“It's one thing to read about climate change, but to actually see the effects first hand is a different matter,” says Kathryn Mintoft, the head of Barclays’ Earthwatch programme. That is why each year Barclays gives 12 employees the opportunity to join an Earthwatch expedition – up to two weeks working with scientists researching environmental issues around the world.

This couldn’t be more different from day-to-day working life at Barclays. It is the chance to do something new. Interested employees have to demonstrate what they would contribute to a project and how they would make a positive change on their return to work as a result of their experience. Mintoftsays that a high proportion of the applicants are women. “Climate change is a concern to everyone but, it seems, for women in particular. They expect their employer to take a positive stance.” Barclays is a long-standing supporter of Earthwatch,an environmental charity, and has been involved with the programme for the past five years. “We theme projects specifically around climate change because that’s the main drive of our environmental management programme here,” Mintoft says. As a result, employees this year headed off to look at glaciers in Iceland, study mangrove forests in Kenya, record the seabird population in Alaska and whale and dolphin migration in the UK.

Mintoft, who, along with her team, is responsible for overseeing the projects, joined this year’s Icelandic expedition; an experience she won’t forget. “The scientists hadn’t been there for four years and when we got there you could see how shocked they were at how far the glacier had retreated in that time. To actually see that with your own eyes really brought the point home.”

Mintoft returned home with a different outlook and is certain that employees do too. “They become climate champions. They talk to their colleagues about what they’ve experienced and develop an action plan for the future.”

In a time when phrases such as climate change and sustainable resources carry increasing weight, projects such as Earthwatch can only go from strength to strength, Mintoft says. “People want to know that employers take issues seriously and are doing something proactive.”

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