Impact Icons

Today I'm talking with Annie Bevan , sustainability collaborator, facilitator, visionary, and changemaker. She's an Impact Icon , CEO of mindful MATERIALS , founder and CEO of SMSC , and global head of sustainability for Superior Essex , but most importantly what I have come to appreciate and love the most is she's a good human being. Her desire and drive to fight for better for those and what she...

Bonnie Sharphouse is an independent sustainability consultant with more than fifteen years of experience in corporate sustainability strategy, program design, management systems, and reporting for the manufacturing, chemical, CPG, energy, and pharmaceutical sectors.  Whether Bonnie knows it or not, she and I are good friends. I can't tell you the last time I enjoyed a conversation more, Bonnie and...

Mr. Lucky might sound like a funny title for a conversation with Gabe Wing , but you'll soon see why it's the perfect title. MillerKnoll says Gabe has fundamentally reimagined the way their products are designed. And even though Gabe does this work day in and day out, I still get the impression he's pinching himself from his rough start in chemical engineering (....seriously, he hated it), to step...

A fighting chance might be a tenet of Aaron VanderGalien and Deksia , but it's also one of his core values. A serial entrepreneur himself, Aaron's passion for growing other entrepreneurs and his love for his community led to his Impact Icons award. When you put resources into people, into buildings, into your values, it's amazing the impact you'll have on the world. Also, a huge shout out to Aaron...

In this episode, we delve into a conversation with Eric Corey Freed - an architect, author, and teacher with a remarkable sense of humor and a crucial role as the Sustainability Director at Cannon Design . Eric shares his unique perspective on climate change, preferring to liken it to a disease no one would want our planet to catch, rather than using conventional, and in his opinion, benign terms....

In today’s episode, Jen talks with Impact Icon Jane Rohde , Founder, and Principal at JSR Associates, a healthcare and senior living design firm developing programming, planning, and care models that focus on the desired outcomes of residents, patients, staff, family, and visitors. Jane believes in a global, cultural shift toward de-institutionalized senior living facilities through research, advo...

In today’s episode, Jen talks with Jon Strassner , Chief Sustainability Officer at the American Society of Interior Designers, and co-host of Imagine a Place Productions podcast, Break Some Dishes .  This conversation is like overhearing two friends having coffee. Jon shares his tips on how to do business with friends, why sustainability simply isn’t enough, and how we just have to get comfortable...

In today's episode, Jen talks with Brandi Susewitz , Founder and CEO of Reseat , which is automating and transforming the process of reselling high-quality office furniture across the country. Reseat was founded in 2020 and in their first year alone they saved more than 3 million pounds of furniture from the landfill. The now award-winning digital platform has revolutionized the lifecycle of comme...

Hosted by Mortarr and Ecomedes ' Jen Levisen, Impact Icons celebrates sustainability leaders within the built environment who have been instrumental in building the foundations needed to shape the skyline for a greener tomorrow.  From energy and water to carbon, health, circularity, and social, our industry has unsung heroes who move the needle in one or more of these impact areas. These sustainab...