ESG Decoded Podcast

In this episode, Kaitlyn Allen talks with Meagan Knowlton, Director of Sustainability at Optoro, a returns technology company based in Washington, DC. Meagan leads initiatives that enable retailers and brands to build circular business models and reduce waste and emissions in the reverse supply chain. Prior to Optoro, she managed sustainability programs in the Coca-Cola bottling system, focusing on water, energy, and waste in manufacturing and logistics. Meagan holds a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Tulane University.  What is a Reverse Supply Chain, you may ask? In the context of this episode, listen as Kaitlyn and Meagan discuss merchandise returns in the retail industry. As consumers, we are often concerned with returns from the perspective of a company’s policy and the number of days we have to return a purchase. Many of us do not consider the environmental concern our returns are causing, to the tune of 760 billion dollars’ worth of returns in the US in 2021. Retailers are still learning the most effective ways to process returns without stretching the limits of human capital and in the hopes of disrupting the new merchandise to landfill pipeline.  Learn measures that companies are taking to process returns with sustainability in mind and discover how consumers can play a significant role in the solutions. The data and information shared in this episode may cause you to take a hard look at your purchasing and gift-giving habits to better align them with your ESG perspectives. Resource Boosts include: Optoro www.optoro.com MendIt www.mendit.app Bulq – www.bulq.com   Subscribe to ESG Decoded, where you consume your podcasts and connect via social media to share your feedback and topic suggestions. Enjoy this episode!

In this episode, Kaitlyn Allen talks with Dave Henderson and Gary Yoder.  Dave is the Vice President of Specialty Products for Asphalt Materials, Inc., a Heritage Group company. He has been in the asphalt industry for 30 years and has commercialized multiple asphalt technologies throughout the United States, China, and Brazil. Dave has an undergraduate degree in Finance and an MBA and lives in Zionsville, IN, with his wife, Dani. Gary is the Vice President of Environmental Services at ClimeCo. He has 30 years of experience primarily providing environmental compliance consulting services to industrial sector clients. Gary has been with ClimeCo for 8 years and currently supports and manages projects within their Sustainability, Policy, and Advisory team. He has a Master's in Meteorology and works out of Raleigh, North Carolina. We invite our listeners to ‘get in the weeds’ on the topic of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to understand what goes into this process and why companies undertake them, all centered around a case study that is a Resource Boost listed below. In short, an LCA is designed to answer the question: How sustainable is a product or process? This differs from a Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA), a project management tool that analyzes the most cost-effective options based on the desired outcomes. Listen as Kaitlyn, Dave, and Gary guide us through the journey of a LCA through the lens of the asphalt industry (the most recycled material in the US by weight), discussing the what, the why, and the how, as it provides a solid foundation for this concept. In typical ESG Decoded fashion, this discussion is chock full of valuable terms and acronyms, including J-band, LCCA, ISO, PCR, and EPD. This serves as a great foundation for the ESG novice and a helpful reminder for the seasoned ESG pro. Check out the Resource Boosts for this episode: ·  J-Band ·  Asphalt Materials, Inc. ·  Yoder & Sidhu (2022) “What is a Life Cycle Assessment?” ClimeCo. ·  EPD – Environmental Product Declarations (The EPD Registry) ·  ISO 14040:2006 - Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework ·  ISO 14044:2006 - Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and guidelines Subscribe to ESG Decoded, where you consume your podcasts and connect via social media to share your feedback and topic suggestions. Enjoy this episode!

The ‘S’ in ESG relates to the people elements impacting organizations. This includes employee relations, organizational health, people culture, DEI, and community outreach. In this episode, Yvonne Harris talks with Erin Urban, a certified Executive Leadership Coach who partners with high-achieving leaders and teams to elevate their impact and influence without sacrificing their wellbeing. Erin is an international speaker and a self-proclaimed neuroscience nerd. She is also the author of the bestselling book, Elevate Your Career: More Impact + More Income. Erin is a Forbes Coaches Council Member, certified in Leadership Psychology, and a ‘recovering perfectionist’ with over a decade in mentoring and coaching successful professional transformations through 1:1 coaching and group workshops. Operating during a pandemic did not alleviate the pressure for companies to meet their short-term and long-term business goals. Listen as Yvonne and Erin discuss how organizations drive results in this era of pandemic recovery and address performance expectations at the organization and team levels. There are many factors to consider regarding performance, including how to evolve the acumen of current leaders, the best paths to identify new leaders, and how to leverage hybrid working conditions and DEI considerations to further aid efforts to meet performance targets. In this season, when things are “never normal,” how do leaders need to manage their teams to increase retention, decrease burnout, and foster cultures that thrive even with constant and compounding pressure? Subscribe to ESG Decoded, where you consume your podcasts and connect via social media to share your feedback and topic suggestions. Enjoy this episode!

