So this is Christmas and what have the IES elves done…

•  2022 was a time for parties & celebration with it being our 50th anniversary, and we used the year to celebrate both the history of the IES and our role in the development of the environmental sector and the environmental sciences. Snow was (almost falling) all around us and IES members & trustees were all having fun, rockin' around Burlington House’s Christmas tree, at our annual Burntwood lecture.

•  With the weather outside this year being truly frightful, our policy theme of 2022 was an examination of risk vulnerabilities – particularly those associated with major environmental challenges like climate change. Next year we will be focusing on systemic change and providing new training in policy skills across environmental disciplines.

•  A beautiful sight was walking through the Winter Wonderland of past weeks. Also of delight was the rebranding of CHES to CEDHE (the Community of Environmental Disciplines in Higher Education). The accreditation criteria was updated with new student membership services being launched. 

•  Everybody knows that some turkey and mistletoe help to make the season bright, but so do our changes this year to our student membership, offering the launch of a new student membership and student ambassador scheme.  

•  The IES was all the Foundation for Water Research (FWR) wanted for Christmas, with their trustees selecting the IES to continue the FWR’s legacy, vision and mission. We will be launching new member-led technical panels to inform and shape our new remit in water research. These panels will work collaboratively to support a systemic approach to water issues.  

•  For our IAQM community we have made a list, checked it twice and found those parts which only are nice for next year. We will be publishing new guidance on competency levels for IAQM membership, amending our application forms to support a competency-based structure to IAQM membership, and changing our IES membership criteria to create pathways to membership for individuals with a technical education background. 

•  Before Frosty the Snowman had a chance to melt away, we also announced a year-long horizon scanning exercise for 2023 at the Burntwood event at the beginning of the month, looking at the future of environmental sciences. 

•  And finally, 2023 will see the IES working with old Mr Kringle (and a design agency) to pull out a new branding and logo for the organisation from the man with the bag, which will embody our core values and better communicates our mission. 

Season’s Greetings, Happy Holidays, and All the Best for a Prosperous New Year from the IES!