Q&A with Brad Coates, Environment Manager, Operations and Tempe local

A ‘typical’ day in the life of Environment Manager, Brad at Sydney Airport Wetlands helping Seabin™ make adjustments to the camera monitoring litter reduction in Gross Pollutant Traps.

Brad lives for the outdoors and cares for the environment around the airport; monitoring groundwater, surface water and air quality, benefitting the local community.

It’s also a personal win for Brad: he’s proud to protect his ‘own backyard’ and the ecosystem surrounding the airport for current and future generations, as a resident of Tempe.

When he’s not coordinating projects to restore local wetlands and reduce litter, he’s helping to coach his son’s soccer team, taking his two kids on adventures around Sydney and often carves out time for a quick surf.

Discover Brad’s take on life at Sydney Airport, the ‘runways of opportunities’ in aviation, why he loves his local community and why it’s ‘almost’ a holiday every time he steps onto the airfield.

Tell us about your role at Sydney Airport and what a typical day looks like for you at Sydney Airport?

My primary role is managing the environmental monitoring of groundwater, surface water and air quality, but also organising our Wetlands Revegetation Program for the SYD managed areas of the Botany Wetlands.

A typical day will usually consist of a couple of different priorities. I might be chatting with consultants and getting them set up for monitoring work, checking the weather to figure out the best time for stormwater sampling, and later catching up with Wildflower to plan out the next steps for wetlands revegetation. I also provide advice to different teams to ensure projects and operations are completed with the local environment at the forefront.

As I mentioned, the Environment Team is leading our Wetlands Revegetation Program, working with our First Nations partner, Wildflower, which has been really rewarding. The wetlands managed by Sydney Airport are situated on the eastern side of the airport precinct. They form part of the broader Botany Wetlands system, which stretches from the Randwick area down through Mascot and eventually drains into Botany Bay. Sydney Airport has designated the wetlands as a conservation zone in our 2045 Masterplan and we are working to protect and preserve them. As part of the program, I've also been helping organise volunteer days for Sydney Airport staff to spend their day planting new natives in the wetlands and learn about caring for country (and praying for rain when we've recently planted new tube stock).

We've also recently partnered with Seabin™ to analyse and reduce litter in Engine Pond East, read more about the project in the link.

What’s a surprising environmental related myth you’d love to bust?

Sydney Airport cares deeply about its local environment and sustainability initiatives - it's not just a place to travel to and from. If managed properly we can minimise impacts to the environment while also getting to travel and Sydney Airport is focussed on achieving this. Read more about how the airport cares for the local environment here.

How long have you been with Sydney Airport and what inspired you to work in the aviation industry?

Almost 2 years. I was a consultant to the airport doing the groundwater monitoring and completing environmental investigations before getting a secondment at Sydney Airport. I've loved moving in-house and taking on my current role as a Sydney Airport employee. I've found it really rewarding getting to see how the airport works, but I still have a long way to go.

What do you enjoy most about your job and how does your work connect you with the local community?

I find it energising that we are reducing Sydney Airport’s impacts on the Cooks River and ultimately Botany Bay. On a slow day, I remind myself that this is the environment that surrounds my community, and I am helping to protecting it.

I’m also lucky getting to work alongside the best environment team and all the other passionate professionals at Sydney Airport. Environmental matters are interconnected with so many airport activities which means we find ourselves working with a diverse mix of teams on a regular basis. I’ve enjoyed getting to know people from the various areas and understanding what they do.

I've made great new friends, as well as getting to work with friends I have known for over 10 years and worked with at different companies.

Can you share any memorable experiences you’ve had while working at the airport?

Going airside is still exciting!! I will happily find any excuse to investigate an environmental matter airside.

Window or aisle seat – and why?

Window, it doesn't matter how many times I've flown, I always want to be gazing out the window. However, now that I have kids, it's realistically always the aisle for me.

What do you love about your local community?

I live absurdly close to the airport: I ride my bicycle to work and it takes me about 7 minutes. I also love riding along the Cooks River with one of my kids on the back.

I enjoy living this close to work because I’m able to get home to see my kids as soon as possible and do school pick up/drop off. Since the kids started school, we've made many friends and feel part of the local community.

I also love to surf at Maroubra and try to get out at least once a week. Other than that, it's kids, kids, kids.

Are there any upcoming developments or changes coming at the airport that excite you?

The Seabin™ project that I touched on earlier is really exciting; we're hoping to identify litter types and from the data, see how we can decrease litter flowing into Botany Bay. I'm hoping that the project progresses onto the later phases where we install new litter reduction Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs) on the Cooks River and Alexandra Canal. These GPTs capture litter, debris and other solid waste items which are then removed from the waterways. More GPTs would be awesome for the local community to further reduce litter in waterways.

What advice would you give to someone interested in a career at Sydney Airport?

While studying Environmental Science at university, I worked in the maintenance team at a glass factory in Alexandria. There, I saw how industry affects the environment as the Alexandra Canal ran right behind it. That experience shaped my interest in working within industry to drive positive environmental change. Now, in a full-circle moment, I work at Sydney Airport, which also borders the canal and is committed to reducing the impacts on local waterways.

For me there's been a good work life balance and the location means you’re close to the city and the Harbour, but at the same time being on Botany Bay – it's a great balance of natural and city life.