ESG Decoded is the podcast powered by ClimeCo to share relevant updates related to business innovation and sustainability in a clear and actionable manner. To excel in today’s competitive business environment, a successful ESG Leader needs a balance of compliance, sustainability, and project management skills - backed by robust policy design expertise. In this episode, Kaitlyn Allen talks with Dr. Monique Cunningham, who has over 15 years of experience leading strategic ESG projects for multiple high-profile organizations, including St. Thomas University, the City of Tallahassee, and the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc. (OICA). She is the rare professional with experience across the E, S AND G of ESG. In addition to her vast professional experience as a risk management and compliance professional, Dr. Cunningham holds a Doctorate in law and policy from Northeastern, an MBA from Nova Southeastern University, and a Bachelor’s in biology from Barry University. Listen as Kaitlyn and Monique remind us that the ‘G’ in ESG is foundational – you cannot have the ‘E’ and the ‘S’ without Governance. The oversight and implementation of any ESG program or policy cannot occur in isolation; all ESG priorities must be interlaced throughout the organization. This is where governance becomes an elevated component of the process. The approach to governance must be in tandem with an organization’s mission and values while aligning with its approaches to compliance and risk mitigation matters. Monique possesses a wealth of knowledge for all things ESG. In the ESG landscape, she sees the forest and the trees. She has experience across all pillars, and she understands the governance best practices that drive stakeholder value and mitigate risk. Better still, Monique explains concepts in a way that is easy to understand. Take your time with this topic, and reference the resource boosts below: Dr. Cunningham (1)  Monique Cunningham, LP.D, MBA, CSM, CCEP | LinkedIn (2)  Florida and the Clean Power Plan: a state, a federal regulation and a climate situation. (northeastern.edu) – Dissertation by Dr. Monique Cunningham Compliance Professional Resources (1)  CCEP | SCCE Official Site (corporatecompliance.org) (2)  Certified Environmental and Safety Compliance Officer (CESCO) | NREP Isle de Jean Charles Resources (3)  HUD Action Plan for Isle de Jean Charles, LA (4)  Isle De Jean Charles Resettlement Project | IsleDeJeanCharles.la.gov King Tides Resources (1)  King Tides and High Tides | City of Fort Lauderdale, FL (2)  King Tides and Climate Change | US EPA Subscribe to ESG Decoded, where you consume your podcasts and connect via social media to share your feedback and topic suggestions. Enjoy this episode!

In this episode, Kaitlyn Allen talks with Angie Martin, Senior Vice President at Heritage Environmental Services overseeing national emergency response, waste allocation, sustainability, and customer training efforts.  Heritage Environmental is in the business of eliminating industrial waste and establishing improvement measures that make the world a cleaner and safer place. Angie is currently the Vice President of the Spill Control Association of America, the President of The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance, represents Heritage on the Environmental Technology Council, and is a member of the Purdue University Environmental and Ecological Engineering External Advisory Council.  Angie has participated in many national scale emergency response efforts, leads Heritage's rapid response team, and frequently speaks on emerging regulatory trends and challenges including sustainability, PFAS, and various RCRA-related topics. Angie comes from a family of engineers; her passion for this work in her DNA. Kaitlyn and Angie have a shared passion for waste. (You don’t hear that too often!) Listen as they discuss how emergency response and critical incident risk management are critical ESG issues for many industries, often showing up on enterprise risk assessments. It is important to note that most secondary emergency response is privatized and not handled by government agencies in the US. In addition, Angie explains hazardous waste management—another often critical “E” issue—which by law may require incineration, and how this fact complicates decarbonization for the waste management sector. This episode will cause you to view emergency response from a different vantage point. During an incident, the initial focus is on the immediate impact to our families and businesses. The information shared here allows us to better understand the big picture mechanics of responses, corporations’ role in responses, and how environmental protection fits into decision-making. While the work that Angie does is a natural fit for her, she also advocates for STEM education for young women who are at risk of losing interest in science and engineering at a very early age. Resource boosts for this episode are: ·  Heritage® Environmental Services ·  Spill Control Association of America  ·  The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance ·  Environmental Technology Council Subscribe to ESG Decoded where you consume your podcasts and connect via social media to share your feedback and topic suggestions. Enjoy this episode!

