Earth Today | 34 years strong
Female-led environmental firm reaches decades-old milestone
Published:Thursday | May 22, 2025 | 12:08 AM
ELEANOR JONES has had to navigate more than a few storms to get her company, Environmental Solutions Limited (ESL), to 34 years in operations – not the least of these is that it is a woman-owned and led business.
The storms have also included attracting and retaining talent, amid the competition within and outside of the private sector; as well as managing receivables.
Nonetheless, Jones has persisted – inspired by the long-ago excitement of global preparations for the historic 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Rio Conference; and her own enduring commitment to sustainable development.
ESL celebrated its 34th year in business on Earth Day, April 22, this year and the occasion has ‘moved’ Jones, the chair and consulting principal, as she reflected on the road travelled and all it had taken – the time, the sacrifice, the grit – to get here. Adding to the emotionally charged celebration were the tributes and clarion calls from her network.
“In 1992, ESL set about its mission to provide practical solutions to harmonise development and the environment, raising awareness and educating the public and corporate sectors and civil society on the need and means to change attitudes, institutions and policies,” the ESL boss, a geographer, said of how they got started.
A multidisciplinary team of scientists led by her and Dr. Barry Wade, she said, “was assembled to help realise the objectives of making a difference to the stewardship of the earth’s resources in the context of economic development, while improving standards of living and quality of life”.
It was, in fact, Wade who said to her in conversation, ‘Well Eleanor, why don’t you start a business that reflects something that you really want to do?’
They were joined by ecologist Peter Reeson; engineer Ian Gage and economist George Campbell. Both Wade and Reeson have since died.
“There was great encouragement and excitement for us as the 10 a.m. launch ceremony was attended by several corporate leaders from the financial, manufacturing and service sectors as well as media, academia and non-governmental agencies,” she recalled.
“It signalled to us that the time was right and there was interest in environment and development issues,” added Jones, who in 2018 was awarded the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer for developing environmental management and civic development.
PRIDE AND ACCOMPLISHMENT
At the time of establishing the firm, a famous Shakespeare quote bounced off the walls of her mind and still does today, as she assesses the growth of her company: “ There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures”.
ESL is now a full-fledged environmental consultancy firm offering a suite of services – from environmental planning and management systems to environmental risk management, pollution prevention and control, as well as analytical services, including food safety and security, and physical and chemical analysis.
They have also done their share of workshops to raise awareness about a range of environmental issues and hosted Jamaica’s Climate Walk in Kingston, done in collaboration with government as well as private stakeholders in 2016.
Now three-plus decades on, the ESL boss is proud of the road they have travelled, with more than 300 clients served, over 300 projects completed and some 90-plus team members to have passed through their halls.
That team, which now includes her son Stephen Jones as the chief strategic officer, has been essential to the successes over time.
“It gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment to have reached 34 years in business – from the application of knowledge to making a difference,” she said.
“We have grown because of our staff and clients. I am happy for increasing understanding of the importance of environmental and social pillars of development,” Jones added.
SUCCESSION PLANNING
Together with her team, Jones has said that “high standards of scientific rigour applied to programmes and projects” together with nurtured partnerships with professionals globally as well as visionary leadership, are what have served ESL’s longevity.
And she is keen to see her company continue to grow.
In the current ecosystem within which the firm operates, one typified by innovations including artificial intelligence and competition to retain competent, qualified staff, Jones said she has her sights set on effective succession planning while striving to continue to meet the needs of clients.
That includes attention, she said, to the talents of her current pool of team members.
“It is a joy to see the professional growth of young graduates and technical and support staff,” she said.
“That my son is now a part of the team is very significant. He is a strategic thinker and in touch with the mindset of the younger generation of professionals, identification of emerging opportunities, and the application of technologies,” Jones added.
Her and her team’s participation at subject matter conferences, in addition to staying on top of trends through reading and networking have also been beneficial.