2014 – Finalist
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July 14, 2023
“At the Innovation Barn east of Uptown Charlotte, zero waste is the motto. There’s a glass bottle pulverizer that turns bottles into sand for concrete and gardening. In another building, there’s a plastics lab that can recycle plastic food containers and other plastics that aren’t recycled in Mecklenburg County. Everything has a purpose at the Innovation Barn.”
June 30, 2023
“If you can keep stuff out of the landfill, you can turn it into innovations, which turns into jobs,” executive director Amy Aussieker said. “So when you tell city leaders you can take trash and make jobs, they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re in. Sign us up.'”
April 24, 2023
“If you want to understand sustainability or how you can make a difference, there is no other place you could go to other than here to learn about it and engage with other like-minded people,’ Innovation Barn, Envision Charlotte executive director Amy Aussieker tells me.”
March 29, 2023
“We are proud to work with Envision Charlotte and Bee Downtown to support biodiversity through this beehive project. We believe strongly in the importance of environmental education and the honey bee is one of nature’s best examples for how to live sustainably and produce zero waste,’ said Kathleen Price, sustainability risk executive at Ally.”
March 23, 2023
“Change Please deploys a “hand-up versus handout” recipe for disrupting the cycle of homelessness, which starts with employing unhoused individuals and giving on-the-job, expert barista training selling Change Please coffee for double the minimum wage.”
August 28, 2022
“For the past year, a nonprofit called Envision Charlotte has used the city-owned property as a kind of laboratory to experiment with an idea that’s taken hold in small ways around the world: a “circular economy,” which aims to recycle materials—including organic and industrial waste, plastics, and textiles—as thoroughly and often as possible.”
June 30, 2022
“Between creating a circular economy and energy monitoring and efficiency, Envision Charlotte has already helped the city of Charlotte and local companies save millions of dollars while also having a significant impact on carbon reduction.”
June 6, 2022
“The Innovation Barn processes waste that can’t be recycled (Styrofoam, food takeout containers) and makes products with them.”
June 6, 2022
“The Envision Charlotte Innovation Barn in East Charlotte is taking those unwanted signs and turning them into something useful.”
May 18, 2022
“Envision Charlotte is collecting [campaign] signs before they end up in Charlotte-Mecklenburg landfills.”
April 12, 2022
“Residents can volunteer individually or with a group to collect debris the week of Earth Day”
April 7, 2022
“We are so excited to partner with WEIMA to help us advance our circular economy goals!”
April 5, 2022
“Now that the shredder is installed, the stored containers are being shredded into reusable flakes much more efficiently.”
March 16, 2022
“County officials and recycling advocates are pushing for improvements, to solve not just our waste problem but also to fight climate change.”
February 25, 2022
“There was a vision, though. This was going to become a lab. It would be a place to dream up new ways to recycle. It would lay the foundation for a circular economy.”
September 19, 2021
“The idea behind the Innovation Barn is to create jobs while growing businesses that reuse waste materials.”
September 15, 2021
“Envision Charlotte has turned The Innovation Barn into a hub for Circular Charlotte, a joint project with the City of Charlotte to transition Charlotte to a circular economy.”
August 6, 2021
“It’s no secret: the Carolinas need help recycling. Only 9% of plastic material in the Queen City is properly recycled. That’s where the Innovation Barn comes in.”
June 25, 2021
“The facility is a partnership between the nonprofit and the city as part of the Circular Charlotte plan to produce zero waste. The 36,000-square-foot facility will house and showcase local businesses that produce zero waste.”
May 18, 2021
“Envision Charlotte is turning an old building from the 1940s into a place where regular people can go and recycle certain items, as well as experience recycling in brand new ways.”
April 22, 2021
“Those plastic containers are not recyclable in the traditional sense, so some local students teamed up with a Charlotte nonprofit and found a way to save the planet- and save money in the process.”
March 23, 2021
“Innovation Barn is the city’s first circular living lab, which aims to eliminate waste and continual use of resources. It’s part of a big initiative by the City of Charlotte to go zero waste.”
