We were lucky to catch up with Farah Qadeer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Farah, thanks for joining us today. Is there a lesson you learned in school that’s stuck with you and has meaningfully impacted your journey?

During my fourth year at the 5 year Bachelor of Architecture program at The City College of New York, I quickly learned the merits of trespassing my comfort zone. I was both studious and shy- weekday evenings were mostly focused on academics and weekends were often spent planning and preparing for my future. Being appointed the Public Relations manager for our university’s entry into the Department of Energy Solar’s Decathlon suddenly thrust me in front of an audience. My written word (I was always passionate about writing) was now lent a voice and I found myself engaged in public speaking, crowdsourcing for funds and morale for our project, and building a community that rallied itself around a net-zero building project. I built confidence through communication and grew my technical knowledge along the way.
Since that time, I have volunteered myself for numerous professional commitments, including leadership roles, and have established a renewable energy for knowledge.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a New York City government employee and work on public projects. Most of my 13 years in the industry has been spent focusing on green building standards, including energy code and sustainability local laws.

I am a green building journalist on the side and also manage my social media platforms and website to provide educational content on the green building industry. It’s important for me to empower those outside of our industry so that we can begin making sustainable changes that will drive down our individual emissions and carbon footprint. What appeals me to this industry is how sustainability applies to each and every facet of our lives, and across many professional industries. There are so many small changes that can be made. I hope to bridge the gap between misconceptions and the science of the impact of these decisions. As a licensed architect, I recognize where the information gaps are and want to translate the technical knowledge to everyday actionable items.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

1) I stand on the shoulders of my professional mentors. By maintaining strong relationships with colleagues, I have grown my professional network through the years.

2) I have also volunteered countless hours. In my current capacity, I serve on my town’s local planning board and serve on the ICC Sustainability, Energy & High Performance Building Code Action Committee.

3) My consulting work, especially my journalism, has opened my eyes to broader issues in the sustainable design and construction world.

4) I don’t overbook myself. I understand what I am capable of at any given time and only take on commitments that bring me professional value and which I know I have expertise in to develop a 100% satisfactory deliverable. I have learned in recent years to say no. In today’s world, there is so much noise in terms of the content and even the opportunities that are available. By defining my niche, I can hone in on consulting and volunteering engagements that are valuable for my time.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have spent alot of time developing content and connecting with an audience both in and out of my industry. I create content that is relatable. I also try to share alot of professional resources, including events, eco-travel, etc. so that I can provide information that is insightful.

I started my Twitter account in 2011, in its early years, and started building an audience specializing in the architecture industry. I think starting early has helped me grow a following of a relevant and engaging network (not bots!).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.farahnazahmad.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renewablefarah
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farahleedap/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/farah_arch

Image Credits

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