Kogod Sustainability Review
Innovation for a Sustainable Future
Volume Six | 2026
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Volume Six
Innovation for a Sustainable FutureKSR’s Volume 6, Innovation for a Sustainable Future, delves into the ways in which communities, businesses, and beyond are creating their own unique tools and technologies to address climate-related problems, and highlights how these innovations will affect our collective future sustainability goals. This issue includes work from Kogod’s own sustainability and technology professor David Bartlett, Global Head of Sustainability at Iron Mountain’s Jennifer Grimaudo, and Founder and CEO of Ecolytics Hazel Horvath, as well as contributions from notable American University alumni, undergraduate students, and graduate students.
Letter from the Editors
A note from the Co-Editors-in-Chief of KSR’s Volume Six, Maeve Davis and Rebecca Owen.
Technology as a Bridge to Accessible Sustainability
Technology is making sustainability simpler, faster, and more achievable for the small and mid-sized businesses that power the economy.
Does AI Belong in Sustainability?
AI’s environmental footprint is rising fast—but so is its potential to accelerate climate solutions if deployed responsibly.
Grassroots Innovation: How Community-Based Adaptation in Morocco Redefines Climate Resilience
As drought intensifies, Moroccan farmers are redefining resilience through traditional knowledge, social networks, and grassroots adaptation.
Transforming Data into Value: Integrating Sustainability for B2B Providers
B2B leaders are using data-driven sustainability to cut costs, reduce emissions, and strengthen customer trust.
A Missed Opportunity? How Forgoing Nuclear Energy Slowed Germany’s Decarbonization
By retiring nuclear power without a firm baseload replacement, Germany may have sacrificed major emissions reductions during its energy transition.
Sustainability, Technology, and Careers Beyond Washington
An interview with Professor David Bartlett on technology, sustainability, and careers beyond Washington, DC.
Carbon Capture Storage: A Massive Ploy of Greenwashing or Reliable Tool for Climate Action?
Carbon capture and storage promises emissions reductions, but critics argue it may simply prolong the fossil fuel era.
Beyond the Plough: How Technology is Powering a New Green Revolution
As global food demand rises, technology-driven agriculture is reshaping farming through smarter inputs, higher productivity, and lower environmental impact.
AI’s Footprint Is a Scale Problem-So Let’s Measure What Matters
One AI prompt may be small, but billions of them demand clear metrics, cleaner power, and accountability at scale.
Volume Five: Sustainability at a Crossroads?
Published May 2025

The fourth issue of the Kogod Sustainability Review, “The Circular Economy: Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development," explores the potential of the circular economy, a system that focuses on waste reduction and extending a product's life cycle, in reaching sustainability goals. The issue includes features from Bloomberg Intelligence's Melanie Rua, CisLunar Industries COO Lee Steinke, Sway CEO and co-founder Julia Marsh, and the World Bank's Diego Herrera, as well as research and opinion pieces from professors and students across the American University community and beyond.
Read:
- Letter from the Editor in Chief by Fielding Burnette
- The Role of the Board and Sustainability by Debra Everitt McCormack
- How Good is the Paris Agreement? by Carl Edward Rasmussen
- Sustainability at a Crossroads: Why ROI is Stalling and How to Fix It by Jacqueline Kerr
- Meeting the Sustainability Skills Gap: New Research Reveals What Businesses Need to Succeed by Julie Anderson
- Strategic Financial Models for Advancing ESG and Sustainability Objectives in US Fortune 500 Corporations by Brandon West
- Fashioning a Sustainable Future: Reconciling Profitability with Environmental Stewardship in Fast Fashion by Sharon Wanyana, Aikokul Abdivalieva, Conrad Linus Muhirwe, and Mathias Ndungu
- Clearing the Skies: Environmental Challenges of Aviation by Shreya Sharma
- A Step Back for Sustainability? The Omnibus Act and Europe’s Changing Priorities by Claire Terrier
- Who’s Responsible for Products with Addictive and Harmful Substances: Energy Drinks and Corporate Responsibility by Julie Anderson
Volume Four: The Circular Economy: Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development
Published December 16, 2024