Feb 19, 2021
“Now is the perfect time for Envision Charlotte to participate in this program due to our strategy around Charlotte’s transition to the circular economy — plastics is one of the highest priorities”
Feb 16, 2021
“One interesting approach is called SmartC. It’s not just a new reusable bag (made from ethically sourced fibers), but an accompanying digital platform that transforms your reusable bag into a more precious object with a meaningful history.”
Feb 16, 2021
“It is exciting to see the potential of our efforts to reimagine the single-use bag in action as we unveil these innovative solutions”
July 15, 2020
“This is one of those things that you can have a direct impact on keeping things out of the landfill, understanding what can be recycled and can’t be recycled, and putting them into cool programs like this.”
July 14, 2020
“While the [nonprofit] can’t fix your Netflix addiction, it’s seeking to turn your love of Charlotte’s culinary scene into PPE for Charlotteans on the front lines of the coronavirus fight in hospitals and companies around the Queen City.”
June 3, 2020
“To help divert some of the plastic going to landfills, Envision Charlotte is collecting plastic food containers to melt down and reuse as PPE.”
May 28, 2020
“Envision Charlotte has been working on cutting down waste, and helping get personal protective equipment (PPE) to medical workers.”
May 27, 2020
“he country can’t seem to get enough PPE, or Personal Protective Equipment. In Charlotte, a new nonprofit group is throwing their ingenuity into face shield frames before they even get their building finished.”
April 28, 2020
“Today’s Wilson’s World homeschool lesson takes us out into the kitchen where we are learning how to compost.”
April 14, 2020
“Today on Wilson’s World Homeschool, learn fun things to do with kids that also help the environment and a few things to help you with your child’s homework.”
April 2, 2020
“Everyone is home….maybe you’re ordering more takeout than normal and that means more trash. Amy Aussieker…joined us via Zoom to talk about what we can do to reduce the waste in our homes.”
March 6, 2020
“Envision Charlotte partnered with Coca Cola Consolidated to launch “Project Litter Gitter” to help clean Charlotte waterways.”
February 28, 2020
“The hope is to not just collect the trash, but prevent it from getting there in the first place.”
February 26, 2020
“The program will create local green jobs while protecting the environment.”
September 28, 2019
“Envision Charlotte and the City of Charlotte have partnered with Sealed Air, Coca-Cola Consolidated and the Charlotte Area Transit System for Send Me on My Way, a campaign to educate residents and increase recycling rates.”
July 15, 2019
“Working in the sustainable space since 2010, its overarching goal is to bring stakeholders together to address the four environmental pillars of energy, air, water and waste.”
June 5, 2019
“Charlotte is vying to become the first city in the US to implement a new circular economy model that has been designed to turn waste into an US$111-million business opportunity.”
May 22, 2019
“Charlotte has made a bold commitment: be the first US city to adopt a circular economy striving towards zero waste and inclusivity. We will strive to use our resources that are now destined for the landfill as the basis for future innovation and job creation.”
May 2, 2019
“UNC Charlotte seniors demonstrated their architecture project, Sweet Little Brewhouse, turning a discarded building on the Innovation Barn site into a coffee shop. It serves as an example of what Envision Charlotte and the city hope to accomplish at the Innovation Barn.”
April 23, 2019
“Production of black soldier flies for use in feed production is one step in Charlotte’s city-wide plan to address waste and develop a circular economy.”
March 29, 2019
“There’s opportunities and resources for jobs and economic mobility all within our trash, which is kind of crazy.”
March 29, 2019
“Everything is going to be experiential. You’ll be able to walk into any part of the building to watch the soldier flies to see how the composing is going. It’s designed to be open to the public.”
November 1, 2018
“We see this as more than an environmental program,” says Victoria Johnson, director of Solid Waste Services for the City of Charlotte. “We believe this has the ability to brand the City of Charlotte as a place for innovation. We also see it as an opportunity to advance economic opportunity, entrepreneurship and generate revenue. These are all priorities for the project.”
