room, a dual-flush toilet in their bathroom, and native plants in the front yard. In the backyard they keep three chickens drolly named after egg and chicken dishes: Lorraine, Teriyaki, and Denver. And Kelly has recently started volunteering at a local park to remove invasive plant species. “It’s good to be the volunteer again.” For more information about the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, visit www.mtsgreenway.org. To learn more about O’Brien & Company, visit www.obrienandco.com.