The Intersection of Health and Sustainability: Sarah Enaharo's Holistic Approach
In the final episode of Season 1 of Changing Tomorrow, we explore the intersection of health and sustinability. The conversation with global sustainability leader Sarah Enahoro covers tangible things that have worked in the pas and what we can do differently has we look a impacting the people and planet.
Guest Spotlight
Superpower of Choice: Shapeshifter
Sarah Enaharo is a sustainability visionary who has driven several impactful initiatives in the building industry. She is currently is Milliken & Company's Global Sustainability Director, leading their sustainability efforts with over a decade of experience across various sectors. A recognized Greenbiz 30 under 30 awardee, she plays key roles in the Ohio Advisory Board for Trust for Public Lands and ASID DEI Committee, among others. Sarah's philosophy is unique- it goes beyond mere environmental activism and takes the humans into account- approach to enhancing our lifestyle, workplaces, and communities.
Holistic Sustainability Defined
Sarah's perspective on sustainability is refreshingly expansive. It covers the intersection of people and the planet, which includes the well-being of individuals and their communities. She believes that sustainability is intrinsic to business ethics. It extends to community development and informs personal choices. All of these aspects share the overarching goal of creating a world where ecological care, social fairness, and economic vitality harmoniously coexist.
Community Impact Through Sustainability
Sarah's approach highlights the deep impact of sustainability within communities. She recognizes that every community has its own challenges and strengths, advocating for customized sustainability strategies that embrace and utilize each community's unique characteristics.
Sarah also underscores the significance of local sustainability initiatives, using urban gardening and tree canopy projects in Cleveland serving as examples. These initiatives demonstrate the significant impact of local actions on environmental health and community well-being. Grassroots movements aimed at enhancing urban landscapes, reducing pollution, and fostering community participation are effective sustainability efforts.
Revolutionizing Manufacturing with Sustainable Practices
In the manufacturing sphere, Sarah is guiding the transition toward sustainable choices, training and engaging with people in all departments including those on the manufacturing floor. She champions the principles of a circular approach, places a strong emphasis on material health, and advocates for comprehensive training. Her approach highlights transparency, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement. Sarah also stresses the significance of involving and educating all stakeholders in the supply chain, recognizing that those closest to the process often provide the most impactful solutions.
Sarah offers a behind-the-scenes look at Milliken and Co's unwavering commitment to transparency and ecological accountability. For example, their strategy for producing carpet tiles includes of a sustainable supply chain and the validation of their dedication through third-party certifications. These actions result in creating eco-friendly products. And perhaps more importantly, they underscore a broader commitment to nurturing a culture of responsibility and transparency in manufacturing.
Individual Contributions to Sustainability
Sarah is a staunch believer in the ripple effect of individual actions. She encourages us to make sustainable choices, whether as consumers, community members, or change advocates. Every minor action contributes to a significant impact
Reflections
Sarah Enaharo's message is both urgent and inspiring: blending sustainability with well-being is crucial for our collective future. Her work challenges us to reconsider our lifestyle and its repercussions. This is an urgent call in a movement for both planetary preservation and enhancing our quality of life.
Transcript
bridging-community-needs-with-global-sustainability-goals-a-conversation-with-sarah-enaharo
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[00:00:00] Sarah: Training has to be constant. You know, it's one thing to know about the product sustainability, but also understanding like how our products fit into the industry. You know, the fact that buildings contribute to 40 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions. So when you kind of broaden it for them to understand why flooring is so important.
[00:00:20] I should mention flooring covers entire square footage of a building. You know, the importance of the health aspects of it, the importance of the environmental stewardship. It really starts to give them the big picture of why sustainability is so important at Millikan.
[00:00:42] Welcome to Changing Tomorrow with your host Gayathri Unnikrishnan. In each episode, Gayathri talks to the people reshaping entire industries and societies. Changing Tomorrow is the destination for the changemakers of today. Here we explore the mechanics of creating lasting impact. [00:01:00] Turning ideas into tools that shape a brighter future.
[00:01:03] So turn up the volume, grab a seat and join Gaia3 for engaging conversations with those who are shaping the future right now. Welcome to changing tomorrow because the future we want is built today.
[00:01:26] Gayathri: Hi friends. Welcome to the season finale of Changing Tomorrow. In today's episode, we are joined by Sarah Robinson Enaharo, who is the Global Sustainability Director at Millikin Company. Sarah has been driving sustainability across various sectors from NGOs to large companies for over a decade. And she's received a whole bunch of accolades for it.
[00:01:54] She was recognized in the green biz 30 under 30, and she's a very well [00:02:00] known figure on several advisory boards and committees. She's got some interesting insights on circular economy and indoor air quality, and it's. intersection with human health and well being, which is why I thought it would be a really interesting conversation for you all.
[00:02:15] So without further ado, let's jump right in. Sarah, I've been waiting for this podcast recording for a very long time. I'm so excited that you're here.
[00:02:28] Sarah: I am so excited and honored. Thank you for having me.
[00:02:32] Gayathri: Sarah and I met in person a couple of months ago and we became fast friends. So I am looking forward to this conversation.
[00:02:40] I think it's going to be fun and chatty and inspiring. So Sarah, we start all of our episodes with the same question. If you could choose a
[00:02:49] Sarah: superpower, what would it be? That is such a tough one. I think I would have the ability to be [00:03:00] like a shapeshifter. I would enjoy like experiencing other things and other living beings, whether that's, you know, a bug or a lion or if I want to run really fast.