October 30, 2018
“Envision Charlotte Executive Director Amy Aussieker added: “This initiative aligns perfectly with Envision Charlotte’s mission to create a more sustainable and efficient community… We are excited to create an Innovation Center where we can advance Circular Charlotte via communicating, impacting and empowering.”
October 26, 2018
“The innovation lab will be ‘ground zero for our circular economy,’ Envision Charlotte Executive Director Amy Aussieker told Waste Dive. “Entrepreneurs will be given space and materials and guidance to start their business and help it grow.”
October 22, 2018
“The city of Charlotte, N.C., announced its plan to launch Circular Charlotte, a new, regenerative economic model designed to produce zero waste and to generate hundreds of jobs and significant revenue.”
October 21, 2018
“The Circular Charlotte initiatives will help Charlotte address key issues impacting the entire city – economic and social mobility,” City Manager Marcus Jones said. “We fully expect Circular Charlotte, along with the work we do, to help us become the epicenter for people and cities to learn how to experiment, create and innovate.”
October 18, 2018
“City Manager Marcus Jones said the idea for the initiative came after a company called Metabolic did a study finding the city only diverts 11 percent of waste from landfills.”
October 18, 2018
“These are the kind of things a city that wants to be on the cutting edge needs to be working on,” [Council member Larken] Egleston said. “In terms of the environment and sustainability, we want places where people can have an idea and plant that seed and let it grow.”
February, 2018
Envision Charlotte is excited to host social entrepreneur, industrial ecologist and Metabolic CEO and founder, Eva Gladek, as she discusses a new paradigm for equitable sustainability, the circular economy. How can trash make money and create jobs? How can Charlotte design a new and equitable economic model that addresses citizens needs and creates mobility opportunities, all while creating a more sustainable environment? Drawing on her experience consulting with communities, utilities, industry and local governments around the world, Eva will discuss ways to waste less while creating new jobs and revenue streams, and empower more equitable urban transformation in Charlotte and around the world.
Click Read More to view the presentation from the event.
February, 2018
Click Read More to view the presentation from the event.
September, 2017
Following up on the first successful ECO Network Speaker Series event, Envision Charlotte hosted a panel discussion on air quality and climate action at the local level. A cross-sector panel of local and international experts discussed air quality and its effects on our community. The event, “Something in the Air: Improving Air Quality Through Community Partnerships”, integrated individual behavior change and engagement components alongside educational information and networking opportunities.
Click Read More to view the presentation from the event.
June, 2017
Envision Charlotte joins other American communities, corporations, institutions, local governments, non-profit organizations and philanthropies in affirming our resolve to move forward in building a sustainable future for generations to come.
May, 2017
Envision Charlotte’s Eco-Network Speakers Series Launches with “Global Engagement and Circular Economy” Lecture from Dutch Ambassador.
At a community-wide event in April, part of Envision Charlotte’s newly launched Eco-Network Speakers Series, His Excellency Henne Schuwer, Dutch Ambassador to the United States, discussed the circular economy as a lens through which to view fresh approaches to addressing pressing ecological and economic challenges.
Sep, 2016
North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the country. However, its success could be threatened by problems with its water supply.
Time Warner Cable News anchor Rob Boisvert takes a look at the issue in a five-part special series called Carolina’s Troubled Waters.
Apr, 2016
At Placemeter, we talk a lot about “smart cities”. Often, big projects in big cities come to mind.
Paris is redesigning plazas for pedestrians. Dubai is putting LED-powered internet in its street lights. Amsterdam, a pioneer in the field, is developing an all-encompassing master plan called Structural Vision Amsterdam 2040. Yokohama, Japan’s Smart City Project, is forecasting energy usage. And New York City, our hometown, is consistently at the leading edge with exciting projects like Link NYC and Vision Zero.
Jan, 2016
Charlotte, NC – The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has tapped Envision Charlotte as the model for a national smart cities initiative named Envision America that will launch in the Queen City in January, 2016.
Jan, 2016
TWC News anchor Rob Boisvert talks with Envision Charlotte director Amy Aussieker about the innovative ideas about smart cities and sustainability being presented at the Envision America workshop.
