The Impact Report

The Future of Agriculture is Local and Greenhouse-Grown: A Conversation with Paul Sellew Paul Sellew, founder and chief executive officer of Little Leaf Farms, had a vision to grow lettuce in New England year-round after mastering the growing and distribution of greenhouse-grown tomatoes with his previous company, Backyard Farms. Founded in 2015, Little Leaf Farms grows flavorful, crisp, leafy baby green lettuce in a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient, sustainable greenhouse facility in Devens, Mass. By innovating greenhouse growing, capturing rainwater, and using sunlight, Little Leaf Farms is an industry leader in controlled environment agriculture, allowing the company to grow lettuce and ship it to stores within 24 hours thereby surpassing competitors on taste and quality. Little Leaf Farms is able to reduce food miles and waste by growing locally as compared to 95 percent of the lettuce grown and trucked cross-country from California and Arizona. Using captured rainwater allows the company to use 90 per

Reducing Risks for Responsible Mining: A Conversation with Karen Chovan, CEO & Founder of Enviro Integration Strategy Enviro Integration Strategies is focused on helping leaders to rapidly integrate sustainable choices and practices into mining designs and operations.  After 20 years in mining, CEO and Founder, Karen Chovan has gained a breadth of experience and knowledge working as a geological engineer and project manager. She has also worked as an organizational change agent helping teams to solve environmental problems, avoid risks in future major projects, and create programs and protocols to improve performance within the sustainability realm. From problem identification, all the way through to change implementation, Karen has helped teams get to the other side, and she has a very large network to find any unique support the project might need to get there. Bard MBA’s Patrick Connolly speaks with Karen for this episode of the Impact Report.  ImpactReportPodcast.com

Collaborating to Accelerate the Textile Industry's Move From Linear to Circular: A Conversation with Karla Magruder, Founder & President of Accelerating Circularity  Karla Magruder has 35 years of global experience from fiber to finished garments. Accelerating Circularity is a 501(c)3 with a mission to divert textiles from landfill and incineration for textile-to-textile circular supply chain systems. Karla also founded Fabrikology International, a textile consulting company in 2003. She led the apparel launch of Ingeo fibers, the 1st manmade fiber created from 100% annually renewable resources and developed Textiles Exchange’s first preferred fiber and material strategy and their rPET Working Group. During her tenure leading the group she successfully facilitated a commitment of over 60 major brands and retailers to increase their recycled polyester use by 25% by 2020.  Karla is currently a Textile Exchange Governance Board member, UNFCCC Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action Steering Committee

The Great Pivot: A Conversation with Ben Vandenwymelenberg, Chairman & Founder, WOODCHUCK USA WOODCHUCK USA manufactures technology-driven wood products and specializes in customization. WOODCHUCK USA was founded with a simple mission: putting nature back into people's lives. Their passion is to be a daily reminder of our planet's vulnerability by using real wood products and planting a tree with every product sold. Their way of making a better world for future generations is us bringing jobs back to America while bringing quality products to our consumers.  Ben founded WOODCHUCK USA as an undergraduate senior at the University of Minnesota and is the true visionary behind the company. Ben graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2012 with a degree in Architecture and Landscape Architecture. He grew up on a small farm in Wisconsin and learned the importance of strong morals, hard work, and a deep love for nature, which he infuses into everything the company does today. Ben was named “40 Under 40” by the Minneapoli

Purpose, Prosperity & Priorities: A Conversation with Jane Lawrie, Global Head of Corporate Affairs at KPMG International. Jane Lawrie joined KPMG International as the Global Head of Corporate Affairs in late 2019. With more than 30 years’ communications experience, Jane has worked for global brands including Coca-Cola, Diageo, Boots and most recently Tesco.  A member of the Tesco Executive Committee from 2016 to 2019 she led the Group Communications function through the company’s turnaround including the acquisition of Booker.  She led the Tesco Board Corporate Responsibility Committee and established a new sustainability program, The Little Helps Plan. Throughout her experience, Jane has focused on stewarding businesses to make the right decisions to protect and shape reputation. She has fronted developments in companies from policy decisions through to digital investments. Jane was recognized as PR Week’s No1 Corporate Communicator in 2018. Jane sits on the Cass Global Women’s Leadership Council.\ B

Leveraging Business to Protect Wild Places: A Conversation with Brady Robinson, Executive Director of the Conservation Alliance.  Brady Robinson is a conservationist, climber and educator whose career has included over a decade at Outward Bound and 11 years running the Access Fund, the national organization that keeps climbing areas open and conserved. He was Director of Strategy and Development for Tompkins Conservation, which creates terrestrial and marine national parks in Chile and Argentina, reintroduces missing species and conserves biodiversity, and now serves as the Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance, which works with businesses to fund and partner with organizations to protect wild places. For this episode of the Impact Report, Bard MBA's Sean Reckert speaks with Brady about the need for better representation, diversity and inclusion in the conservation space and the future of this work in light of the pandemic. ImpactReportPodcast.com  

Putting Sustainability at the Core of Business: A Conversation with Trista Bridges of Read the Air   Trista Bridges is a marketing strategy and sustainable business expert, who's passionate about changing business for good. Strongly believing that sustainable business = smart business, she co-founded Read the Air to shift mindsets, business strategies, and ways of working towards business models that put sustainability at the core. Her extensive career experiences span various geographies, from Europe to the Americas and Asia, and sectors including consumer products, media and tech, healthcare, and financial services.  Trista is co-author of the recently released "Leading Sustainably: The path to sustainable business and how the SDGs changed everything".   Bard MBA's John Murray speaks with Trista for this episode of the Impact Report.   ImpactReportPodcast.com

