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Stories from the front lines of business and sustainability innovation.
Episodes
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Transforming Waste Into Valuable Products: A Conversation with Isaac Nichelson, Co-Founder & CEO of Circular Systems
Isaac has been a creative leader and entrepreneur in the apparel industry for 25 years. He's best known for propelling cutting-edge product and market innovation in realms of sustainability and circular resource efficiency.
As CEO and Co-founder of Circular Systems, Nichelson created a low-impact production process that will redefine the meaning of sustainable materials in the fashion industry.
In 2018 Isaac and Circular Systems won the H&M Foundation’s coveted Global Change Award for their revolutionary Agraloop Bio-Refinery process. The process turns food crop waste into sustainable fashion by generating food-crop fiber out of plant waste that is left by the harvesting of food crops.
For this episode of the Impact Report, Bard MBA’s Nicole Pamani speaks with Isaac about his work.
Friday May 29, 2020
Friday May 29, 2020
Powering End-to-End Product Digitization: A Conversation with Natasha Franck, Founder & CEO of Eon.
Natasha Franck is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eon.
Eon powers connected products for industry's largest global brands and retailers. Eon is the leading Internet of Things platform in fashion, apparel and retail – powering end-to-end business intelligence, customer engagement, new business models and more. Advancing industry’s transition to a sustainable and circular economy, Eon leads the development of industry's CircularID™ Protocol — the global protocol for digital identification of products in circular economy. Eon brings transparency and sustainability to the entire product lifecycle by digitizing products in alignment with the CircularID™ Protocol. Before Eon, Natasha led global design and development for smart cities and sustainable urbanism at Delos and Jonathan Rose Companies. Natasha holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgetown University.
For this episode of the Impact Report, Bard MBA’s Savannah Parsons speaks with Natasha about Eon’s mission to power connected and circular business.
Friday May 22, 2020
Friday May 22, 2020
Making Tomorrow’s Farms More Sustainable And Stable For Farmers, Investors And Consumers: A Conversation With Don Wiviott Of Tomorrow’s Farms
Don Wiviott, works with his own business, Tomorrow’s Farms, LLC and investors who manage or own 80,000 acres in organic farmland. The financial model includes a path to ownership for farmers while providing stable assets for investors and institutions committed to the growth, protection, and stewardship of organic farming.
Don has a BA in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard. He has written solar legislation and lobbied with the Farmers Union; he sees agriculture and soil science as a viable path to end climate change.
Bard MBA’s Lucien Harlow-Dion speaks with Don for this episode of the Impact Report.
Friday May 01, 2020
Friday May 01, 2020
Killing Color Trends in Fast Fashion: A Conversation with Journalist/Author Elizabeth Segran
Elizabeth Segran is senior staff writer at Fast Company, whose work has appeared in a range of publications including The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, The Nation, The New Republic, The Chronicle of Higher Education and Salon. Her latest book The Rocket Years was released on March 31, 2020 by Harper Collins.
She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in the field of South and Southeast Asian Studies with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender and Sexuality. She is an expert on India, having devoted a decade to studying its history, literature, culture and gender dynamics.
She is a global nomad who grew up in Brussels, Paris, Singapore, Jakarta and London before moving to New York to attend Columbia University. She currently lives in Cambridge, MA with her books, her husband and her baby girl.
For this episode of the Impact Report, Bard MBA’s Kirstie Dabbs speaks with Elizabeth about her new book, the rise of fast fashion and the growing consumer desire and need for durable products that stand the test of time.
Friday Apr 24, 2020
Friday Apr 24, 2020
Body Positive & Planet Positive Products For Women: A Conversation With Meika Hollender, Co-founder & President Of Sustain Natural
Meika Hollender is the Co-Founder and President of Sustain, the leading brand of all-natural, vagina-friendly sexual wellness and period care products. Also an author, activist, and entrepreneur, Meika has consistently made marketplace history with a myriad of product innovations in the sexual wellness space that redefine the stigmatized narrative around female sexuality..
Meika teamed up with her father Jeffrey Hollender, the Co-Founder and former CEO of Seventh Generation, to launch Sustain Natural in 2014. Speaking to the fact 40% of condom purchases were by women, the company introduced its flagship product—the world’s most sustainable condom. Sustain has since grown to include wipes, lubricant, and 100% organic cotton tampons and pads as well as reusable period products. Touting the 10%4Women initiative, 10% of all pre-tax profits benefit women’s reproductive healthcare organizations in the U.S.
In August 2019, Sustain was acquired by Grove Collaborative, a leading digital-first brand and e-commerce platform for natural home and personal care products. Meika joined the Grove Collaborative team as Head of Communications, while remaining President & Co-Founder of Sustain.
For this episode of the Impact Report, Bard MBA’s Michelle Aboodi speaks with Meika about social entrepreneurship, body positivity and reframing the conversation and market around sexual wellness.
Friday Apr 17, 2020
Friday Apr 17, 2020
How The 50th Anniversary Of Earth Day Is Going Virtual In The Face Of Covid-19: A Conversation With John Oppermann, Executive Director Of Earth Day Initiative
For this episode of the Impact Report, Bard MBA’s Kristin Hanczor speaks with John about how Earth Day is now more relevant than ever and how individuals and organizations can participate while social distancing.
Friday Mar 06, 2020
Friday Mar 06, 2020
Working to End Childhood Hunger In The U.S.: A Conversation with Billy Shore of Share Our Strength
Friday Feb 21, 2020
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Playing for Change: How the Green Sports Alliance Mobilizes Sports Fans
16 leagues. 194 teams. 195 venues. Members of the Green Sports Alliance embrace renewable energy, healthy food, recycling, water efficiency, safer chemicals and other environmentally preferable practices—and they inspire millions of fans to follow their lead.
The Alliance believes that the sports industry is uniquely positioned to make large-scale impact in the environmental performance of many of the world’s largest public spaces. It also believes that sport teams place a special role in influencing citizens and mobilizing communities to action.
To find out more about how the Alliance leverages the cultural and market influence of sports to promote sustainable practices, Bard MBA student Kristin Hanczor spoke with Roger McClendon, the organization’s Executive Director.
McClendon joined the Alliance just over a year ago, after serving as the first ever Chief Sustainability Officer for Yum! Brands, whose holdings include Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC. He and Kristin also spoke about McClendon’s own career journey and his decision to switch to the relatively niche world of green sports.
Friday Dec 20, 2019
Friday Dec 20, 2019
Smart Grids for the Future: A Conversation with John Radgowski, Vice President of Portfolio Management at Landis + Gyr
For more than 120 years, Landis+Gyr has been an industry leader in energy management solutions. Using their advanced metering infrastructure and other cutting-edge smart grid technologies, they’ve helped utility companies all over the globe improve their operations, protect their assets, lower their operating costs and provide better customer service. With a focus on quality, reliability, and innovation Landis+Gyr’s portfolio of products and services can help customers do the same and modernize their smart grid for the future.
John Radgowski is the Vice President of Portfolio Management for Landis+Gyr Americas. In this role, he is focused on providing cross-functional smart grid solutions that span from the customer to the grid operator.
Bard MBA's Molly Kiick speaks with John for this episode of the Impact Report.