Leading the way to a sustainable future

Ann Erhardt, IPF chief sustainability officer, was recently elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) organization. 

“I first became aware of AASHE about 15 years ago, when I returned to school (Aquinas College) to obtain a Sustainable Business degree, and learned about the school’s affiliation with the organization,” Erhardt said. “Through my time there, I learned a lot about the organization, and my membership followed me to my work at IPF.” 

In 2015, Erhardt earned a member-elected position on the AASHE Board of Directors. After serving for two years, she was named vice chair and in 2019 was named chair for a term of one year.  

“My leadership in AASHE has not only allowed me to expand my perspective of how I approach sustainability, it has helped me develop the skills and tools needed to help shape organizations to be successful in this field,” Erhardt said. “It has also allowed me to make partnerships with other schools and demonstrate MSU’s leadership in the field.” 

Erhardt led three presentations at the 2019 AASHE conference held in October in Spokane, WA: 

• Carbon capture technologies – how an academic team in partnership with T.B. Simon Power Plant, is using Great Lakes algae species to capture power plant emissions. 

• Sustainable supply chains – how IPF’s partnership with the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council is helping us develop a sustainable purchasing plan, and how we’re educating our workforce on the full impact of our purchasing decisions.  

• Building “green” on campus – how our partnership with Catalyst Partners consulting company has enabled many of our buildings to be LEED certified, the future of certification and whether we should consider exploring standards other than LEED. 

“In 2020, AASHE’s strategic focus will be on environmental justice, the connection between non-sustainable practices and health issues, destruction of lands and social injustice,” Erhardt said. 

When asked about some of the hurdles to establish sustainable practices, she was quick to respond. 

“Economics are often used to avoid sustainable practices; we need to explore new funding models – like partnerships with corporations,” Erhardt said. “There are so many embodied costs we never see – the gas to transport goods, government subsidies, the healthcare costs from exposure to pollutants, etc.” She added “it will have some associated costs, but it will present opportunities for great innovation.”