[00:03:14] I think shapeshifter is like a really cool Super power to be able to have. That is cool.
[00:03:20] Gayathri: And remember those books that used to be there? Animorphs were, was it?
[00:03:24] Sarah: Yeah. I mean, they
[00:03:26] Gayathri: knew. I think the books that were cool in our teens knew where it was at. Harry Potter, Animorphs, all of the things. Love that.
[00:03:35] Being able to shift between a squirrel and a lion sounds like a great thing to have. Sarah, today we're here to talk about the intersection of sustainability and well being. Can you talk a little bit about what your perspective is when we talk about that intersection? Because when you hear it first, it sounds like completely different parts of the spectrum in a way.
[00:03:58] What is your perspective? Is there an [00:04:00] intersection? And if there is, what is that intersection that you think is
[00:04:04] Sarah: important? Absolutely. So sustainability is an awareness of the world's connectivity and the implications of our actions. It is finding solutions through innovative approaches to really expand our possibilities.
[00:04:21] in the future. Sustainability is about the practice of environmental stewardship to build those governance institutions that continually learn, as well as educate, and also instill values that promote justice. To me, personally, as human beings, to be well, when I talk about wellness, I mean physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, we need basic necessities, clean water.
[00:04:49] clean air, nutritious food, community, and spirituality, and religion falls into that, of course. So, and for me specifically, I [00:05:00] need access to the outdoors. There is something about me being able to be in nature that certainly helps my mental health and physical health. And of course, with the studies, it's clear, and we know how much the built environment impacts human health.
[00:05:16] Public health, for that matter, and our well being based upon the fact that we spend 90 percent of our time indoors, which is a statistic that we love to talk about, but even, you know, as we're seeing what's going on with climate change and how it is impacting. the outdoors now. And it's important. I believe, you know, every person has a purpose.
[00:05:38] It's why we are here on earth. And so it is a human right to have clean air. Clean air was here long before humans got here, especially clean water and nutritious food. I think it's important for all to have the opportunity to thrive, to reach our best personal selves and as a population grows, the way we [00:06:00] currently extract resources, the abundance of waste, the economic inequalities, we have challenges and a lot of opportunities as well.
[00:06:10] One of the
[00:06:11] Gayathri: things that I was focused upon during my last role at The International Well Building Institute was the intersection of well being and built environment. But something that became super clear very quickly was the inequities or how this intersection between sustainability and well being is actually an equity problem.
[00:06:29] The people who have the worst air quality are usually near factories and near other spaces. So you spoke a little bit about extraction. You spoke a little bit about water quality and clean air. So in addition to it, being a problem for us. What is your perspective on the impact on community as a whole?
[00:06:48] You know, personally, it impacts us, but how can we see it kind of
[00:06:51] Sarah: impacting a community? Absolutely. And it's impacting so many different communities, inner city communities, rural communities. [00:07:00] When you think about previously where we had coal plants and, you know, people were identified as having cancer more prevalent in those areas.
[00:07:11] When we think about, you know, manufacturing and, you know, chemicals have evolved so much over the last couple of decades. Unfortunately, with chemicals, it's like, we don't know until we know, right? And so, That's why continuing to optimize chemistry is just so important to stay abreast of not only, you know, government regulation, but just like doing what's right for human health, but so many communities are being impacted.
[00:07:38] I live in the Cleveland, Ohio area, and I was planning to talk about this a little later, but we've closed down a lot of coal plants, but we still have really poor outdoor air quality. And it's due to the greenhouse gas emissions from lawn care equipment. Lawn care,
[00:07:55] Gayathri: did you say? Lawn
[00:07:56] Sarah: care. Grass,
[00:07:57] Gayathri: grass, lawn.
[00:07:59] Yes. [00:08:00] Oh, okay.
[00:08:00] Sarah: That is interesting. And while that might be specific to Ohio, my region, each community faces, you know, their own challenges and opportunities. So it really impacts, you know, and we know, we know it's impacting everybody globally. It's just how and to what extent and for how long.
[00:08:22] Gayathri: I'm sorry to those who play golf, but the number of golf courses
[00:08:25] Sarah: is.
[00:08:26] Gayathri: Too dang high, like, and that's a perfect example, I think. I never thought about lawn care as,
[00:08:33] Sarah: wow, a pollutant. Absolutely, and Cleveland, you know, is a blue collar city. It is a poor city. And our, you know, upper respiratory issues in kids are very high. We have very, like, the health here is certainly a problem and it's certainly being addressed by community leaders and different organizations, but it is prevalent.
[00:08:57] And upper respiratory issues, [00:09:00] asthma, that's certainly something that is impacting a lot of communities. If you
[00:09:05] Gayathri: don't mind digging in a little bit on kind of the history as you experience in Cleveland, Ohio, and the current experience of what pollutants are like or what pollution is like, can you walk us through that?
[00:09:21] Like you said, a lot of coal mines were shut down, but Even now they're, you know, it's a different source of pollution. It sounds like there needs to be more awareness around
[00:09:31] Sarah: what person, people can do. There does. I will say there is a lot of great resources around water in the Cleveland area. I can't remember.
[00:09:42] It's definitely been over 50 years. I believe the Cuyahoga River caught on fire. The river caught on fire. The river caught on fire because of the pollution. Okay. Sorry. I will send you that after this conversation. But yes. So we do have a lot of community [00:10:00] non profits that focus on water, pollution, residential.
