The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit (MRSS) is the largest sustainability conference in the Midwest, bringing together hundreds of visionary leaders to share ideas and solutions for a healthier, more resilient, and equitable future. The annual summit features a full day of programming, including speakers, exhibitors, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, covering a wide range of topics from climate justice and green workforce development to resilient food systems and circular economy practices. MRSS serves as a vital platform for collaboration and innovation, inspiring action and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future in the Midwest.

Shownotes

Shelly Douglas is the Executive Director of Green Columbus, who was recently awarded the 2025 Impact Award from the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit. Since her last appearance, Shelly has broken her tree-planting records for the second year in a row, planting 74,000 seedlings in 2024 and expanding her Columbus City Schools program from 4 to 24 schools with over 650 large trees planted. However, this success story takes a sobering turn as Shelly candidly discusses how Trump's executive orders froze $75,000 in federal grant reimbursements, forcing her small nonprofit to slash their Earth Day program from 74,000 to just 14,000 seedlings. Despite these challenges, the community rallied to support Green Columbus, demonstrating the power of local action in the face of federal policy setbacks. Shelly shares her organization's evolution from a scrappy volunteer-driven operation to a more strategic force in urban forestry, complete with their own truck, consolidated nursery operations, and her new role as a Columbus Tree Subcommissioner. The conversation highlights both the tremendous impact that dedicated individuals can have on their communities and the vulnerability of grassroots environmental work to political winds, while showcasing the resilience and innovation required to keep planting trees and building greener, more equitable communities.

Episode in a glance

- The 2025 Impact Award and Green Columbus's Mission
- Increasing Equitable Tree Canopy Coverage
- Piloting a New School Planting Program
- The Linden Tree Nursery and Community Giveaways
- A New Role as Columbus Tree Subcommissioner
- The Impact of Trump’s Executive Orders
- The Future of Green Columbus

About Shelly Douglas

Shelly Douglas is the Executive Director of Green Columbus, a passionate advocate for community engagement, and a true Green Champion. She is dedicated to building a greener, more resilient Columbus by empowering volunteers, increasing equitable tree canopy coverage, and fostering a sense of community pride.

Connect with Shelly Douglas and Green Columbus

Website → https://www.greencbus.org/

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/greencolumbus

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/green_columbus/

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The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit (MRSS) is the largest sustainability conference in the Midwest, bringing together hundreds of visionary leaders to share ideas and solutions for a healthier, more resilient, and equitable future. The annual summit features a full day of programming, including speakers, exhibitors, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, covering a wide range of topics from climate justice and green workforce development to resilient food systems and circular economy practices. MRSS serves as a vital platform for collaboration and innovation, inspiring action and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future in the Midwest.

Shownotes

Carol Kauffman is the CEO of the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC). Carol traces the OEC's mission back to its 1969 founding after the Cuyahoga River fire and shares her own path into environmental advocacy through a pivotal experience in Cambodia witnessing deforestation's devastating impact. She explains the OEC's multi-level approach to advocacy, working locally, statewide, and federally to advance environmental protection and community empowerment. The conversation covers OEC's work with Power a Clean Future Ohio, their State House advocacy, executive agency engagement, and efforts to protect Lake Erie and improve water quality. Carol discusses navigating environmental advocacy in today's political climate and emphasizes strategic planning, adaptability, and collaboration. She shares a recent major victory: significant energy policy legislation in Ohio that streamlines project approvals at the Power Siting Board and incentivizes utilities to invest in Advanced Transmission Technology.

A key focus is the Ohio Business Energy Partnership—an unlikely coalition of environmental groups and business leaders advocating for clean energy policy. Carol explains how this cross-sector alliance drives progress at the state level and offers leadership lessons on sharing credit, building authentic relationships, and taking care of your team. She previews her MRSS panel on the Ohio Business Energy Partnership, hoping to inspire similar collaborations and demonstrate the power of working across traditional divides.

Episode in a glance

- Carol’s Path to Environmental Advocacy
- OEC Initiatives
- Challenges Facing Ohio's Environment
- A Win for Energy Policy in Ohio
- The Ohio Business Energy Partnership

About Carol Kauffman

Carol Kauffman is CEO of the Ohio Environmental Council. Her background in international aid and development brings a global perspective to advocating for clean air, safe water, and climate justice in Ohio.

