Lead The Change

Sustainable Business Fridays: Recycling the Unrecycleable with TerraCycle

Alistair Hall from Bard’s MBA in Sustainability spoke with Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of TerraCycle, to dig into this question, ‘why does garbage really exist?’

What is garbage? It’s a question that Szaky has been working to solve. Szaky and Terracycle start from the premise that everything can be recycled. Glass, metal, plastic are all recycled because there’s a straightforward business case to do so, but how about cigarette butts, paint, diapers, and more?

Terracycle’s imaginative approach and drive has taken them to 20 different countries, three seasons of a hit reality TV show, “Human Resources,” and the title of “The Coolest Little Start Up in America” by Inc. Magazine (to name just one of their many accolades).

The following Q&A is an edited excerpt from a Sustainable Business Fridays (SBF) podcast. SBF brings together students in Bard’s MBA in Sustainability with leaders in business, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Podbean.

 

Sustainable Business Fridays: Housing With Compassion, Development With A Vision

 

Sven Thiessen of Bard's MBA in Sustainability spoke with Elizabeth Celaya, Director of Organizational & Community Development at Hudson River Housing, Inc. Elizabeth oversees the agency’s Community Building & Engagement Department, and provides leadership to chart a course for future growth through strategic planning, partnership development, and fundraising.

Elizabeth spearheaded the creation of the Middle Main Revitalization initiative in the City of Poughkeepsie, a cross-sector collaboration focused on revitalizing the heart of the City’s Main Street. Starting with a shoestring budget and a handful of interested citizens, Elizabeth has spent the past six years growing this initiative into a key driver of change in the City of Poughkeepsie. Under her direction, the Initiative is responsible for coordinating monthly community meetings, community leadership trainings, neighborhood marketing, cultural events, economic development, and other activities that build strategic relationships and focus on strengthening the assets of the neighborhood. Recently, this work has expanded to include a focus on rural communities in Dutchess County which are facing unique affordability and economic development challenges.  

Subscribe to the Bard MBA in Sustainability program to stay tuned in to our twice-monthly podcast series featuring sustainability leaders from the New York City area and across the planet.  

Sustainable Business Fridays: Benchmarking Company Performance and CSR Practices

Reagan Richmond of Bard's MBA in Sustainability spoke with Bahar Gidwani, CSRhub CEO and Cofounder. Gidwani shared his thoughts on the evolution of ESG metrics and the potential of uncovering “dark data” to drive greater transparency in corporate sustainability. His years of experience running large technology-based businesses and work on Wall Street brings a great depth to the topic of data and corporate sustainability reporting.  

Sustainability professionals are becoming inundated with surveys, reporting frameworks, and guidelines. As the reporting metrics evolve, the industry needs more accessible and consistent ways to evaluate performance. CSRHub is working to do just that. With more than 94 million pieces of corporate sustainability data in its database, CSRHub is making many publicly-available data sets easier to browse and access.

 

Subscribe to the Bard MBA in Sustainability program to stay tuned in to our twice-monthly podcast series featuring sustainability leaders from the New York City area and across the planet.  

 

 

Sustainable Business Fridays: Sustainability In the Name of Innovation & Awareness

Katie Ellman of Bard's MBA in Sustainability spoke with Maureen Kline, Vice President, Public Affairs & Sustainability, Pirelli Tire North America on the role that innovation and technology plays in the present and future of the tire industry, to not only make it more sustainable but to also continue to improve performance and safety. 

In addition to her work with Pirelli, Maureen also writes a weekly column on sustainability for www.inc.com.  She also chairs the board of the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada and sits on the advisory board of the Corporate Responsibility Association where she co-chairs a Thought Leadership Council on Brand and Reputation Management.

Subscribe to the Bard MBA in Sustainability program to stay tuned in to our twice-monthly podcast series featuring sustainability leaders from the New York City area and across the planet.  

 

On May 6th, Bard MBA in Sustainability will be speaking with LaTrice Ross, Manager, Diversity and Inclusion, Macy's Systems & Technology.

LaTrice works to ensure an inclusive environment where all employees are treated with respect. Prior to joining MST, LaTrice worked with Step IT Up America, which was a program designed to train and assist minority women in starting careers as IT consultant. According to Eban Goodstein, Director of the Bard MBA in Sustainability, "Inclusive human resources strategies are fundamental to the integrated bottom line and we are very eager to speak with Latrice to hear how Macy's Systems & Technology is applies these practices throughout their ecosystem."

Join the Bard MBA in Sustainability program for our twice-monthly dial-in podcast series over your lunchtime featuring sustainability leaders from the New York City area and across the planet.

On April 29th, Bard MBA in Sustainability spoke with Silda Wall Spitzer, Director and Principal, NewWorld Capital Group.