[00:10:05] There's a lot of lead because Cleveland is an old city. So a lot of lead in the homes. There is a huge focus and some policy that the city of Cleveland has done to make sure lead is getting out of these homes, especially rental properties. You know, it's very different when there's a landlord compared to a homeowner who will take care of the home in a different way.
[00:10:24] Right. So there are a lot of initiatives in Cleveland. Of course, they have a climate action plan, a sustainability group that has been in place for over a decade looking at, The health of Cleveland constituents and also I know there's a lot around urban gardening, tree canopies to help mitigate climate change as well and make it cooler.
[00:10:47] There's a lot of really awesome initiatives going on in Cleveland. That's
[00:10:50] Gayathri: super cool. I will definitely link. Those articles that you mentioned in the show notes. So Sarah, we spoke about the impact of the [00:11:00] intersection of sustainability and wellbeing on a community level and kind of the historical significance of that through your great example of the.
[00:11:08] Sarah: city of Cleveland,
[00:11:09] Gayathri: Ohio. I wanted to bring it back to individuals for a second and talk about our individual circles of influence. So how can we see this intersection manifesting in our daily lives? What has been your experience? You've had an amazing career so far. So what has been your experience around that intersection?
[00:11:30] Sarah: Absolutely. So I'll talk a little bit more about what I do in my day to day. I'm a Global Sustainability Director for Millikan and Company in the Floor Covering Division. And so I am responsible for the strategy. And so I work with all of our teams, especially R& D, marketing, our sales team. One, to make sure that we have the healthiest Products that we can have.
[00:11:55] Our R and D team is really amazing as far as being ahead [00:12:00] of the curve and constantly looking at chemicals of concerns and what possibly will be a concern in the future. So we're constantly optimizing our product. As far as our carpet towels, you know, in North America, they are 100 percent transparent.
[00:12:17] Gayathri: What do you mean by 100 percent transparent?
[00:12:19] Sarah: Meaning you can literally go to a Declarer label and see all of our ingredients. Oh, wow. All of them. Okay. Over a two and a half year process to get to know our supply chain, to know our suppliers and their suppliers and their suppliers. And so we have a very good understanding of what is in our product and how to reformulate it.
[00:12:44] That is truly
[00:12:45] Gayathri: amazing. We worked a lot in my previous role on the materials concept and the materials concept lead, Rodolfo Perez. He's amazing. But one of the things that he was. working on for a very long time was just increasing transparency. [00:13:00] And it is so hard. And I know that a lot of well intentioned and future focused manufacturers have been trying to do it.
[00:13:07] But because of a lack of transparency or the opacity of the supply chain, it was hard to kind of drill down on what the ingredients are. So it's really cool that. I mean, two and a half years sounds like a very short time to me. It's super cool that you've reached that point. Yeah, that blows
[00:13:24] Sarah: my mind. It is truly an investment because it's one thing to get there, but it's also another thing to maintain.
[00:13:31] Right. During COVID, you know, with the change in supply chain, we still kept our rent list free. And that was not an easy feat. So as you're looking at new suppliers, suppliers change and your supplier, suppliers change constantly. Okay. And you just might not get that memo. So you constantly have to be engaged with your suppliers to know what's in your product and what's changing.
[00:13:55] Wow.
[00:13:56] Gayathri: How does this look? Do you have quarterly meetings
[00:13:58] Sarah: with them? We, [00:14:00] like what? It
[00:14:02] Gayathri: just sounds so complex
[00:14:03] Sarah: to me. Yes. We work with a consultant who manages it. Okay. Easily meet with our consultant. It's weekly to bi weekly. Wow. All those types of projects to make sure that we have the most accurate information, not only to know what's in our product, but also as far as like our EPDs, make sure that those stay accurate and having that information.
[00:14:24] Wow.
[00:14:25] Gayathri: That sounds. Like an enormous amount of work, but it's such an important thing to do. And it's such a thing that kind of goes under the
[00:14:35] Sarah: radar. Um, it does. Wow. It's necessary. Yeah. Sorry.
[00:14:39] Gayathri: I took you off track when you was talking about transparency. Let's bring you. No, it's fine. It
[00:14:44] Sarah: is fine. So that's what we do with the R& D team.
[00:14:47] Okay. Then I work with our marketing team because you're doing all this great R& D work, but you have to be able to communicate it. And so there's a lot of education with the sales team, with our Millican team, period, on what [00:15:00] sustainability is, what it means for our products, what it means to the bigger Millican, because we're just one division.
[00:15:06] We also have chemical, textile, and healthcare, and also what. Sustainability means to our customers. So that marketing piece is really important as well. We have to be able to communicate the story globally to our customers.
[00:15:21] Gayathri: Yeah. Do you think that the communication needs to be. Tailored for customers to educate customers or do you think
[00:15:31] Sarah: customers are already there?
[00:15:33] Like, no, absolutely. It's tailored and it certainly makes a difference on what region they're in. Sustainability means something different to each person based upon their experience and where they live. Right, right. So while like. Maybe a customer in China will ask me about water where in Ohio or, you know, in the Midwest, we have tons of water, so it's not necessarily something that they would consider when it comes to building materials because everyone's [00:16:00] perspective is really different.
