Sustainable Ambassador Podcast

In this episode, we speak with Laura Kohler about how sustainability at Kohler reflects a generational approach to leadership and impact, shaped by over a century of family stewardship. Through our discussion, she shares how each generation has built on this legacy while adapting to new environmental and business realities, and why long-term progress depends on setting attainable, yet stretching g...

In this episode, framed around Nepal’s glaciers and climate risk, Arup Rajouria reflects on his 30-year career in environmental conservation and climate work. From his early exposure to forestry and natural resources to helping establish Nepal’s first climate-focused initiatives, he explains why the country sits on the front lines of climate change. Through the lens of accelerating glacial melt in...

In this episode, we speak with David Fishman, Principal at The Lantau Group, about the energy sections of China’s draft 15th Five-Year Plan. The conversation explores China’s evolving energy system, including the shift from energy intensity to emissions intensity, the continued role of coal as a strategic backup fuel, the growth of renewables, electrification, power market reform, green finance, g...

In this video, I speak through how China moved from a country struggling with smog to become the “OPEC of renewable energy.” It is a presentation that I believe highlights that progress was not the result of one subsidy, one policy, or one technology breakthrough, but the outcome of a long-term national strategy shaped by urgent, tangible problems: severe air pollution, energy security risks, indu...

In this episode, we explore how climate change exacerbates living conditions in African slums, turning already fragile environments into increasingly difficult places to live. What was once seen as a distant issue—melting ice caps and rising sea levels—is now a daily reality for millions of people facing heat, flooding, food insecurity, and worsening infrastructure. Joe Muturi, President of the Sl...

Joanna de Berry, World Bank Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with Prabindra Shakya about Rethinking Sustainable Development with Indigenous Leadership — and why climate progress, energy transitions, and the Sustainable Development Goals must move beyond top-down technical models. Prabindra, a human rights and Indigenous rights defender with nearly two decades of experience, argues that sustaina...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with Eriel Deranger of Indigenous Climate Action about why protecting Indigenous rights and lands must be central to any real climate solution. Through this discussion we unpack the tension between urgency and intention in climate action, why “inclusion” often becomes assimilation, and what it takes to build climate solutions that are...

Burcin Ikiz, Neuro Climate Working Group Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, I sit down with Professor Mark Miller of the University of Edinburgh to explore how climate change and pollution impact the heart — and what really happens inside the body when we’re exposed to environmental stress. From air pollution to rising temperatures, we unpack how a warming world is placing measurable strain on the cardiovascular syste...

In this episode, we speak with Gerbrand Haverkamp, Executive Director and co-founder of the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), about what benchmarking is for—and of the power benchmarks have to accelerate corporate action. Gerbrand explains why WBA was founded in the wake of the SDGs, how WBA translates evolving standards into comparable measures of performance, and how change happens through a mi...

In this episode, we speak with Heather Navarro about her work at the Midwest Climate Collaboration to support a spectrum of stakeholders making climate progress in the Midwest. Through our discussion, we explore why the Midwest may be one of the most consequential regions in the world for climate progress — and why the most effective work happening there often doesn’t look like “climate action” at...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we dive into the concept of degrowth with John Mulrow, founder of the Degrowth Institute and adjunct professor at Purdue University, as a way to answer the question "What if sustainability isn't enough?" A question many sustainability professionals have begin to reflect on as they seek to better understand true impact of their work—and questio...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, Rich Brubaker speaks with Bob Inglis, former U.S. Congressman and founder of republicEn.org, about the growing opportunity for conservative leadership in the fight against climate change. The conversation explores the cultural and linguistic barriers that have historically kept conservatives from engaging with the climate movement—and how thos...

In this episode, Nicole Martens, Head of Impact Advisory at a South Africa–based think tank and consultancy, reflects on the current state of sustainability and the need to return to first principles. She shares her career journey in sustainability and finance, her perspective on the recent recalibration in the field, and the risks of commitments built on assumptions. Nicole discusses sector-speci...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, I sit down with Ralph Thurm, founder of a|head Ahead and co-founder of r3.0, to explore a pressing question: Has the sustainability movement lost its way? Drawing on decades of experience—from Siemens and Deloitte to his leadership role at GRI—Ralph delivers an unflinching critique of the current state of sustainability. Through our conversati...

In this episode, Rich speaks with Dr. Tauni Lanier, a pioneer in sustainable finance, about her 30-year journey bridging environmental issues with the world of investment and risk. From her early days in investment banking during the Asian debt crisis to launching the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Tauni reflects on how the language, structures, and professional expectations in sustainability hav...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, I speak with Harco Leertouwer, a leading recruiter of sustainability executives, abdout the The Future of Sustainability Careers. It is a conversation that begins speaking to the current state of hiring, and the implications of the recent pullback in sustainability roles, and from there we speak to what it means for teams, budgets, and opportu...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we explore how great government partnerships become a true force multiplier for impact with Ratna Viswanathan, CEO of Reach to Teach. Drawing on her 30+-wide years of work across government and development positions, Ratna shares with us her insights into the benefits of embedding inside state education departments, co-designing with officials...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with Preity Gurung, a passionate young processional who found her purpose through a career in sustainable development. As a Program Officer at the Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Research and Development (CIPRED), Preity shares her journey from intern to field leader, working to preserve the knowledge, culture, and customary practices...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with Diana Njeru, Project Director at BBC Media Action, about her work equipping local journalists across Africa to tell community-centered stories of climate change. Diana shares how her team partners with rural media stations — often lacking resources, infrastructure, and formal training — to build storytelling capacity that can sav...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, I speak with Philipp Meister, Global Fashion and Sporting Goods Chemical Lead at Quantis, about the need for sustainability leaders to begin rebuilding the business case for sustainability. With over 16 years in the sporting goods industry at companies like Nike and Adidas, Philipp brings deep insight into how sustainability roles are evolving...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we’re joined by Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet, who speaks about their recent work to create a new model for environmental philanthropy. A bold new initiative for the organization, the Planet Impact Fund, introduces a new philanthropic tool that blends investment and grantmaking to amplify their impact. Kate walks us through the fund’...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with Bernadette Victorio, Program Lead for Fair Finance Asia, to explore how raising the bar for transparency and accountability across the region’s banking sector. Bernadette outlines the network’s three-tier strategy—capacity-building at the national level, coordinated advocacy at the regional level, and alignment with global standa...

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with Blair Glencorse, founder and co-CEO of the Accountability Lab, about their research to measure the impact of USAID's closure. With over 800 NGOs surveyed, their research seeks to understand the immediate and long-term impacts, and in this conversation, Blair shares what the data reveals about financial vulnerability, sector-wide...