Connect with Carol Kauffman

Website → theoec.org

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-kauffman/

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The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit (MRSS) is the largest sustainability conference in the Midwest, bringing together hundreds of visionary leaders to share ideas and solutions for a healthier, more resilient, and equitable future. The annual summit features a full day of programming, including speakers, exhibitors, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, covering a wide range of topics from climate justice and green workforce development to resilient food systems and circular economy practices. MRSS serves as a vital platform for collaboration and innovation, inspiring action and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future in the Midwest.

Shownotes

Kristi Eberhardt is the Head of Sustainable Finance at PNC Bank. She explains how financial institutions are driving sustainable change by making green investments more attractive than traditional ones.

Kristi breaks down sustainable finance and how PNC uses financial products to reward environmentally friendly projects. She traces the field's origins to green bonds in 2016 and explains how it's expanded beyond large corporations to include smaller, family-owned, and private businesses. She shares her path into sustainable finance through economic development work and how her son's environmental passion influenced her career direction. Kristi explains PNC's Midwest strategy of tailoring solutions to specific markets and using incentives rather than penalties to drive change. Kristi details how PNC identifies sustainability opportunities by researching client goals, benchmarking against industry peers, and understanding best practices.

She discusses PNC's internal Climate Solutions Partner Program that educates employees and builds cross-department collaboration. Data analytics plays a key role in identifying clients with sustainability goals and starting targeted conversations. Kristi also talks about her work with the Greater Cleveland Partnership's Sustainability Leaders Group and the importance of cross-sector collaboration.

Episode in a glance

- What is Sustainable Finance?
- Kristi's Journey into Sustainable Finance
- PNC's Role in Midwest Sustainable Finance
- PNC's Industry-Agnostic Approach
- Data Analytics and Targeted Client Engagement
- Kristi's Role with the Greater Cleveland Partnership

About Kristi Eberhardt

Kristi Eberhardt is the Head of Sustainable Finance at PNC Bank. She combines capital markets expertise with sustainability passion to help integrate environmental and social factors into financial decisions.

Connect with Kristi Eberhardt

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-ziegler-eberhardt-a282534/

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The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit (MRSS) is the largest sustainability conference in the Midwest, bringing together hundreds of visionary leaders to share ideas and solutions for a healthier, more resilient, and equitable future. The annual summit features a full day of programming, including speakers, exhibitors, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, covering a wide range of topics from climate justice and green workforce development to resilient food systems and circular economy practices. MRSS serves as a vital platform for collaboration and innovation, inspiring action and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future in the Midwest.

Shownotes

Zack Burns is the hydroponics technician at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. He explains how a pilot hydroponics program is cutting food miles, saving water, and connecting with the community. Zack explains how the zoo's hydroponics program started and why reducing their carbon footprint from animal food was important. He covers the basics of hydroponics—growing plants without soil using nutrient-rich water. The zoo's vertical system sits in two 40-foot shipping containers located off zoo grounds.

The lettuce they grow feeds the giraffes in their visitor feeding program, giving people a direct connection to the zoo's sustainability work. Zack talks about the environmental benefits: no transportation emissions from growing food on-site and better protection against supply chain problems. The program fits into the zoo's zero-waste goals by creating compostable plant waste for their bio-digester. Zack mentions other sustainability projects at the zoo, like their large solar canopy and plans to reach net-zero emissions. He emphasizes working with other zoos, including their partnership with Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and how they help other facilities start similar programs. Zack shares his personal path into hydroponics, his love of growing plants, and how rewarding it is to support both animal care and community education.

Episode in a glance

- The Cincinnati Zoo's Hydroponics Program
- Hydroponics 101
- Benefits of Growing Food On-Site
- Data Collection and Analysis for Sustainability
- Zack’s Journey into Hydroponics
- Getting Involved in Sustainable Agriculture

About Zack Burns

Zack Burns is the hydroponics technician at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, where he combines his passion for plants with his commitment to sustainability.

Connect with Zack Burns and his work

• Cincinnati Zoo Website → https://cincinnatizoo.org/
• Zack on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-burns-b56919134/

Send us a message!

The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit (MRSS) is the largest sustainability conference in the Midwest, bringing together hundreds of visionary leaders to share ideas and solutions for a healthier, more resilient, and equitable future. The annual summit features a full day of programming, including speakers, exhibitors, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, covering a wide range of topics from climate justice and green workforce development to resilient food systems and circular economy practices. MRSS serves as a vital platform for collaboration and innovation, inspiring action and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future in the Midwest.