[00:16:01] And what they value is different. So it's hard to have like a one fits all product to meet everybody. So you have to like, Tweak and tailor your story based upon who you're talking to and also it's really important to meet people where they are. So usually, you know, if I'm meeting with the customer or someone has questions, you know, it's easy to initiate and kind of hey, I kick off with what is sustainability to you and I can tell you more about our product, but what do you value?
[00:16:29] What is it that you're looking for? So that storytelling, Communicating is a really big piece as far as communicating any product or any service to a customer.
[00:16:41] Gayathri: A lot of the work that I do at Livable is the translation of what can seem like a really complex, but also extensive and comprehensive. concept to something that is approachable.
[00:16:56] This doesn't mean dumbing it down. This doesn't mean [00:17:00] simplifying it and removing all the important bits. It means making it accessible. So what are you seeing in terms of kind of explaining? about sustainability, the importance of sustainability as part of your training to other departments. Is that something that you have a standardized kind of approach for, or is it, again, it varies based on
[00:17:21] Sarah: region to region?
[00:17:22] It definitely varies. It's funny because I'm actually working on a sustainability foundational training module that'll go across like All of our regions. Okay. When I first started in this role, I actually started a Sustainability Ambassador Program. Okay. And so, this group of people is 80, it's global, cross functional, and I started with the foundation of like, what our sustainability certifications are.
[00:17:51] That way they can kind of understand like, the product, and what sustainability is, and like, what Cradle to Cradle is, what the declare [00:18:00] labels are, what does Red List Free mean. And so we started with those types of trainings. I've had industry experts come in to talk to the team about sustainability. And it's interesting because each region, their questions are always different.
[00:18:15] The things that they pick up are always, you know, vary. I definitely have some folks in operations that are part of the ambassador program, some in finance. And so they always ask something. Different, but training has to be constant. You know, it's one thing to know about the product sustainability, but also understanding like how our products fit into the industry.
[00:18:39] You know, the fact that buildings contribute to 40 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions. So when you kind of broaden it for them to understand why flooring is so important. I should mention flooring covers entire square footage of a building. You know, the importance of the health aspects of it, the importance of the [00:19:00] environmental stewardship.
[00:19:01] It really starts to give them the big picture of why sustainability is so important at Millikan. Mm hmm.
[00:19:07] Gayathri: Can we come back to the frequency of training? And just to contextualize, when I started out in my career, You know, the cool thing was to go to computer science and those are the cool
[00:19:17] Sarah: hip people,
[00:19:19] Gayathri: always jealous of them.
[00:19:20] I was in electrical engineering and working with gigantic machines and they were having afternoons off. Anyway, I'm not bitter about it at all. Um, but, uh, one of the things that were kind of drilled down to us is that if you take on computer science or it or whatever. You know, related to tech in a way, you have to continue to update yourself and learn yourself.
[00:19:45] The coding software changes so regularly. What I'm hearing you say is that this is applicable to any field that we are in, which is my personal experience as well. But specifically for sustainability, things are moving a lot faster than [00:20:00] we probably
[00:20:01] Sarah: plan for. Absolutely. So we typically do about Five to six, like in person webinar trainings a year in person, virtual, I'll say virtual.
[00:20:16] So like a webinar in life, along with that, they also get access to LinkedIn learning where I've pulled together like a curriculum for them too. So they have both. And then this new module, everyone will have access to. So I wanted to touch, you know, from leadership down to our plan. workers, because our plant workers are like the heartbeat.
[00:20:38] That's any manufacturer. The plant workers are the heartbeat of the organization. They're the ones that make it happen. So they also have to understand that their job is a sustainability job too, and what they do is really important. When they have recommendations and when they see that there can be environmental savings or something that could be changed, like, we [00:21:00] want to encourage that as well.
[00:21:01] So six
[00:21:02] Gayathri: trainings, five to six trainings plus LinkedIn sounds like a really juicy kind of educational experience. And I love what you said about kind of crowdsourcing and making sure, you know, each department is looking at things, but they'll also have different ideas. It just sounds like so many different tangents and so many things changing so frequently.
[00:21:25] How do you keep up? Do you have like a yearly kind of Edit or a change of plan, or is it on a quarterly basis that you look at the strategy?
[00:21:33] Sarah: So for each session, I always send out a survey. So I get their feedback, like, okay, was this valuable information? Is it too detailed? Was it too light? Was it too long?
[00:21:42] Was it too short? And so this is my ending the second year of doing the ambassador program. So one thing I've learned, 30 minutes is good for them. Like the hour was too much and it was too much information. And so we kind of cut it down a little bit more direct for like [00:22:00] those tier one people. There's other ambassadors that are more sustainability experts and they want more of the detailed learning, and so now we're kind of grouping people off based upon where they are in their sustainability journey and what information that they're looking to learn.
[00:22:17] You
[00:22:17] Gayathri: mentioned the labels, declare labels specifically, and there are other certifications out in the market. Do you think that that language of certifications? Is shared across different regions?
[00:22:32] Sarah: It is, I will say, yes. I feel like certifications are certainly more global than they were three years ago. I mean, I think there's over 800 sustainability certifications globally.
[00:22:46] 800? Yeah, in the U. S. So there still needs to be constant training on what certifications are and the different organizations and those governing bodies and what they do, [00:23:00] because it does, it can get confusing. If you don't live in it and eat, breathe it every day, it's a lot of information to consume.
[00:23:08] Gayathri: Okay.