NewWorld Capital Group focuses primarily on business development and deal origination for both growth and infrastructure project investments and works to support the Firm’s portfolio companies. Wall Spitzer also serves as a member of the NewWorld Infrastructure Team. Before NewWorld, she was a Managing Director at Metropolitan Capital Advisors, an investment firm focusing on value opportunities, where she led strategic and business development. Wall Spitzer also served as First Lady of New York State where she worked to support the Administration’s goal of reducing fossil energy consumption 15% by 2015 with her initiatives promoting green buildings, alternative energy, and local food sources. Her I LIVE NY program engaged constituents to create livable communities and sustainable jobs.

Join the Bard MBA in Sustainability program for our twice-monthly dial-in podcast series over your lunchtime featuring sustainability leaders from the New York City area and across the planet. Sustainable Business Fridays convenes every first and fourth Friday of the month during the semester, with special guests selected by students in the Bard MBA in Sustainability program. 

On March 18th, Bard MBA in Sustainability spoke with Talya Bosch, Vice President, Social Ventures, Internal Communications and Global Events, Western Union about the company's shared value journey. 

Talya heads the Western Union Global Engagement Team within the corporate communications function. She leads efforts to leverage the 164-year-old company’s assets – including shared value products, responsible operations, cause-related marketing, data and thought leadership – for greater business and social impact.

Previously, Talya helped conceive and implement Western Union’s Our World, Our Family^®program, a five year, $50 million commitment to creating global economic opportunity. Recognized as best-in-class with numerous awards, including the prestigious Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy Excellence Award, Our World, Our Family^® touched more than five million lives.

"The strongest brands and social movements are built from the inside out." Talya also leads WU’s global corporate internal communications and events. Her team focuses on engaging employees in WU’s customer-centric, purpose-driven culture through a variety of special initiatives and regular communications channels.

Join the Bard MBA in Sustainability program for our twice-monthly dial-in podcast series over your lunchtime featuring sustainability leaders from the New York City area and across the planet.

Sustainable Business Fridays convenes every first and fourth Friday of the month during the semester, with special guests selected by students in the Bard MBA in Sustainability program. 

On February 26th, Bard MBA in Sustainability spoke with Pierre Ferrari, President and CEO of Heifer International about Heifer's initiatives for addressing hunger and poverty while helping to reinforce and build local communities in the process. Pierre Ferrari was born in the Belgian Congo (today the Democratic Republic of Congo). Ferrari received a master’s degree in economics from The University of Cambridge and a Master's of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He joined Heifer with more than 40 years of business experience at companies like Coca-Cola USA, CARE and the Small Enterprise Assistance Fund. "Heifer links communities and helps bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. Our animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market. When many families gain this new sustainable income, it brings new opportunities for building schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses." Join the Bard MBA in Sustainability program for our twice-monthly dial-in podcast series over your lunchtime featuring sustainability leaders from the New York City area and across the planet. Sustainable Business Fridays convenes every first and fourth Friday of the month during the semester, with special guests selected by students in the Bard MBA in Sustainability program.

On January 29th, Bard MBA in Sustainability spoke with Margaret Fenwick, Manager of Environment and Climate at the United Nations Global Compact, the UN’s corporate responsibility initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals. (over 12,000 participants in 170 countries).  She will be discussing the UNGC's Caring for Climate program.
 
Fenwick will discuss the UNGC's Caring for Climate program, which endeavors to help prevent a climate change crisis worldwide by mobilizing a critical mass of business leaders to implement and recommend climate change solutions and policies. The initiative helps companies to advance practical solutions, share experiences, inform public policy as well as shape public attitudes in an effort to mitigate a climate crisis. According to Bard MBA Director, Eban Goodstein, “Businesses have a unique opportunity, and responsibility, to be at the forefront of developing climate change solutions.”

Join the Bard MBA in Sustainability program for our twice-monthly dial-in podcast series over your lunchtime featuring sustainability leaders from the New York City area and across the planet.

Sustainable Business Fridays convenes every first and fourth Friday of the month during the semester, with special guests selected by students in the Bard MBA in Sustainability program.

On February 5th, Bard MBA in Sustainability spoke with Eric Henry, President of TS Designs. TS offers the most sustainable t-shirts and printing options on the planet. They use organic cotton, recycled materials and even an organic  “dirt to shirt” grown and made in North Carolina shirts and use water based inks. They also use on site solar, wind and compost power to power much of their facilities.

Eric has always had a heart for farming and gardening from a little kid- despite the fact he grew up in a large city. He started out thinking he would study agriculture – but his journey led him to cotton, shirts and sustainability. "Creating profitable, scalable businesses that respect all stake-holders is at the core of the Bard MBA's mission."  Eban Goodstein, Director of the Bard MBA in Sustainability

Join the Bard MBA in Sustainability program for our twice-monthly dial-in podcast series over your lunchtime featuring sustainability leaders from the New York City area and across the planet.

Sustainable Business Fridays convenes every first and fourth Friday of the month during the semester, with special guests selected by students in the Bard MBA in Sustainability program.