Shownotes

Susan VonderHaar is the co-director of the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute and leader of Growing Food Champions. She shares her passion for building local food systems and restoring ecosystems. Susan describes permaculture as a practice, a way of being, and a form of ecological design that marries human creativity with the wisdom of nature. With a background in science, biology, and ecological research, she shares how permaculture provided her with a solutions-oriented approach, shifting her perspective from seeing problems to recognizing opportunities for positive change. She emphasizes the permaculture principle of "the problem is the solution," an assets-based approach to finding answers within the challenges themselves.

Susan contrasts permaculture with traditional industrial farming, highlighting the importance of closed-loop systems and building self-sustaining ecosystems. She explains the concept of a food forest, describing it as a garden that mimics the structure and function of a natural forest, incorporating diverse plant species in multiple layers to create a self-maintaining, productive ecosystem. She discusses how the Growing Food Champions initiative empowers communities to reclaim their health and connection to nature through hands-on permaculture projects, planting edible, medicinal, and native plants in food forests and guilds across the Cincinnati area. Susan also shares insights into selecting appropriate plants for different locations and purposes, considering factors like harvest season, growth habits, and the needs of the local ecosystem.

Episode in a glance

- Permaculture as A Practice, a Way of Being, and a Solution
- Permaculture vs. Traditional Farming
- Food Forests and Guilds
- Growing Food Champions & Building Communities Through Permaculture
- Selecting the Right Plants for Your Food Forest

About Susan VonderHaar

Susan VonderHaar is the co-director of the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute and a passionate advocate for creating sustainable and resilient food systems. With a background in science and ecology, she brings a deep understanding of natural systems to her work in permaculture design and education. Susan's leadership in the Growing Food Champions initiative has empowered countless individuals to connect with nature, grow their own food, and build healthier communities.

Connect with Susan VonderHaar

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/permaculturecincy/

Website → https://cincinnatipermacultureinstitute.org/

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/CincinnatiPermacultureInstitute/

Send us a message!

The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit (MRSS) is the largest sustainability conference in the Midwest, bringing together hundreds of visionary leaders to share ideas and solutions for a healthier, more resilient, and equitable future. The annual summit features a full day of programming, including speakers, exhibitors, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, covering a wide range of topics from climate justice and green workforce development to resilient food systems and circular economy practices. MRSS serves as a vital platform for collaboration and innovation, inspiring action and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future in the Midwest.

Shownotes

Sarah Pottle is the co-founder and regional organizer for the Rust Belt Fibershed, a grassroots initiative working to rebuild a regional textile economy rooted in sustainability and care. In this conversation, Sarah shares how the Fibershed is challenging the fast fashion status quo by cultivating a local, circular system for clothing production in the Midwest—one that connects farmers, makers, and consumers in a shared ecosystem of regeneration.

She explains the concept of a "fibershed"—similar to a foodshed—as a framework for understanding where our clothing comes from and how it impacts people and the planet. Through this lens, Sarah emphasizes the importance of “cultivating care” at every stage of a garment’s life: from the health of the soil where fiber crops are grown, to the labor conditions of textile workers, to the disposal or reuse of clothing at the end of its cycle.

Sarah discusses the environmental and social costs of fast fashion, citing the growing amount of clothing production and the declining rate of clothing use. She emphasizes the importance of caring for the entire lifecycle of a garment, from the sourcing of raw materials and the treatment of workers to the end-of-life disposal and the potential for upcycling, mending, and clothing swaps. She highlights some of the innovative projects emerging within the Rust Belt Fibershed network, including the development of small-scale mills and knitting machines, and discusses the organization’s success in securing funding from the Cleveland Foundation to host annual symposiums, which have drawn hundreds of attendees.

Episode in a glance

- Sarah Pottle & her work with Rust Belt Fibershed
- The Importance of Care in the Textile Supply Chain
- Challenges and Solutions in Sustainable Fashion
- Sarah's Journey into Sustainable Fashion
- Building Community Through Education and Engagement
- The Future of Local Fiber Production
- Impact and Success Stories of Rust Belt Fibershed

About Sarah Pottle

Sarah Pottle is the co-founder and regional organizer of the Rust Belt Fibershed, a passionate advocate for building a more sustainable and equitable textile industry in the Midwest. With a background in education, she believes in the power of community engagement and hands-on learning to inspire change.