[00:23:09] I did not know that number. Did you say 600?
[00:23:12] Sarah: I think it's over 800. 800.
[00:23:14] Gayathri: Okay. Wow. Okay. I wanted to ask you, like you said, there is a lot of things to keep up with. There's a lot of media attention. Currently, my LinkedIn feed is filled with COP28.
[00:23:25] Sarah: Oh yes, mine too.
[00:23:28] Gayathri: So, you know, everybody's experience and what everybody's intersecting is different, but there are some clear Things that are commonly held beliefs, right?
[00:23:38] What is a commonly held belief that you disagree with?
[00:23:42] Sarah: You know, I read a lot. I read the news and such. And I always love reading about, like, successful people and what makes them successful and such. And you know, when you read those articles, they typically, the story goes like this. They wake up super early.
[00:23:58] They get about [00:24:00] four to six hours of sleep. They work out. Um I recently read an article about the Salesforce CEO, Mark Benoff, and he gets on average eight hours of sleep and meditates for an hour daily. And I'm a huge proponent of rest and self care. I have young ones and I get my eight hours of sleep.
[00:24:24] If I got to go to bed at seven, when they go to bed, I really truly believe in rest and self care. And it is when I get that rest. And when I take care of myself, that I am able to be more creative. I am able to be more sharp when I see things that I don't typically see on the day to day. When I take a pause and take a breather and really think about the work that I'm doing, whether that's professionally or personally.
[00:24:51] With that said, people have to take a break. They have to take care of themselves. That self care is really, really important. I believe in sabbaticals. I think they're [00:25:00] amazing. My friends work in non profit. Arenas like a sabbatical is just necessary for human health. So I disagree with the hustle and bustle of constant go, go, go and working 70, 80 hours a week.
[00:25:14] It is not
[00:25:15] Gayathri: sustainable. I agree with you. I'm silent because I'm like, what words do I use to convey how much I agree with you? Can we talk a little bit about the hustle culture and while growing up? And this is again, You know, we're not that young about 15, 20 years ago. The hustle culture was something that was kind of a must do.
[00:25:37] Four hours of sleep is what you need to be successful in life. You need to wake up. You need to drag yourself to the gym, do some kind of workout. You know, still be very well dressed, make it to office, come back and somehow manage to cook all your food and take care of your family, right? This is what was, it was just like, this was the baseline.
[00:25:57] It was not even like, you're going above and [00:26:00] beyond. Thankfully that has changed, right, over the past few years I'm loving people openly talking about getting eight hours of sleep, openly talking about trying to get eight hours of sleep and prioritizing that. It's become a lot less taboo to talk about self care.
[00:26:16] Self care is not seen as a frivolous thing. But one of the things that Still, I feel finds its way into our language, into the way we work is the importance of being busy and what that looks like. What is your perspective on busyness, you know, separating itself from hustle
[00:26:36] Sarah: culture? You know, it's so funny you bring this up now.
[00:26:40] You had asked me about books that I've read this year. And one of, like, my book of the year is Rest Is Resistance. Oh my gosh, I love that book. It is my book of the year. And I will tell you, I too am guilty of previously being the hustle and bustle. And I still will do the hustle and bustle to get something [00:27:00] completed.
[00:27:00] But then you have to pause. You cannot do the continuous hustle and bustle. And that's where I was saying, you know, it's just not sustainable. So to answer your question, there's a time for the hustle and bustle. And there's a time to go sit down somewhere. It's, it's
[00:27:15] Gayathri: seasons. There is seasons to this. After my self imposed sabbatical last year, I feel like a new person.
[00:27:24] And like, I feel like a renewed person. But of course that is a sabbatical and then hustle, sabbatical and hustle. Those are seasons. What can we do on a daily basis, you think, that is accessible? Because. I'm a night owl, like waking up at 5 a. m. is not going to cut it for me. It's
[00:27:42] Sarah: just not happening. And it's not for everybody.
[00:27:44] Yeah, everybody's schedule and routine is just different. But what I do find myself doing, especially, you know, since I primarily work from home, is getting up from my desk, going for a walk, even just standing instead of sitting all day. [00:28:00] I'll take, you know, even a 10 minute breather to like, just call a friend real quick and catch up just to have that balance, especially, you know, since the pandemic and everybody being closed in, in their homes for so long, but just taking the time to just take a break.
[00:28:18] I always balance, you know, reading something with watching something with I'm into a podcast, just making sure that you're aware of how you feel. Emotionally, and to be aware of your mental health and what's needed. So it's more
[00:28:35] Gayathri: about, again, understanding what you need and checking in with yourself. The microbreak today might be calling your friend and the microbreak tomorrow might be going for a walk and the day after might be just taking a nap.
[00:28:48] And All of them are valid and all of them are important.
[00:28:52] Sarah: Yes. Everybody has their things. Yeah, yeah. And it's just important to find yours.
[00:28:58] Gayathri: Yeah. One of the things that [00:29:00] I loved in the middle of, it came out like in the middle of the pandemic, is the idea of a self care menu for high energy, medium energy, and low energy days.
[00:29:08] And what you're saying is basically have that on hand, check in with yourself, see what item of the menu you need, and just Go ahead and do it. I love that. I love that approach. So can we talk a little bit about your career, Sarah? You were in sustainability before it was cool to be in sustainability.
[00:29:29] Sarah: I was in sustainability when people would say, what is that?