Jan, 2016
This week, Charlotte will host a three-day workshop for Envision America, an effort that will bring municipal leaders, smart technology experts and private sector allies from 10 major U.S. cities together. The goal? To kick start smart city initiatives across the country. And they’re coming here to Charlotte to learn from us.
Sep, 2015
The Obama administration has chosen Envision Charlotte as the model for the Envision America energy efficiently program,according to The Charlotte Observer. The city will host a boot camp on January 10 for selected cities.
Sep, 2015
Envision Charlotte is going national, with an assist from the White House.
The energy-efficiency program started here in 2011 with alliances among major companies and property owners uptown. Now the program is going to become a national model.
Sep, 2015
The energy-efficiency initiative Envision Charlotte will be emulated on a national scale, the White House said Monday.
Charlotte will host a boot camp in January for 10 other communities picked to take part in Envision America, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said.
Sep, 2015
Welcome to the TerraGo Podcast Series. TerraGo recently released a new research paper titled, “Breakthrough Tech: Smartphone Apps Poised to Take Market Share from GPS Surveying Handsets.”
Jul, 2015
There’s been much discussion lately about the potential of “smart cities” and connecting data to help make communities more efficient, productive, sustainable and secure. But actual examples of smart city projects with documented results are sometimes difficult to find, at least in the U.S. For many cities, it’s a matter of cost.
May, 2015
After Jim Rogers moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2006 to become CEO of Duke Energy, it didn’t take long for him to see the importance of energy to the region.
Feb, 2015
Sustainability is something we hear a lot about and many of us try to make little changes to our daily habits, conserving resources and using energy in smart ways. And it turns out, cities are doing the same thing.
Oct, 2014
City of Charlotte Mayor Dan Clodfelter today proclaimed Charlotte as a “Smart City,” naming Envision Charlotte as a leading example data and technology program.
Aug, 2014
For the first time, more than half of the world’s population lives in towns and cities, demonstrating a trend of ever-expanding urban centers. As city populations grow, the demand for city services increases, particularly straining energy and water.
Jul, 2014
Why would the ability of machines talking to machines benefit cities? Well if the machines are talking about how to better use resources such as electricity and water, then it’s a conversation that city administrators want to hear.
Jun, 2014
While Charlotte, N.C., is perhaps best known as a financial center, with big institutions like Bank of America and Wells Fargo dominating the skyline, the area is also a major energy hub.
Nov, 2011
To maximize their effectiveness, color cases should be printed in color.Charlotte, North Carolina, was one of the leading economic centers in the south with a strong position as a headquarter city.
Sep, 2010
NEW YORK – Duke Energy, Cisco and Charlotte Center City Partners today announced the creation of Envision: Charlotte, a first-of-its-kind public-private collaboration to make commercial buildings in Charlotte’s urban core more energy efficient.
Erin works to drive positive change across industries by leading WWF’s packaging and material science program. Key to conservation is the overall protection of the planet’s natural resources, and packaging plays a vital role in that. Erin works with companies to strategically address their packaging work streams by focusing on developing transparency in the supply chain for the major packaging materials and pursuing strategies that reduce the environmental impact of these materials through responsible sourcing. Prior to joining WWF, Erin worked at Hewlett Packard for 10 years as a packaging engineer responsible for the design and implementation of laser jet printer and media packaging. Her expertise is in material science, design innovation, procurement, manufacturing, logistical and point of purchase aspects of packaging.
After an 18 month round-the-world trip, Daniel was reinvigorated and inspired by the many circular economies and sustainable initiatives underway abroad and wanted to ensure his own community in the U.S. was making the same progress. Using his 13 years of experience as a project manager and process improvement consultant, he began working closely with a handful of local organizations — Envision Charlotte being one of them, helping them accelerate their circular and sustainability efforts. He currently leads and manages all plastic programing for Envision Charlotte.
Alice Hartley is Director of Product Sustainability at Gap Inc. Since joining Gap in 2012, she has led work on supply chain sustainability including water savings, textile mill impacts, traceability, and sustainable cotton. She also works with design teams across the company on product sustainability and circular design strategies. Earlier in her career, Alice worked in green buildings and at nonprofit and research institutions. She holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from MIT Sloan.