Transforming Degraded Landscapes into Regenerative, Circular Economies: A Conversation with Neal Spackman of Regenerative Resources Co. Neal Spackman is the CEO/Founder of Regenerative Resources Corporation.  He lived and worked with tribes of bedou from 2010-2018 in Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia, where he cofounded and directed the Al Baydha Project.  He is also the founder of Sustainable Design Masterclass, a free webinar series on the intersection of entrepreneurship, ecology, and agricultures. Neal is an alumni of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, and has a Bachelor's in Middle East Studies/Arabic from Brigham Young University.   ImpactReportPodcast.com

Parks for the People: A Conversation with Mitchell J.Silver Mitchell J. Silver became Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in May 2014. Commissioner Silver is also the immediate past president of the American Planning Association. He is an award-winning planner with more than 30 years of experience and he is internationally recognized for his leadership in the planning profession and his contributions to contemporary planning issues. He specializes in comprehensive planning, place making and implementation strategies.  As Parks Commissioner, Mitchell Silver oversees management, planning and operations of nearly 30,000 acres of parkland, which includes parks, playgrounds, beaches, marinas, recreation centers, wilderness areas and other assets. One of the nation’s most celebrated urban thinkers, Commissioner Silver has been elected to Planetizen’s list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists (2017), and named an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (201

Breaking the Mold on Investing: A Conversation with Lily Trager of Morgan Stanley Lily S. Trager is an Executive Director and the Director of Investing with Impact and Head of Impact Solutions for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Since 2006, Lily has dedicated her career to sustainable and impact investing. Lily joined Morgan Stanley in 2014. In her current role, Lily works to provide individual, family and institutional clients with investment products, solutions, research and tools to capture the opportunities and mitigate risks posed by key sustainability and impact themes. Previously, Lily worked for Veris Wealth Partners in New York, a Registered Investment Advisory focused exclusively on serving clients with interest in sustainable and impact investing, most recently as Head of Research & Due Diligence. Lily began her career at Cambridge Associates in Boston, where she worked on teams overseeing $3.9 billion in nonprofit, high-net-worth and foundation investment portfolios. Lily was

Strong Returns, Measurable Impact: A Conversation with Alexa Blain and Fernando Alvarado of Deetken Impact Deetken Impact is a Canadian impact investing firm. Their priority is delivering strong, uncorrelated stable returns to clients.  They differ from other firms in two striking ways: their focus is geographic and their mission is to make a social and environmental impact in  the Americas, with a deeper focus on Latin America and the Caribbean, a region which — like other emerging markets — is projected to grow at 2x the rate of advanced economies in the next 5 years. Access to capital is necessary to capture and nurture this growth. Two, they focus  investments on businesses and social enterprises that promote entrepreneurship, provide or improve access to basic services, and have a positive environmental impact. They seek-out untapped opportunities for growth in five different sectors that positively impact communities in the Americas. Bard MBA's Leigh Anne Statuto and Stephanie Lavallato speak with Al

The Pioneer of Purpose: A Conversation with Carole Cone Carol Cone pioneered the field of social purpose in the 1980s, and today is widely recognized as one of the world's foremost social impact experts. Her work has built global movements, garnered hundreds of awards and raised billions of dollars for a variety of worthy causes. For this episode of the Impact Report, Bard MBA’s Lindsay Moreau speaks with Carol about finding the power of purpose during the pandemic and the push to end systemic racism.  The Impact Report brings together students and faculty in Bard’s MBA in Sustainability program with leaders in business, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. ImpactReportPodcast.com

Leadership During Crisis: A Conversation with Eric Adams Eric Adams started out as a police officer, serving 22 years in law enforcement. He began his political career representing Brooklyn districts as a State Senator. Today, he serves as the Borough President of Brooklyn, advocating for a healthier, safer, and better Brooklyn and New York City. The work of the Borough President, including his lifestyle medicine and food initiatives in Brooklyn and NYC, such as Meatless Mondays and the plant-based lifestyle medicine clinic, can be found here. For this episode of the Impact Report Series Producer, Katie Ellman speaks with Borough President Adams about police reform, leadership during the pandemic and how change is always possible.  The Impact Report brings together students and faculty in Bard’s MBA in Sustainability program with leaders in business, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. ImpactReportPodcast.com

Using Design to Combat Extinction: A Conversation with Mitchell Joachim It has been said that the goal of architecture is to improve human life but throughout history, built environments and urbanization have destroyed natural ecosystems.  The balance between meeting the demands to house the growing population of the world and reducing harm to habitats has proven mostly elusive in practice. Last winter, Bard MBA Alum, Konstancja Maleszynska spoke with Dr. Mitchell Joachim, Co-Founder of Terreform ONE a nonprofit architecture and urban design research-based consulting group. They talked about how pioneering acts of design can combat extinction and illuminate the environmental possibilities of habitats, cities and landscapes worldwide.    The Impact Report brings together students and faculty in Bard’s MBA in Sustainability program with leaders in business, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. ImpactReportPodcast.com

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. ImpactReportPodcast.com

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 M

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. ImpactReportPodcast.com

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 Elizabe

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 health

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. ImpactReportPodcast.com