[00:29:32] My mother would try to explain it. She was in sustainability and people would say, what is that? I'm so happy that sustainability has grown to what it is, and we have so much more to do. But my mother, when I was in elementary school, built our condo, and it was a time where I Went on a lot of job sites and got to meet with the architect [00:30:00] and one of the things that my mom and my aunt and myself would do like on the weekends was just go to model homes and saw at a very young age like a passion for just like spaces.
[00:30:12] emerged and what sconces were and I, you know, it was just always exciting to see buildings being built for me. So I was planning to be an architect from the time I was eight until literally like my junior year of high school. I had shadowed architects, uh, and so there was a pivot point in my life. My junior year of high school during the summer, I actually volunteered for a camp called Fresh Air Camp.
[00:30:43] And it's through Cleveland Clinic and it was children, this was like their one time to get outdoors in the year. Some were wheelchair bound, upper respiratory issues, some had trachs. Literally, they had a full staff of like [00:31:00] doctors and nurses on site. This was their one week to be out at camp.
[00:31:06] Gayathri: So by fresh air, you mean literally
[00:31:08] Sarah: fresh air outside?
[00:31:10] Literally fresh air outside. Okay. Yes. And so as I was watching and I spent time with these, you know, these kids, and I'm a kid myself, but these kids and I'm like, there has got to be something as far like a connection with the built environment and our health. And, you know, I've shadowed architects and no one's really talking about this.
[00:31:31] And so, I'm starting, you know, looking at colleges, and I'm also seeing that architects are not getting jobs. And I'm like, I can't go into a field and not get a job. I love that data,
[00:31:41] Gayathri: data informed decision.
[00:31:44] Sarah: Yes. And so I pivoted, like, out of nowhere, and decided to study biomedical engineering instead, with the goal of always finding that intersection with buildings.
[00:31:57] Because my passion was always buildings and spaces. [00:32:00] Went to Syracuse University, got my undergraduate, graduated during the recession, so there was no jobs. Yep, yep, recession. We were having the same
[00:32:12] Gayathri: lives in different parts
[00:32:13] Sarah: of the world, yes. You know the story. And so, I ended up moving down to D. C. to go to grad school and went to George Washington University and studied engineering management.
[00:32:25] And so, I'm starting to research. I'm like, okay, you know, there's an environmental piece to my program, and I start looking, and I'm like, I'm researching, and I come across the U. S. Grain Building Council, and of course, I just so happen to live in Washington, D. C., and although I don't share this story very often.
[00:32:44] I ended up, at the time, USGBC would allow you to take tours of headquarters. Oh, headquarters. Nice.
[00:32:52] Gayathri: Yes. But they had their new headquarters around that time, right? They had their new
[00:32:56] Sarah: headquarters. And so I was like, oh my god, like, [00:33:00] I want to get involved. I want to volunteer. And I'm still in grad school. And so I go to tour.
[00:33:07] And who do I run into? Mind you, this is like over a decade. You know who I run into. I run into Kimberly Lewis. I run into Kimberly Lewis, she's the only person I see in the office that looks like me. And so, I'm like, how am I going to like, get this lady's, this woman's attention? Just so happens, and I'm like discouraged, because I end up leaving, the tour is over.
[00:33:30] She ends up walking out at the same time I am to go to lunch. When I say how the universe works, and so I'm like, yes, I finally have the opportunity to speak to her. And so I introduced myself, get her information, and the rest is history. And so I started volunteering with U. S. Green Building Council. That was the first board position I got on was the National Capital Region.
[00:33:56] I did their Green Schools Challenge with the Anacostia [00:34:00] High School over in Southeast D. C. What was the Green Schools Challenge? So Green Schools Challenge, it was a challenge for, they did it for elementary, middle, and high school students. And what it was, was a three week sprint with DCPS, D. C. public school system.
[00:34:17] A three week sprint with the kids to lower their energy use at the schools. So we would come in, we would do like a auditorium, get in there and talk to the kids about energy use. We would do projects with them, whether it was a poster marketing campaign. And I will never forget one of the kids. They literally did like light bulbs on their poster and their slogan was, how would you feel if someone turned you on and left?
[00:34:50] I literally wanted to clutch my pearls, fall through the floor. Gen Z was Gen Z ing. Oh my goodness, back then, back then they were like that. So. [00:35:00] Anacostia came in first for high schools as far as like reducing their energy usage during those three weeks. We had to work with the facility manager, like it was a really amazing program.
[00:35:12] Rachel from you, who is now at WELL, actually like started that program. Oh, okay. So it was a really great session and that's How I started to get into it. And then I ended up getting a role at the DC sustainable energy utility. Um, not long after
[00:35:26] Gayathri: that. Okay. So you went from kind of biomedical, you're still, I would think, thinking in a very engineer like way and moved like.
[00:35:38] To a completely different side of engineering.
[00:35:41] Sarah: Yes. Yes, I did. But in my 20s, I wanted to touch everything and learn as much about sustainability as possible. And that's the perfect time to do it. It's much easier to figure out what you don't like than what you do like. So in your 20s, that's the time to do it.
[00:35:56] Get the experience, see what you like, figure out what you don't like. And [00:36:00] that really helps to craft your career. In the future and where you want to land up and where you want to be, and it really helps you to envision what it is that you want to do. And take risks, right? The risks aren't that big. Yes.
