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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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