How EllisDon Decarbonizes Construction: Denyse Von Opbergen on Influence, Not Control
Release Date: 07/07/2026
How EllisDon Decarbonizes Construction: Denyse Von Opbergen on Influence, Not Control
Build Perspectives Podcast
We're joined by Denyse Von Opbergen, Director of Climate and Sustainability at EllisDon — one of Canada's largest general contractors — to work through what decarbonizing construction actually looks like inside a project, not on a slide. Denyse walks us through the influence-versus-control frame she uses to move the needle on scope 3 emissions a contractor can't dictate, the "no silver bullet" filter that weighs Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) against lead time, cost, and constructability, and why the transition to a decarbonized industry doesn't run brown-to-green — it runs...
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info_outlineWe're joined by Denyse Von Opbergen, Director of Climate and Sustainability at EllisDon — one of Canada's largest general contractors — to work through what decarbonizing construction actually looks like inside a project, not on a slide.
Denyse walks us through the influence-versus-control frame she uses to move the needle on scope 3 emissions a contractor can't dictate, the "no silver bullet" filter that weighs Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) against lead time, cost, and constructability, and why the transition to a decarbonized industry doesn't run brown-to-green — it runs through the murky green middle, including the roads and infrastructure that make sustainability possible in the first place.
What we cover:
- How EllisDon sets its own sustainability targets and tracks scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions
- What contractors actually ask manufacturers for beyond EPDs and why the right people in the room matters more than the perfect document
- Why pre-construction is where decarbonization is won or value-engineered out
- The "pilot small, then scale" playbook for de-risking new low-carbon materials (starting in landscape work before foundations)
- Recent projects: the PNE Amphitheater (mass timber, British Columbia) and the new Surrey Hospital (embodied carbon reduction through concrete mix optimization)
- Where the industry is still getting decarbonization wrong — and why the biggest barrier isn't technology, it's process
- The Canadian Construction Sustainability Alliance and what nine GCs collaborating unlocks that individual companies can't
- What Denyse hopes to bring back from Advancing Construction Decarbonization in Denver
Chapters:
- (0:00) Meet Denyse Von Opbergen from EllisDon
- (2:00) Translator — the identity of a climate lead
- (5:00) How EllisDon sets its sustainability targets
- (6:00) The Canadian Construction Sustainability Alliance
- (8:00) Scope 1, 2, 3 — influence versus control
- (10:00) No silver bullet — the "on this project" filter
- (13:00) Why early conversations kill the trade-off
- (17:00) Pilot low-risk before you scale
- (20:00) PNE Amphitheater and Surrey Hospital
- (22:00) Where the industry keeps getting decarb wrong
- (28:00) Where the biggest emissions spikes actually live
- (33:00) Build the infrastructure that enables sustainability
- (34:00) Murky green — what the transition actually looks like
About the guest: Denyse Von Opbergen is Director of Climate and Sustainability at EllisDon, one of the largest general contractors in Canada. She started in public policy in the Netherlands, moved through consulting in Toronto, and now runs EllisDon's climate strategy across a decentralized global construction business. Denyse will be a headliner at Advancing Construction Decarbonization in Denver, July 28-30.
About Build Perspectives: Build Perspectives is a podcast for building products sales leaders, construction executives, and the investors and innovators shaping where the industry goes next. Hosted by Carolina Baffigo (Spec to Scale, Project Fluent) and Tim Seims (Profit Arc). New episodes weekly.
Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Advancing Construction Decarbonization in Denver, July 28-30.
Use Discount code BUILDPERSPECTIVES10 for 10% off admission.
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