Will joined the Krispy Kreme organization in 2014 and has served in several different roles during his time there. Will is currently responsible for leading the Indirect Procurement efforts for Krispy Kreme, which includes the waste and recycling category. Will’s Indirect Procurement team manages over $100 Million in annual spending and supports a network of over 400 Krispy Kreme shops, 9 manufacturing plants, and 2 corporate offices in North America. Will and his team has helped identify and execute cost savings for Krispy Kreme in excess of $5 million over the last 3 years. Prior to joining Krispy Kreme, Will worked with the restaurant brand Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in a Supply Chain role from 2009 to 2014. Outside of work, Will enjoys spending time with his wife Brooke and their 3 sons (ages 7, 5 and 3), going to the beach, and coaching youth sports
Marcus D. Jones is the city manager for the City of Charlotte. He began his
new role on Dec. 1, 2016. Before moving to Charlotte, Jones served as the city manager of Norfolk, Virginia, a role he began in February 2011 after serving the city from 2004- 2009 as the director of budget and grants management and as an assistant city manager.
As the city manager of the second largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, he helped Norfolk build on its competitive advantages as the urban core of a region of more than 1.7 million people. Jones has 23 years of public service experience, which includes serving as a deputy secretary of finance for two governors in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In each case, he played a major role in protecting the Commonwealth’s coveted AAA bond rating and streamlining government
operations. He has experience managing complex budgets ranging from $1.2 billion (local) to $50 billion (state). While serving with the state government, Jones gained a strong reputation for his ability to negotiate complex financial and legislative issues across party lines. Jones earned his Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from James Madison University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. Jones and his wife, Jillian, have three children.
Barr Blanton is Partner with McKinsey & Company and the managing partner for McKinsey’s Charlotte office where he is dedicated to advancing the needs of the Charlotte region through a variety of community leadership efforts. Barr has served clients across many industries but spends much of his time as a leader in McKinsey’s Transformation and Private Equity practices.
Rasha Hasaneen is the vice president of innovation and product excellence for Trane Technologies. She is a seasoned executive and innovation leader with a proven track record in product management, product marketing, engineering, strategy, planning and lean thinking. Rasha is also executive director of Trane Technologies’ Center for Healthy and Efficient Spaces (CHES). The center serves as a convening resource to unify and scale strategies and solutions to create safer, healthier and more efficient environments across the breadth of the company’s business portfolio – including spaces in homes, buildings and transportation. As executive director, she leads engagement with integrated internal and external advisory councils and technology partners. In leading both innovation and CHES, she is the focal point for Trane Technologies on the topics of indoor environmental quality, bringing innovative thinking and a customer focused approach to this critical topic.
Sabine is co-founder and managing director of BlueCity, a circular innovation hub located in a former waterpark in Rotterdam. BlueCity aims to accelerate the circular economy in the region through entrepreneurship and innovation. Its core focus is designing, setting up and enhancing new businesses that radically redefine how we (re)use our planet’s resources. Sabine is a business minded cultural anthropologist with a focus on the social and the economic dynamics driving sustainability and innovation.
Carly Carroll is an Enterprise Sustainability Consultant at Wells Fargo, focusing on sustainability education and employee engagement. As a part of her role, Carroll is responsible for coordinating and managing Green Teams across the company. Carroll joined the Stagecoach in August 2018 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. At EPA, Carroll held numerous roles over 11 years in stakeholder engagement, public affairs, and environmental education. Carroll earned her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006. She also holds a Master’s in Science Education from North Carolina State University and earned her MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan- Flagler Business School in 2017. Carroll resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her two rescue dogs, Riley and Casper.
David Valder is a Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Crown Town Compost, a small business that collects food waste from households and businesses in Charlotte, NC and composts it to keep it out of the landfill. He is also the Director of Energy and Sustainability at Central Piedmont Community College where he manages the college’s resource consumption and leads energy efficiency and waste reduction efforts. He holds a B.S. in Sustainable Development from Appalachian State University.
