Sustainably Speaking

Jeremy DeBenedictis is on a mission to change the future of recycling. Advanced recycling technologies, like those used at his company Alterra, have potential to fast-track recycling and keep more plastics in the circular economy. Alterra’s disruptive technology breaks down hard-to-recycle plastics and converts them back into materials that can be used to make new plastic. By doing this, Jeremy and his team are reducing the need for fossil resources to make new plastics and creating value for used plastics that might otherwise end up going to waste.In this episode, Jeremy also shares helpful anecdotes about inspiring change, becoming an environmental entrepreneur, and what it really takes to have an impact. He discusses the challenges and opportunities in increasing plastic recycling rates, the importance of education and access to recycling programs, and the environmental impact of advanced recycling. And he shares his inspiring vision for how individuals, companies, and governments can apply sustainable solutions.

Microplastics are defined as plastic particles smaller than five millimeters. They are challenging to detect and can have primary or secondary origins. Studying the life cycles of plastics is crucial for reducing microplastics and allows the industry to develop more durable products and design items that degrade under controlled conditions.The journey towards safeguarding from microplastics in our environment is a process that demands global collaboration. Our guest, Dr. Jeanne Hankett, Sustainability Lead, North American Biodegradation & Microplastics Center of Excellence at BASF, shares valuable insights from her extensive work in this field. Dr. Hankett also provides practical advice for consumers, encouraging proper recycling practices and awareness of compostable materials.Dr. Hankett also discusses how innovation requires collaboration between scientists, industry experts, and academia. Advanced analytical techniques and collaborations between stakeholders on a global scale are crucial for addressing the complexity of microplastic pollution.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, Ross Eisenberg, president of America's Plastic Makers® at the American Chemistry Council delves into his journey, sharing his experience advocating for circular and sustainable solutions and looking at priorities for this year and beyond. He also shines a light on the challenges of implementing federal and international policy on sustainability. Ross and Mia also go head-to-head on a game of sustainability trivia, sharing fun facts about the history of recycling, sustainability, and plastics.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn explores innovations in sustainable architecture with guests Heidi Kujawa and Jordan Goldman. Heidi, CEO of ByFusion, discusses their innovative approach to using plastic waste to create building materials, highlighting the need to reduce environmental impact. Jordan Goldman, Engineering Principal of Zero Energy Design, sheds light on the challenges and opportunities in designing high-performance, energy-efficient homes, emphasizing the value of long-term thinking.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn hands over the mic to Susan Jackson from BASF Corporation to talk with two prominent political pollsters who explored people’s perceptions around recycling. Jackson is joined by polling experts Cornell Belcher, president and founder of Brilliant Corners Research and Strategies and best known for his polling work for former President Barack Obama, and Brenda Gianiny, president and founder of Axis Research, who’s best known for the work she does with Senator Mitch McConnell. Belcher and Gianiny emphasize the importance of accurate polling for driving strategies, and they highlight the distinction between professional polling and media-driven polls. They also talk about their initial lack of knowledge about advanced recycling for plastic and how they now recognize its potential and find that voters and consumers share their enthusiasm.

On this episode of Sustainably Speaking, we’re discussing how the world of sports and entertainment can become more sustainable. We’re joined by Head of Sustainability for the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Team Sofi Armenakian who helped the Hawks’ State Farm Stadium become the first sports and live entertainment venue in the world to receive TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) platinum certification.

On the next episode of Sustainably Speaking, we’re revealing how the world of sports and entertainment can become more sustainable. We’re joined by Head of Sustainability for the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Team Sofi Armenakian who helped the Hawks’ State Farm Stadium become the first sports and live entertainment venue in the world to receive TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) platinum certification.

On this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn uncovers how innovations in plastic recycling are paving the way for more durable and sustainable roads. To learn more about the latest developments in asphalt technology, we’re joined by Bill Buttlar, the Glen Barton Chair in Flexible Pavement Technology at the University of Missouri.

Up Next: The Road to Sustainable Infrastructure with Bill Buttlar, Glen Barton Chair in Flexible Pavement Technology, University of Missouri Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Join host Mia Quinn as she sits down with guest co-host Stew Harris and Martin Koehring, Global Director of Impact at Forum for the Future, who will apply an economic lens to improving sustainability in our oceans.

Up Next: Sustainability Through an Economic Lens featuring Martin Koehring, Global Director of Impact at Forum for the Future; Former Head of World Ocean Initiative; and Senior Manager for Sustainability, Climate Change, and Natural Resources at Economist Impact.