[00:36:17] And
[00:36:17] Gayathri: so what did you learn from that job? What did you take away from that
[00:36:21] Sarah: job? Oh my goodness, I learned so much about that job. Energy efficiency. I learned a lot about products and partnerships with Home Depot, learning more about how, like, rebates work. DCSU is still around and a really great organization.
[00:36:34] And it's cool because what they do is, like, there's a small tax on everybody's utility bill that then feeds into this whole program. And so it allowed for, like, CFLs when they came out, for them to purchase down the price so that it was affordable for DC residents. And we would give out free light bulbs, we would do weatherization, solar roofs, it's a great program.
[00:36:59] Yeah,
[00:36:59] Gayathri: and [00:37:00] that's very forward thinking. Yes. In that time,
[00:37:03] Sarah: this was in 2016. Yes, almost 10 years ago. Yes.
[00:37:07] Gayathri: And how did you get into manufacturing from from
[00:37:10] Sarah: that? So from there, I realized, Oh, I really want to like, I really want that project management experience. I still love construction. I love being on building sites and decided to go work for a general contractor, got to work for an affordable housing developer first, and then got a job at a general contractor because I wanted to build lead buildings.
[00:37:30] I understood the Lead standard, but it really doesn't hit you until you're actually like implementing it and see the paperwork and understand how it's built. And so I decided I was like, I want to go work for a general contractor and loved it. I got to build schools in DC. River Terrace was one of my projects, which is a special needs school.
[00:37:52] And then I got to work on Duke Ellington. Project as well over in Georgetown. So like very, just impactful work, building schools. [00:38:00] It's nothing like building a school and then seeing kids run through it afterwards. Like there's just a feeling of like, this is yes, the
[00:38:09] Gayathri: tangible feeling of.
[00:38:11] Sarah: the result of your work.
[00:38:13] Wow. Yes. So fell in love, got married, realized I wanted to have some kids, you know, that part of the story. And that brought me back to Cleveland. And so I was like, manufacturing, that's interesting. Like I'm looking at building materials and Tarket was right down the street from me. And so, Got to spend some time with Tarkat.
[00:38:37] Okay. And I've been with Milliken and in the product manufacturing space now for almost six years. Wow.
[00:38:43] Gayathri: Okay. Yeah. That is, I love how you've kind of explored all facets of sustainability in the built environment and kind of had your hands in all those pies and took so many risks. That's so great. [00:39:00] If you could tell something to your, yeah, you know, 22 year old Sarah, your younger self, you could give some advice to her.
[00:39:08] What would you tell her?
[00:39:10] Sarah: Yeah, that was the hustle and bustle, Sarah.
[00:39:14] Gayathri: Yeah, we were just like living with what the media told
[00:39:18] Sarah: us to do. Yes, I would tell my younger self to relax when everything falls into place at the right time and to enjoy the journey. Okay. Enjoy the journey.
[00:39:32] Gayathri: Relax and enjoy the journey.
[00:39:33] I love that. I think all of us need to hear that.
[00:39:37] Sarah: Even now, on a day to day basis,
[00:39:42] Gayathri: you know, looking into the future from kind of where we are right now, where do you think urgent action
[00:39:48] Sarah: is needed? We have to transition to a renewable energy and quick. We have to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. It's out of control.
[00:39:57] And we can't wait until 2050. Like [00:40:00] this is urgent. We need to do this now. You know, professionally, I get to work on that. But it's just as Important for us to personally do this type of work. And there are things that we can do. I have been on wind energy at my home for at least six years. I love getting my, so with my energy provider, we purchased renewable energy credits from a wind farm.
[00:40:22] Which I know exactly which farm it's coming from. They send me a really cute sustainability report, like monthly or quarterly, and it tells me how much greenhouse gas I'm saving. It's just like really great. So if you're in a state that can do that, I highly recommend doing that. That's one thing personally that you can do.
[00:40:40] I mentioned about Ohio and greenhouse gas emissions from lawn care. So, like, my husband and I, we own a home. We have a zero turn electric mower. We also have an electric push mower and an electric leaf blower. So we're certainly, like, transitioning in that way as well. Big [00:41:00] reuse person. Always have been.
[00:41:01] And that's, you know, how I've grown up. I have my clothes repaired all the time. I shave my sweaters to make them look like they're new. I put taps on my shoes so that the soles don't wear down as easy. We typically have a garden. We don't have enough time to discuss the complexities of HOAs, city ordinances.
[00:41:23] No, that's a whole different podcast. But that's a thing. But there's just so many small things that we can do in our life to make those impact. And also encouraging your community to do the same. Your friends, your family, encourage them to do the same, to make those same choices.
[00:41:43] Gayathri: I recently read an article, um, that said that what impacts people and what Drives them to make sustainable choices.
[00:41:52] Not all the data that you see, it's seeing your friends and family do it. So the likelihood of a neighborhood having solar [00:42:00] panels installed becomes much higher if there is one house that has already done it. So I love what you said about kind of, you know, the lawn care and things like that, but also about fashion.
[00:42:11] Because, Fashion is such a big contributor to climate change as a whole. Yes, it is. And just, you know, this is something that we have under our control. And I loved what you said about, you know, right from your shoes to your clothes. And once you find a piece that you really like, you do want to wear it forever.
[00:42:28] So. It makes sense either ways as well. Do you think that it adds on a lot more work to what you do?