Spearheading the first curbside-collection composting program for the City of Charlotte in 2018, along with an expansion of the program for a second phase in 2019, Beverlee Sanders knows a thing or two about residential food waste. During her four years at Solid Waste Services, Beverlee has used her passion for sustainability to help divert over nine tons of food waste from the landfill and generate over $30k in grant funding for green projects. Beverlee currently serves as the Public Information Coordinator where she builds and strengthens relationships with community partners to help create a more sustainable future.
Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company
Giulia is an Associate Partner in McKinsey’s San Francisco office, where she is a leader in the Sustainability and Energy practices. She advises corporations and investors around the world on sustainable solutions and energy transitions. In addition to her advisory work, she supports McKinsey’s internal and external knowledge efforts on ESG and leads McKinsey’s ESG Analytics Platform. Giulia graduated from Dartmouth College with honors in Economics and Environmental Studies and earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Before joining McKinsey, Giulia worked in corporate sustainability strategy and energy procurement for a leading Silicon Valley software company. Giulia sits on the Board of Multiplier, a sustainability-focused non-profit with global scope.
Jeremy Wallach is a Partner in McKinsey’s Boston office. He serves chemical companies across the value chain on corporate and business unit strategy, recycling / circular economy, merger integration and growth. He also helps to lead the firm’s Chemical Insights micro-economics group. He has over 15 years of experience advising management teams in North America and Europe.
Director of Global STEM Curriculum, Discovery Education
An experienced STEM education leader with close to 20 years in urban, public K-12 education, Camsie McAdams brings vast experience to her role at Discovery Education. Camsie is a former classroom teacher, coach, and curriculum/instructional leader at school, district, and national levels. McAdams served in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Director for STEM at the U.S. Department of Education. She has also worked as the Director of STEM for District of Columbia Public Schools. With over a decade of experience teaching math, science, and literacy in New York City Public Schools and in California’s Oakland Unified School District, she is a recipient of several teaching awards, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching for the state of New York. McAdams received a degree in general engineering and political science from the University of Denver, and a Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Currently working as Head of Design for Electrolux, Barry Waddilove has 30 years experience working in design and product development with brands and organizations across 25 countries. During 2014-2015, he completed extensive research into the role of Whole System Design in developing business models for a circular economy whilst working as a researcher for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Barry holds an MDes in Design and Innovation for Sustainability from Cranfield University and is a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
Mayor pro tem, City of Charlotte
Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt had never envisioned a role in public office until a man tried to abduct her at gunpoint in 2007. This led her to found Neighbors for a Safer Charlotte, to advocate for court-system resources and policies to make all Charlotte residents safer. Julie then ran successfully for Charlotte City Council in 2015 and is in her third term on the council, serving at-large and as Mayor Pro Tem. She chairs the Transportation & Planning Committee and is Vice-Chair of the Budget and Effectiveness Committee. In 2019, Julie was appointed by Governor Cooper to serve on the North Carolina State Banking Commission, and was appointed by NC Transportation Secretary Trogden to serve on NC FIRST, a state Transportation Revenue commission. In the community Julie is a Team Leader for Room In The Inn, a board member of The Relatives, and has served on various arts boards.
Darlene Heater is the Executive Director for University City Partners, which envisions and implements strategies and actions to drive University City’s long term economic vitality as a center for employment, living, education, commerce and entertainment.
Heater is a graduate of The Ohio State University. She has held roles in the public sector for nearly twenty years. Prior to her role at University City Partners, she was the Vice President of Neighborhood Development and Sustainability at Charlotte Center City Partners and Director of Strategic Partnerships for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.
Heater has worked on transformational projects such as the University City Transit Station Area Plan, JW Clay Station Master Plan, the Charlotte 2020 Vision Plan, and Envision Charlotte, Charlotte’s sustainability initiative. She has built strong relationships with municipal partners at the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and State of NC, and elected officials while actively engaging in the communities she has served.
She serves on the boards of UNC Charlotte Computer Informatics, Envision Charlotte, The Charlotte Regional Alliance Board of Advisors, SHARE Charlotte and serves on the steering committee for the Ucity Family Zone.