In this episode, we’re joined by Stan Chen, CEO of Recycle GO, and Douglas Johnson-Poensgen, CEO of Circulor, to discover how Blockchain can help facilitate a more reliable and transparent circular economy through traceability.

Up Next: Blocking and Tackling: The Keys to Solving Traceability and Resiliency in Recycling featuring Stan Chen, CEO of RecycleGO and Doug Johnson-Poensgen, CEO of Circulor.

In this episode, Ocean Recovery Alliance Founder, Doug Woodring—one of the top 50 ‘Water Men of the World’ and International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee—shares how collaboration from all sides is needed to keep plastic out of the ocean. And how a global agreement could help shape a circular economy for plastics.

Up Next: Beneath the Surface: Solving Ocean Plastic featuring Doug Woodring, Director/Founder, Ocean Recovery Alliance.

When it comes to the apparel industry, sustainability isn’t so black and white. As Techstyler co-founder Brooke Roberts-Islam reveals in this episode, there are plenty of emerging trends in the fashion world that are turning heads and growing interest.

“For every t-shirt in your closet, there exists a t-shirt worth of scraps,” says Dr. Julie Willoughby of Circ. In this episode, Dr. Willoughby brilliantly explains how her company is working towards tackling the fashion industry’s sustainability challenge. It turns out advanced recycling is an emerging trend in the industry.

Up Next: a very special two-part series threading the needle on sustainability and circularity in Fashion.

Making sustainable change comes from discovering your purpose and passion. Hear from trailblazing women on how they found their north star working on plastics sustainability and are now helping shape a brighter future.

Connectivity is critical to driving equitable economic growth, yet 2.7 billion people still cannot access the internet. And many struggle with slow, costly and unreliable connections. Greater connectivity and innovative solutions for a resilient infrastructure can unlock opportunities in education, healthcare, business and other sectors. This episode features the tools – and the experts – helping foster healthy connections between people, greater equity across the globe and more efficient use of resources.On This Episode:Dr. Rennisha Wickham, Senior Marketing Manager, DowRennisha Wickham is a Senior Marketing Manager in Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business. She is also an inclusion and diversity champion, driving a culture of inclusion and empowering her internal and external partners to cultivate a diverse community of critical thinkers that can solve the world’s most challenging problems. Rennisha joined Dow in 2012 in R&D, where she made contributions to a number of technical projects including the development of functionalized polymers, non-extrusion-based process technologies, sustainable polyolefin solutions for resilient flooring, and elastomers for medium voltage insulation. Rennisha transitioned to Dow’s Technical Service and Development (TS&D) group in 2015, where she leveraged core R&D strengths to deliver high performing technologies for the transportation market and drove growth through distribution channel partners. Rennisha later transitioned to Customer Management in 2018, where she drove growth across transportation, consumer, flooring, artificial turf, and wire and cable markets. Rennisha has a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Virginia State University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from University of Maryland in 2012. She holds six patents and is the author of a number of internal and external publications.Kyle Fleming, Director of the Virgin Islands Energy Office and Water and Power Authority (WAPA) Board ChairmanIn 2016, Kyle Fleming returned to his home on St. Croix, USVI to fulfill his professional goal of transforming the energy sector within the USVI. Upon his return, he took on the role as Director of Operations of a regional residential, commercial, & utility-scale solar developer in the territory. Following Hurricane Irma and Maria, Mr. Fleming developed and deployed solar plus battery storage systems territory-wide which relieved the dependence on generators for many Virgin Islanders suffering through the extended black-outs. Mr. Fleming has continued to impact the Energy Profile of the territory as Director of Virgin Islands Energy Office. As Director, Mr. Fleming has focused policy and program development around the following core pillars: Sustainability, Resiliency, Work-Force Development, and Efficient Energy Resource Utilization. In 2021 Mr. Fleming was elected Chairman of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority’s governing board. During his tenure, he has focused on disrupting the traditional power plant mentality of the operation and shifting to an Energy as a Service strategy to better serve the evolving energy needs of the community as a whole.Mia Quinn, Senior Director, Public Affairs at American Chemistry Council  Mia Quinn leads efforts to communicate the plastics industry’s major sustainability initiatives. She works to bring together experts to share insights in key areas of sustainability, including public policy, product design, recycling and infrastructure.   She is passionate about collaboration, clear communication and engaging audiences to learn more about innovation and modern solutions for our communities and our country.  Mia has a degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis. She grew up in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado and is a lifelong Denver Broncos fan. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two sons.