How Amazon Taught Me to Build for a Sustainable Future

Before I joined Amazon in 2020, sustainability wasn’t something I consciously thought about. Like many people, I believed it was important—but distant. Something reserved for climate scientists or environmental organizations. Not something I could influence from behind a laptop.

But Amazon changed that for me!

Amazon's scale taught me a valuable lesson: small technical choices can have big environmental consequences. From data centers to delivery routes, cloud architecture to packaging, I saw sustainability being woven into decisions across the organization.

I don’t plant trees or restore wetlands. But here’s the truth: digital efficiency reduces physical pressure. As a Data Engineer, I began to realize that my work—designing data systems, optimizing compute, choosing the right tools—wasn't just about speed or cost. It also contributed to environmental impact. I also became more intentional about:

• Choosing greener regions for workloads

• Advocating for storage and compute efficiencies

• Promoting data lifecycle policies to reduce waste

I didn’t need to be a sustainability expert. Through the process, I have become a Sustainability Expert. I just had to ask: “Is there a cleaner, smarter way to do this?”

On this World Environment Day, I want to say this. The most powerful shift for me has been realizing this isn’t just about what we build—it’s about what we teach.

We have a responsibility to pass this mindset forward. To mentor younger professionals. To talk openly about energy use, data waste, and long-term impact. To show that building for sustainability is not a side project—it’s a skillset.

-Junaith Haja (Exploring Data and AI for global good)

#WorldEnvironmentDay #Sustainability #ClimateAction #EcoFriendly #GreenTech #TeachSustainability