Jonathan Pereira serves as the Executive Director of Plant Chicago, whose mission is to cultivate local circular economies. Since joining Plant Chicago in 2015, he’s guided the organization to expand its impact beyond the project known as The Plant. Plant Chicago is now piloting a Circular Economy Network for Small Businesses, hosts over 3,600 local youth each year on educational programs, and building out the first indoor victory garden: a shared use production space for growing plants and fungi. In late 2019, Plant Chicago moved into an abandoned firehouse on the southwest side of Chicago and is now in the process of converting it to a center for circular economy programming.
Tamsin Ettefagh has 32 years of experience in the areas of recycling and plastics recycling; from implementing a recycling collection program, to running the recycling operations for a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), to purchasing raw materials for plastic recycling companies, to selling recycled resins for plastic recycling companies. She has consulted for agencies, banks, potential plastic manufacturers on market conditions, types of supply and how to evolve and diversify markets for recycled resins. Ms. Ettefagh is currently working as a Senior Consultant for other major consulting forms as well as independently consulting in the Plastics Recycling space with aiding in strategy and implementations to advancements in the recycling processes primarily in Poly Olefins.
Amy’s background is a blend of corporate, non-profit and entrepreneur expertise. Before joining Envision Charlotte, Amy served as a strategic consultant for businesses and Chambers of Commerce in marketing, fundraising, social media and public relations. She spent several years as Group Vice President for Sales and Marketing for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, where she was responsible for leadership, fundraising and community relations. She also served as a business development and community affairs executive with Balfour Beatty Construction, and she founded, operated and recently sold a successful retail business.
Eva Gladek is the founder and CEO of Metabolic, a consulting, research, and venture building firm focused on tackling global sustainability challenges and advancing a circular economy. In her years of consulting work and concept development, Eva has drawn on her training in molecular biology and industrial ecology to advise hundreds of companies, governments, and nonprofits. She is an expert in technical environmental management techniques and has developed leading frameworks for systems thinking, the circular economy and sustainable design. She is consistently listed among the top influencers in sustainability in the Netherlands, a country recognized as leading the transition to the circular economy.
Laura Thrash graduated from Davidson College with Phi Beta Kappa honors and a passion for educational equity. She worked as the Interim Director of Education and ESL instructor for the International House, before returning to CMS as an eighth grade Science teacher through Teach For America. Laura has stayed in her placement school for the past seven years, moving up the ranks from 8th grade teacher lead, to Science Department lead, to multi-classroom teacher coach. She now oversees Whitewater’s Sustainability Magnet Program and the implementation of their interdisciplinary curriculum which places environmental equity and social justice at the forefront. In addition to her duties at Whitewater, she is currently participating in Charlotte Teacher Institute’s Urban Waterways seminar to infuse these themes into the eighth grade Hydrosphere unit. Laura and Whitewater are looking forward to continuing their partnership with Wells Fargo and Envision Charlotte.
Todd Marty is the Senior Director of Public Affairs for Coca-Cola Consolidated, third generation Coca-Cola employee, and a graduate of Indiana State University. Most recently, Todd led Sales and Merchandising operations as Vice President of the Indiana Market Unit. Currently, he leads Government Affairs in the state of Indiana and supports the sustainability efforts of the company. He sees himself as a proud American who enjoys the outdoors and has a passion for protecting the environment in which we live. Todd is also a devoted husband and father of 3 that honors God in all he does.
With over 30 years of experience in architecture and interior design and more than 6.5 million square feet of office space shaped by her expertise, Kim Marks is leaving her mark on the commercial office market across the Southeast and beyond. In her 17 years as Principal and owner at ai Design Group, Kim played a key role in growing the firm’s client list to include national accounts like Wells Fargo, Barings, Charter Communications, and AREVA. Kim’s leadership and business successes positioned the firm for a successful merger with Progressive AE in 2016, and she was instrumental in guiding the company and her team through the transition. She was named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by the Charlotte Business Journal and one of the 50 Women Extraordinaire by Business Leader Magazine.