ESG Decoded is the podcast powered by Global Affairs Associates, a ClimeCo company, to share relevant updates related to business innovation and sustainability in a manner that is clear and actionable. In this episode, Amanda Hsieh talks with Kyle Lukianuk, Managing Director of UpMetrics, a company that brings technology and humanity together in service of social good. Prior to joining UpMetrics in 2021, Kyle spent nearly a decade in the impact investing and social finance sector and is currently serving as a board member of Good Returns, an impact firm focused on designing, implementing, and managing unique global impact investment portfolios. He has led efforts across all aspects of impact investing - from due diligence to portfolio management to impact measurement and reporting. ​ Amanda and Kyle met previously at an impact investing conference. Listen as they discuss a wide range of developments in this space as support for social entrepreneurs is increasingly viewed through an investment lens, with ESG filters…. particularly the ‘E’ and the ‘S’ areas. There is great fluidity in the movement of capital from corporations to social enterprises, with emphasis on collaboration and risk mitigation. Good Returns has opened up new channels for community development financial institutions to expand access to  low interest lines of credit and interest-free loans for social entrepreneurs. The benefactors for this support run the gamut, from those in need of housing, to women entrepreneurs. Kyle also describes the (positive) role that the pandemic may have played in the evolutions associated with impact investing. As you reflect on this episode, we hope you will be inspired by the new possibilities that are manifesting in impact investing and corporate giving. These advancements are a long time coming. Now ask yourself, what value can you or your organization add to these new solutions that are forming? Explore the following resource boosts: 1)  Good Returns Good Returns 2)  UpMetrics UPMETRICS - UpMetrics: Because data is meaningless without a story. 3)  SJF Ventures case study Subscribe to ESG Decoded where you consume your podcasts and connect via social media to share your feedback and topic suggestions. Enjoy this episode!

ESG Decoded, Episode #1 “The Genesis of the ESG Decoded Podcast” Welcome to ESG Decoded, the podcast powered by Climeco to share relevant updates related to business innovation and sustainability in a manner that is clear and actionable. Kaitlyn Allen  and Amanda Hsieh guide thoughtful, nuanced conversations with industry leaders and subject matter experts that explore the complexities about the risks and opportunities connected to ESG. In this episode, Kaitlyn and Amanda share why started the podcast and what’s in store for listeners.  They are experts in this space, and excited to share their knowledge and resources with other business leaders. You do not have to be an ESG guru to appreciate the topics discussed on ESG Decoded. Novices are welcome, as this podcast unpacks seemingly difficult topics into easily digestible modules. Stay tuned for future topics, including: *ESG Investing Trends *Decarbonization – Risks & Opportunities *Circular Economy *Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility and Stakeholder Capitalism *Climate Action from the Business Point of View (Capital Markets, Commercial) Subscribe to ESG Decoded where you consume your podcasts and connect via social media to share your feedback and topic suggestions. Enjoy this episode

ESG Decoded is the podcast powered by Global Affairs Associates, a ClimeCo company, to share relevant updates related to business innovation and sustainability in a manner that is clear and actionable. In this episode, Kaitlyn Allen talks with Bill Davis, founder of Stance Capital. The firm was established in 2016 to bring to market investment portfolios that mitigate material environmental, social, and governance risks and generate excess returns, while at the same time allowing investors to align their portfolios with their belief systems. Bill has a BA from Connecticut College, and he has taught or been a guest lecturer at Columbia University, Harvard College & Harvard Business School, MIT & MIT Sloan, and Vanderbilt University. Bill also serves on the boards of Ceres and the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation. For context, in the early 2010’s, asset management firms with “ESG” products really were not in the business of portfolio construction; they were more activist shareholders, using investment fees to pay for future activism. Bill knew there was a better way to align investments with values and generate alpha through rigorous portfolio construction, which led to the establishment of Stance Capital. Listen as Kaitlyn and Bill clarify some common ESG-related terms including: ESG investing vs. impact investing, and greenwashing. They also remind us that the genesis for intentional focus on ESG data gathering started with voluntary CSR reports filed by companies.  (At present, the vast majority of S&P 500 companies are now preparing these filings.)  Bill and Kaitlyn also cover the three key elements of portfolio construction, coupled with the importance of having industry-specific comparisons and measurements. As a point of what we hope is inspiration to our listeners, Bill’s road to this innovation within sustainability stemmed from an epiphany at a transfer station in Winchester, Massachusetts. Another reminder, that amazing things happen for people, business, industries, and society when we dare to lean into seemingly wild ideas! Be sure to check out the resource boosts for this episode: ·  Stance’s Investment Performance Summary | Stance Capital ·  Stance Equity ESG Large Cap Core ETF (stancefunds.com) ·  ESG ETFs, Sustainable Investments | Stance Capital ·  Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation - Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation (celfeducation.org) ·  Ceres Subscribe to ESG Decoded where you consume your podcasts and connect via social media to share your feedback and topic suggestions. Enjoy this episode!