Connect with Sarah Pottle and her work with Rust Belt Fibershed

• Website → https://rustbeltfibershed.com
• Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltfibershed

Send us a message!

The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit (MRSS) is the largest sustainability conference in the Midwest, bringing together hundreds of visionary leaders to share ideas and solutions for a healthier, more resilient, and equitable future. The annual summit features a full day of programming, including speakers, exhibitors, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, covering a wide range of topics from climate justice and green workforce development to resilient food systems and circular economy practices. MRSS serves as a vital platform for collaboration and innovation, inspiring action and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future in the Midwest.

Shownotes

Nathan McKee is a Sustainability Analyst at Trayak, a mission-driven company helping brands create more sustainable packaging, explores the critical role of packaging innovation in fighting climate change He talks about lifecycle assessments (LCAs), circularity metrics, and the complexities of balancing environmental impact with business needs. He explains how they use software solutions and consulting services to help companies achieve their sustainability goals and meet regulatory requirements, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees. He explains what EPR fees are and why they are becoming increasingly important in holding producers accountable for the end-of-life management of their products. He shares his background in environmental studies and how his passion for climate change, sparked by Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," led him to Trayak.

Nathan explains what an LCA is, describing how it analyzes the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire lifecycle, from raw material extraction and manufacturing to transportation and end-of-life disposal. He shares examples of how companies are using LCAs to make changes to their packaging like right-weighting, incorporating recycled content, and switching from plastic to paper, and discusses how reusable packaging, despite the challenges it presents in terms of increased material usage and transportation, is a critical strategy for building a circular economy. He also discusses the importance of storytelling in effectively communicating complex sustainability information.

Episode in a glance

- Sustainability Analyst at Trayak
- Understanding Trayak's Role in Sustainable Packaging
- What is Lifecycle Assessment
- Innovations in Sustainable Packaging
- Real-World Applications of Sustainable Packaging

About Nathan McKee

Nathan McKee is a sustainability analyst at Trayak, dedicated to helping companies design and manufacture more sustainable packaging. With a background in environmental studies and experience in the manufacturing industry, Nathan brings a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in creating a circular economy.

Connect with Nathan McKee and his work

Trayak Website → https://trayak.com/

Send us a message!

The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit (MRSS) is the largest sustainability conference in the Midwest, bringing together hundreds of visionary leaders to share ideas and solutions for a healthier, more resilient, and equitable future. The annual summit features a full day of programming, including speakers, exhibitors, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, covering a wide range of topics from climate justice and green workforce development to resilient food systems and circular economy practices. MRSS serves as a vital platform for collaboration and innovation, inspiring action and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future in the Midwest.

Shownotes

Jessica Glorius-Dangelo, is the sustainability manager and project manager at MA Design. She explores how they integrates sustainability into architectural design, emphasizing the importance of storytelling in unlocking funding opportunities.

Jessica discusses her journey into architecture, highlighting the influence of her father's building projects and an early college course on sustainable design that sparked her passion for giving back more than we take. She describes her experiences working on co-ops in various firms, including a pivotal experience in Beijing, where she witnessed the impact of poor air quality, further solidifying her commitment to sustainability. Jessica also explains the triple bottom line approach to sustainable design, balancing economic, social, and environmental considerations. She shares her role in leading MA Design’s internal sustainability committee and their goals for benchmarking projects, educating staff, and developing a comprehensive Sustainability Action Plan. Jessica explains how they are working to achieve the AIA 2030 Commitment, aiming for 100% of their new building projects to be carbon neutral by 2030, and how they help clients define their goals and prioritize resource efficiency, health, and wellbeing.

Episode in a Glance

- Jessica’s Journey into Sustainable Design
- Sustainable Design and the Triple Bottom Line
- MA Design’s Sustainability Initiatives
- The AIA 2030 Commitment
- Working with Certification Frameworks (LEED, WELL, Living Future)
- Jessica's MRSS Panel: Sustainability, Storytelling, and Funding

About Jessica Glorius-Dangelo

Jessica Glorius-Dangelo is a sustainability manager and project manager at MA Design, where she champions sustainable design practices and helps clients create environmentally responsible buildings.

Connect with Jessica Glorius-Dangelo and her work

MA Design website → https://designwithma.com/

Jessica’s LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-glorius-dangelo-aia-leed-ap-bd-c-well-ap-lfa-70a79574/

MA Design LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/designwithma/posts/

Send us a message!