[00:42:37] Sarah: Yes. I won't lie. Yes. Okay. But I think it's necessary. Okay. And I also think it's important for my kids to see that. Right. Right. We don't just toss away clothes just because, you know, it has a frill here or there's something that could be patched, you know.
[00:42:55] I'm actually, my daughter is six and we've been, I've started teaching her how to sew. [00:43:00] So that's been, that's been exciting and fun too. Oh my gosh. Is
[00:43:06] Gayathri: there anything that you're working on that you want to share? Sarah, I know you're doing a A bunch of really cool things, but what are you working on that kind of is on your mind and you think you want to want other people
[00:43:20] Sarah: to know?
[00:43:21] So I joined Trust for Public Lands Ohio Advisory Board this year. I mentioned earlier like for human well being and access to outdoors. It's a fundamental human need. Communities are stronger and healthier and more connected when everyone is able to get outside and engage with nature. Access to nature and the outdoors is really a powerful public health strategy.
[00:43:46] It should be available to all people. So, TPL is leading a nationwide movement to close the outdoor equity gap by creating parks in the communities that need them the most. And actually, since 1972, they have [00:44:00] connected millions of people to the outdoors. TPL Ohio is doing some really amazing projects, one particular that I'm excited to check out next week is Caldonia Elementary School in East Cleveland.
[00:44:12] It is Ohio's first community schoolyard, so to learn more, search, I'm trying to stop using Google as a verb. Gotta stop telling people to Google something. Convenient. GPT it. Right? Any of those. Search for Trust for Public Land Ohio. They have really excellent resources. And there's a button on the top right to donate.
[00:44:35] I know Giving Tuesday has just passed, but it's a really great organization impacting our communities locally and nationally. Okay. I will
[00:44:43] Gayathri: absolutely link that. And that sounds like such an important thing to have, considering The inequities that exist, it just doesn't match up with what we know about the actual impact of having outdoor spaces and access to nature on both the planet and [00:45:00] people.
[00:45:00] Can I ask you what a community schoolyard is?
[00:45:04] Sarah: Yes. So what they've done is that they have invested money for like pretty much a playground. Okay. It's amazing how like inner city schools and inner city's children don't have playgrounds like within walking distance. Okay.
[00:45:19] Gayathri: I'm not familiar with the American education system.
[00:45:21] What do you mean by intercity schools?
[00:45:24] Sarah: So schools in a metropolitan area. Okay. Okay. So you're Cleveland, you're Chicago. Got it. But a lot of them, their playgrounds just are. Not in good use or they don't have one at all. So what trust serious. I'm very serious. Okay. Yes So a trust for public land one of their projects is putting in a playground at the school.
[00:45:47] It's awesome pictures Yeah, because I'm excited to go see it like that.
[00:45:51] Gayathri: Yeah, please do and that sounds Yeah. That's an important thing to do to people who are not working or studying at that school. [00:46:00] Can they access it after school hours? So it benefits the community as well, not just the
[00:46:05] Sarah: students.
[00:46:07] Gayathri: That is really important initiative.
[00:46:09] You said trust for public land. Yes. Okay.
[00:46:12] Sarah: I will absolutely
[00:46:14] Gayathri: link it. Sarah,
[00:46:16] Sarah: what is giving you hope right now? You know, I am at a place in my life and career where I want to enable the dreams of others. And I really find that exciting. The movement continues to grow, sustainability as an industry continues to grow.
[00:46:35] There's so many more people, so many more jobs, people with different backgrounds, globally, different walks of life, went to school for different practices. And it's just really exciting to be a part of it, and also to be able, like I mentioned, to help others, and to enable the dreams of others.
[00:46:57] Gayathri: And it's not only necessary [00:47:00] for, I think, the younger generation to advocate and activate the support that the older generations can give them is more important as well.
[00:47:12] Sarah: Absolutely.
[00:47:13] Gayathri: love that. Where can folks find you, Sarah?
[00:47:16] Sarah: I'm on LinkedIn. Please contact
[00:47:19] Gayathri: me on LinkedIn. Okay, great. Um, well I will link your LinkedIn details and thank you so much for coming on, Sarah. This was a great conversation. We covered such a huge spectrum of topics right from well being to sustainability and to what we can do on a day to day basis.
[00:47:40] So I really appreciate you coming on and sharing your wisdom.
[00:47:44] Sarah: Thank you. The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for having me.
[00:47:48] Gayathri: And that's a wrap on the first season of the Changing Tomorrow podcast. We've actually already started work on season two and there are some cool updates in store that I cannot [00:48:00] wait to share with you.
[00:48:01] We'll of course continue to explore innovative and groundbreaking ideas and meet. Amazing people who are driving change within their worlds and their industries and their spheres of influence. If this podcast has sparked new ideas and inspired you, I would be so grateful and thrilled if you could share it with people who are passionate about these topics or who want to learn more.
[00:48:27] Your shares and reviews, they not only help spread the word, but they also help me bring more incredible voices. to this podcast and this platform. And if you wanted to stay in touch, you can connect with me, Gayathri Unnikrishnan on LinkedIn, or follow at HeyLiveable on LinkedIn and Instagram. And finally, a heartfelt thank you from me, from all of us in the Changing Tomorrow Team for being the [00:49:00] best audience ever.
[00:49:01] Every single note and every single review means a lot to me. And thank you for taking the time to reach out. So until our next episode, take care. Here's to making a difference one day at a time. And remember, the future we want is built today.