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/

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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

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/

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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

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!

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

Shailah Maynard is the co-founder and CEO of Sew Valley, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit redefining the fashion industry with a focus on ethical manufacturing, local production, and circular design. Shailah shares her journey into sustainable fashion and the vision behind Sew Valley, a nonprofit providing cut-and-sew services, small-batch production, studio rentals, and educational workshops. She emphasizes the organization's commitment to ethical manufacturing, paying living wages, minimizing waste, and promoting circularity. Shailah discusses the environmental and social challenges within the fashion industry, including unsafe working conditions, excessive waste, and the negative impact of fast fashion.

She highlights Sew Valley's role in proving that responsible apparel manufacturing is possible locally, and she discusses their zero-waste program which transforms fabric scraps into valuable products like upholstery fill and fiberboard. Shailah also discusses their work in educating the community about sustainable practices, including natural dyeing and DIY alterations. She explores the potential for the Midwest to become a leader in sustainable fashion and emphasizes the importance of regional collaboration and resource sharing.

Episode in a glance

- Sew Valley’s Mission and Services
- Who Sew Valley Serves
- Sustainability at Sew Valley
- Rethinking the Garment Lifecycle: Circularity and Local Production
- Sew Valley’s Zero-Waste Program
- The Midwest’s Potential in Sustainable Fashion

About Shailah Maynard

Shailah Maynard is the co-founder and CEO of Sew Valley, a nonprofit organization transforming the fashion industry in the Midwest. With a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in apparel manufacturing, she is a passionate advocate for ethical production, circular design, and community engagement. Shailah’s vision and leadership are creating a more sustainable and equitable future for fashion.

Connect with Shailah Maynard and her work with Sew Valley:

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

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

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/shailah-maynard-32876564/

Sew Valley LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/sew-valley/

Website → https://sewvalley.org/

Send us a message!

Welcome to our mini-series covering 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

Charlie Gonzalez, from Green Umbrella, shares how the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit accelerates sustainability across the Midwest, and its diverse program, participatory model, and focus on collaborative climate solutions. Charlie highlights the 2025 theme, "The Power of Storytelling," and the importance of sharing narratives to inspire change. He describes MRSS as a spark for connection, learning, and deepening our resolve in creating a more sustainable future. He also shares his personal journey of getting involved with the summit, emphasizing the power of networking and community engagement. He encourages listeners to attend MRSS, join Green Umbrella's email list, and become part of the movement toward a healthier and more equitable future.

Episode in a glance

• What is the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit?
• The Vision and Theme of MRSS
• How to Get Involved with MRSS and Green Umbrella
• Green Umbrella's Mission and Programs
• The Role of the Midwest in Sustainability
• Understanding Sustainability and Climate Change

About Charlie Gonzalez

Charlie Gonzalez is the Event Manager for Green Umbrella and the driving force behind the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit. He is passionate about bringing people together to collaborate on climate solutions and believes in the power of storytelling to inspire change.

Learn More About MRSS

The Conference → https://www.midwestsustainabilitysummit.org

Linkedin → https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-gonzalez

Green Umbrella → https://greenumbrella.org

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