ESG Decoded is the podcast powered by Global Affairs Associates, a ClimeCo company, to share relevant updates related to business innovation and sustainability in a manner that is clear and actionable. In this episode, Kaitlyn Allen talks with Didem Cataloglu, CEO of DIREXYON, a high-tech company specializing in advanced financial modelling tools. Didem brings strong technology and customer centricity to the DIREXYON team as the company looks to rapidly expand. She joined DIREXYON in 2020 as Chief Revenue Officer prior to her appointment of CEO in December 2020. As CEO, Cataloglu oversees a sales and marketing team, delivers exceptional customer experiences, and manages the company's global expansion. Before DIREXYON Technologies, Didem was vice president of global services for Nakisa, a provider of enterprise solutions for organizational design and lease management. Didem holds a BSc in Computer Science from University of Ottawa and an MBA in Management and Information Technology from Bayes Business School. Listen as Kaitlyn and Didem discuss how more advanced financial modeling solutions are empowering leaders in asset intensive organizations (i.e., utilities, transportation, and infrastructure) to make better decisions, with sustainability efforts top of mind. These evolving financial models better equip leaders to establish appropriate long-range goals. They also ‘shout out’ the “three D’s” - decarbonization, digitalization and decentralization - and remind us of the integral roles these concepts will play in financial decisions moving forward. Considerations on how to decarbonize over the next few decades will be focused on integrated processes and automation of decentralized operations, as well as increasingly sophisticated analytics to predict disruptions before they occur. All of this information, and a couple of acronyms to review:  NPV (net present value) and DER (distributed energy resources). On a fun note, Kaitlyn and Didem discuss their shared love for the Turkish culture. Kaitlyn studied in Turkey and reveals some of her language skills. They also talk about some of their favorite Turkish cuisine. If you are hungry while listening to this episode, they may actually give you inspiration for your next meal.  Iskender kebap, anyone? Resource boosts for this episode include: ·  Direxyon Technologies ·  Institute of Asset Management IAM - Home (theiam.org) Subscribe to ESG Decoded where you consume your podcasts and connect via social media to share your feedback and topic suggestions. Enjoy this episode!

ESG Decoded is the podcast powered by Global Affairs Associates, a ClimeCo company to share relevant updates related to business innovation and sustainability in a manner that is clear and actionable. In this episode, Kaitlyn Allen talks with Ryan Calvert, Head of ESG Strategy & Implementation at Kairos Aerospace. Kairos builds instruments that pull data from the physical world and refine it into data products. The company’s hardware and software, attached to Cessna airplanes, focuses on the largest methane leaks in oil and gas operations.  Ryan has had an exciting career in the ESG space with focus in social enterprise, venture capital, and due diligence/governance.  Previously, Ryan was a researcher for NBC Sports and had a financial operations role with the New York Yankees baseball team.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and holds two degrees from Stanford University. Listen as Kaitlyn and Ryan discuss the origins of Kairos Aerospace and the uniqueness of its technology.  They highlight the importance of the quantification of methane emissions and fixing leaks that the human eye cannot see. Because methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, it’s critical to reduce methane in order to reach net zero. We also learn how Cessna airplanes play a key role in Kairos’ work. Kaitlyn also engages Ryan on his personal adventures. Check out ESG Decoded at the link below and let us know your feedback in the comments. Enjoy this episode! https://open.spotify.com/episode/6f64OzGZmBSwJSE6gEAbjr?si=c75217292b444160[LB1]