Sustainability Decoded with Tim & Caitlin

For our final episode of Sustainability Decoded Season 1, we’re doing some self reflection with a fellow podcaster. All season long we’ve talked about ESG – environmental, social, and governance, and we’ve spent several episodes on the environmental side. Mandi McReynolds is the Head of Global Environment, Social, and Governance at Workiva and the host of ESG Talk. In this episode, she broke down why the ‘S’ and ‘G’ in ESG are just as important as the ‘E.’ She told us that good governance is a base for good business, and that social impact is a growing interest area for businesses around the world.   Learn more about Mandi McReynolds here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

The amount of greenhouse gas emissions that buildings are responsible for is unbelievable. Construction and operations of buildings account for up to 50% of global emissions. Everything from heating and cooling a building, to keeping the lights on, to the materials it’s made out of contribute to climate change.  But luckily, there’s a movement toward more sustainable architecture. In today’s episode, we explore green buildings with one of the OG architects in the space, Eric Corey Freed. He’s the Principal and Director of Sustainability for CannonDesign and author of “Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies.”  Eric has won countless awards and titles relating to green architecture.  On the show, we talked about the pros and cons of retrofitting versus building new and how we can construct more climate resilient buildings. Learn more about Eric Corey Freed here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

Will mining ever be sustainable? How do we deal with the sins of the past and move forward in a responsible way? We explore this in today’s episode with Rohitesh Dhawan, President and CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). ICMM brings together 26 of the world's largest mining and metals companies to work collectively on issues of sustainable development.   We talked to Rohitesh about the work he’s doing at ICMM and the commitments the council is making. We get into how mining and the circular economy intersect, misconceptions about the mining industry, and the increased demand for metals that the sustainability sector creates.  Learn more about Rohitesh and ICMM here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

This week’s guest has been watching and writing about the sustainability world for over 30 years and he provided us with some unique perspectives.  Joel Makower is a journalist and the chairman and co-founder of GreenBiz, a media and events company focusing on the intersection of business and the clean economy. He had a syndicated newspaper column, he contributes to the radio show, Marketplace, and he has authored over a dozen books.  This episode really feels more like we had a third host than a guest. He also brought up new subjects for the podcast, including, what a green consumer is, criticisms of the sustainability industry, and changing economic systems. Learn more about Joel Makower and GreenBiz here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

In this episode, we talked about how interest and advancements in ESG are suddenly everywhere.  Today’s guest, Aron Cramer called the trend an “overnight sensation.” But really he’s been working for years to pull sustainability into the mainstream. Aron is the President and CEO of management consulting company, BSR (Business for Social Responsibility). Before his career as an ESG OG, Aron went to law school and worked as a journalist. On the show, Aron tells us about his professional journey, how BSR helps businesses advance ESG initiatives and how ESG has evolved and exploded in popularity!  Learn more about Aron Cramer and Persefoni here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

To mark the halfway point of our first season we’re talking to two Gen Z climate fanatics and Persefoni employees! Anissa Vasquez is Manager of Global ESG Policy at Persefoni and Kevin Stephen works on the sustainability strategy team. They came on the show to talk about how young people can get involved in sustainability and climate tech,why fighting climate change is an incredibly personal fight for their generation, and what they are doing to stay optimistic about their future.  In this episode, we got reflective. Kevin and Anissa shared book recommendations, thoughts on some of our previous episodes, and advice for fellow Gen Z climate nerds. Learn more about Anissa, Kevin, and Persefoni here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to

This week’s episode is mandatory listening for anyone searching for a career with meaning. Our guest Andrew Hoffman, Holcim Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan, has powerful advice for engaging in work that has a purpose. Andrew’s book “Management as a Calling” outlines why business leaders can and should see their work as a way to solve societal problems.   Andrew teaches across disciplines in the Ross School of Business and the School for Environment & Sustainability. He told us that an interdisciplinary approach is key to combating climate change. In this episode, Andrew tells us about his non-linear path to making an impact, the difference between a job and a vocation, and the challenge for the next generation of leaders.   Learn more about Andrew’s work here. A note for listeners: We’re taking a short, two week break after this episode and we’ll be back with more Sustainability Decoded on August 2nd. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

Until recently, climate disclosures were a mostly voluntary part of doing business. But soon, they could become mandatory. Like financial disclosures, climate disclosures would be overseen by individual regulatory authorities in different countries around the world. These regulatory authorities are members of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).   Jane Diplock, this week’s guest, chaired the IOSCO for seven years and the New Zealand Securities Commission for nine years, during the Global Financial Crisis and the recovery. On the show, she explains how IOSCO sets global norms and standards for securities market regulations. Jane talks about championing digitization as a way to make ESG standards comparable. In this episode, Jane also spoke to us about breaking glass ceilings and why climate is critical in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more about Jane’s work here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

Encouraging companies to disclose their impact on the environment is more important than ever before and Paul Dickinson has been trying to do just that for over 20 years.  Paul is the founder of the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP), a non-profit that collects voluntary disclosures from companies about sustainability issues like climate change, water security, and deforestation. The CDP keeps databases so that investors can compare sustainability data. In 2021, over 13,000 companies reported through the CDP. In this episode, we talked to him about the future of sustainability, new sustainability reporting regulations and optimism in the face of climate change. Learn more about Paul’s work and the CDP here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter

Creating comparable standards for environmental, social and governance reporting is difficult, but Janine Guillot and The Value Reporting Foundation are on it!    In this episode, we sat down with Janine to talk about how sustainability reporting has evolved, the new ways we’re finding to track it, and what sustainability reports mean to investors. Janine is a  leader in this field and as CEO of the Value Reporting Foundation she’s working to create ESG frameworks. We also got into greenwashing and the seismic shift that is happening in sustainability, starting with the SEC rules on climate disclosure   Learn more about Janine’s work here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

A leading authority on corporate purpose, Robert “Bob” Eccles was the founding Chairman of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and was one of the founders of the International Integrated Reporting Council. And yes, we decode what these are on the show! In this episode, we talk to Bob about his views on what needs to be reported by companies, how activism can be translated into action, and why “unsexy” topics like accounting and corporate reporting are critical to creating change. On the show, Bob also plays co-host as he talks to Caitlin about how young people like her are dealing with climate anxiety — and how they talk about things they don’t agree on. Learn more about Bob’s work here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

You’re not alone if you don’t know what a corporate form is or why Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs) exist. But, it’s so important to understand what they’re here for — and it kind of boils down to accountability.  In this episode, we are joined by Susan Mac Cormac, a Partner at international law firm Morrison & Foerster. She chairs the firm’s Energy and Social Enterprise and Impact Investing practices. In this episode, we talk about how businesses are being held accountable for their social and environmental impact — beyond their mission and value statement and sustainability reports. On the show, we also tackle how we can move from being “doomers” to actually effecting positive change. Learn more about Susan’s work here. Sustainability Decoded is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media.  Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to Tim’s weekly newsletter!

Sustainability is a popular, yet intimidating field, with acronyms and concepts that are confusing for the everyday person.   With the help of leaders and experts, hosts Tim Mohin, Chief Sustainability Officer at Persefoni and former Chief Executive of the Global Reporting Initiative, and Caitlin Kinney, a Gen Z climate activist, will explain and cover important stories and trends in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and the climate. Whether you’re just dipping your feet or are far along in your journey, each episode hopes to make all of us smarter about sustainability — so we can get to work!   Our podcast premieres on Tuesday, June 7th. “Sustainability Decoded” is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni Media House and Hueman Group Media. If you want to learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform, please visit our website Persefoni.com.