Erin Harkness McKinnon is the president and founder of Green Light Sustainability Advisors, Inc., an environmental consultancy that specializes in business sustainability across a broad range of sectors.
Erin holds a Masters of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She is a member of the Board of Trustees at Sarah Lawrence College where she is leading the green campus effort.
Prior to founding Green Light Sustainability Advisors, Erin worked with a New York State Senator and non-profit organizations on a variety of projects including environmental protection through revenue generation, climate change adaptation legislation, the climate change implications of a global economy, and the effects of sea level rise on the Northeastern United States coastline.
CONSULTANTS
Zachary S. Cutler
ECODESIGN, Inc., Director
Zachary S. Cutler is the director of Ecodesign Inc., a family founded urban design firm, and an expert in intellectual property and the implementation of innovative sustainability solutions for urban renewal and infrastructure. He has initiated and negotiated the commercialization of numerous IP-driven projects in China and the United States.
Mr. Cutler helps clients achieve their agendas within a framework of researched development to stimulate collaborative and strategic positioning in the urban renewal process. With a focus on the Department of Defense infrastructure build-up in the U.S. territory of Guam, he serves as front line advisor to a global Japanese infrastructure and real estate development company that practices and promotes the use of environmentally friendly technologies in construction and urban planning.
Select active and recent projects involve: road construction technologies for hostile environments, solar and wave energy installations, hybrid street lighting, off-grid security surveillance, mobile energy storage, bio-fuel, and water technologies such as rain harvesting, wave energy bid proposals and patented preventative bioremediation.
Yvonne R. Isaac
Vice President, Operations – Full Spectrum of NY
Yvonne R. Isaac is the Vice President for Operations of Full Spectrum of NY. She is responsible for the management of the firm’s development projects from design through construction completion and conversion, as well as corporate business operations. She also leads the business unit that provides fee-based services and asset management of the company’s real estate portfolio.
Full Spectrum is a Harlem, NY based real estate development firm with an expansion office in Jackson, MS. The firm has received international attention for its use of non-traditional approaches to building sustainable and affordable, multi-family housing in mixed and blended use developments. It is the first firm to develop affordable, sustainable, green, smart, mixed-use
and mixed-income condominuims in New York State and is the recpient of many awards for its leadership in environmental and cultural sustainability.
Prior to joining the firm in 2004, Ms. Isaac spent 12 years with Bovis Lend Lease, one of the world’s largest construction services firms, where she was a Senior Vice President and led the Southeast region’s consulting and project management services group.
Robert B. Pojasek, Ph.D
Sustainability Expert
Robert B. Pojasek, Ph.D. is regarded as a thought leader in the sustainability field. He is the Senior Program Director for Capaccio Environmental Engineering, Inc., a small woman-owned business whose expertise spans the range of environmental health and safety management including audits and assessments, pollution prevention and abatement, and identifying cost effective solutions to environmental, health and safety and business goals. Professor Pojasek is also an Adjunct Professor at Harvard University where he teaches two popular distance learning courses on sustainability.
Currently, Professor Pojasek serves as the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Corporate Responsibility Officers Association and is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals. He is involved in the sustainability activities of the American Society for Quality, the American Chemical Society, and the Society for Manufacturing Engineers.
CLIENTS
Andrew Kreps Gallery – 2011 – Created a program through a carbon footprint analysis to maintain a green office and gallery environment and made strategic recommendations for maintaining sustainability moving forward.
The Nature Conservancy – 2010 – Conducted a carbon footprint analysis for The Nature Conservancy’s New York City office, which included but was not limited to energy,transportation, waste, and paper, made related recommendations for sustainable solutions in these areas, and outlined direction for continuous improvement going forward.
Suzy Sirloin, Inc. – 2010 – Created a program for sustainable procurement practices and emphasis on natural products from inception, incorporated sustainability into the corporate identity, and made recommendations for maintaining sustainability throughout the expansion process.
Strassburger Meats – 2009-10 – Conducted a carbon footprint analysis to highlight emissions and instituted programs for reductions from the office to the supply chain, conducted sustainability training, and made strategic recommendations for long term sustainability.
National Audubon Society – 2009 – Conducted a carbon footprint analysis for all Audubon offices, satellite offices, and Nature Centers and specified related solutions for energy savings, waste management, green procurement, transportation, and carbon sequestration.