The fourth issue of the Kogod Sustainability Review, “The Circular Economy: Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development," explores the potential of the circular economy, a system that focuses on waste reduction and extending a product's life cycle, in reaching sustainability goals. The issue includes features from Bloomberg Intelligence's Melanie Rua, CisLunar Industries COO Lee Steinke, Sway CEO and co-founder Julia Marsh, and the World Bank's Diego Herrera, as well as research and opinion pieces from professors and students across the American University community and beyond.
Read:
- A Letter from the Editor in Chief by Isabela Barriga
- Systems Thinking for Moving Forward on a Circular Economy by Garima Sharma
- The Circular Economy: Turning Waste into Opportunity by Melanie Rua
- Pathways to Space Sustainability by Lee Steinke
- How to Measure the Sustainability of Economic Progress by Stefanie Onder and Diego Herrera
- From Sea to Soil: How Biomaterials are Shaping Our Circular Future by Julia Marsh
- Healing from Helene: How One School's Circular Economy Can Inspire Regional Relief Efforts by Rebecca Owen
- Women in Leadership Driving the Circular Economy: How Diversity and Sustainability Are Shaping the Future by Stefania Biondino
- Is Sustainable Finance the Solution to Funding Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action? by Amanda Scheichet
- The Circular Economy: Innovative Solutions for Sustainable and Affordable Housing by Divine Akplehey
- Decoding the Path to a Circular Economy: Insights from AKFI's Manuel Vexler by Naveen Ali
- Supplier Engagement in the Fashion Industry by Bhagyashree More, Erica Chiorazzi, Karen Campos, Stephen Minor, Kelsey Murlless, and Allyson Dilorenzo
- The Role of the IMF and Other Global Entitites by Manas Atluri
- When Indigenous Relational Economy Theory Meets Western Sustainability and Circular Economies by Nkwi Flores, Isabela Barriga, and Jheelum Sarkar
- From Income to Wealth: Shifting Economic Paradigms for Sustainable Development by Juan Camilo
Volume Three: Catalyzing Change: Global Sustainability Conversations, Policy Perspectives, and Industry Initiatives
Published June 4, 2024

The third issue of the Kogod Sustainability Review, “Catalyzing Change: Global Sustainability Conversations, Policy Perspectives, and Industry Initiatives,” explores how sustainability intersects with other crucial issues facing our world today and how various industries respond to the threat of climate change. The issue includes features from Li & Fung president Jason Kra and MS in Sustainability Management program director Professor Julie Anderson, as well as perspectives and research from students representing the entire American University community.
Read:
- Editor's Note by the KSR Editorial Board
- Decarbonizing the Global Supply Chain: A Roadmap to Achieving Climate Goals by Jason Kra
- Is ESG Investing Dead? by Julie Anderson
- America and EVs: or How We Learned to Stop Innovating and Love the Road by Bennett Rosenow
- Sustainable Futures: The Role of Poverty Alleviation in Achieving Net-Zero by Chukwudubem Vincent Abuah
- Violence in an Unsustainable World: Could Climate Change Cause an Increase in Global Violence? by Chloé Duprat Frias
- Sustainability in American Aviation: Parsing Proxy Statements in the Decarbonization Era by Jaclyn Bell
- Development Banks and Their Role to Fight the Climate Crisis by Lukas Adamski and Zoë Mattioli
Volume Two: Innovative Horizons: Navigating the Road to a Sustainable Future
Published December 19, 2023

The second issue of the Kogod Sustainability Review, “Innovative Horizons: Navigating the Road to a Sustainable Future,” approaches crucial issues in sustainability topics and proposes unique solutions. The issue includes features from Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein and Xylem senior vice president Albert Cho, as well as original research and commentary articles from students across the American University community.
Read:
- Milton Friedman in the Current Era by David Rubenstein
- Water: The Key to a Sustainable Future by Albert Cho
- Green Architecture: Moving Towards a Cleaner Future by Madyson Brown
- Grass Lawns are Burning Your Pockets and Our Planet by Harper Johnston
- Minnesota Nitrogen Pollution Policy and Regional Reduction Targeting by Ian Roback
- The Complex Road to a Truly Sustainable Future by Dubem Abuah
- The Walmart Effect: A Blueprint for Small and Medium Size Businesses by Paschalina Paraschou
- Financing Climate Resilience through Agriculture with WWF by Gabriela Vidad, Stephon T. Smith, Amaris Norwood, Zoë Mattioli, and Lukas Adamski
- How Artificial Intelligence Can Enhance Sustainability Performance in the Fast Fashion Industry by Lukas Adamski and Victoria Portela
- Artists as Interlocutors in Sustainability Matters by Sheila Katumwa
- Interview with Brooke Roberts-Islam by Sheik Azharuddin
- Green Marketing, an Oxymoron or a Tool for Communicating Shared Value? by Isabela Barriga
Volume One: The Role of Higher Education in Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders
Published June 12, 2023

The first issue of the Kogod Sustainability Review, “The Role of Higher Education in Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders,” focuses on issues in sustainability in higher education. The issue includes articles from American University President Sylvia Burwell; Ann Harrison, Dean of the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Jason Bordoff, Founding Director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University; and Kogod School of Business students.
Read:
- Editor's Note by Kareem Ihmeidan
- Building a More Sustainable World Through Business by Sylvia Burwell
- A Call to Business Schools by Ann Harrison
- How Universities Can Address Climate Change by Jason Bordoff
- Decoding the Value of ESG Investing to Shareholders by Isabela Barriga
- Leveraging Sustainable Business Cooperation and Game Theory for Competitive Advantage in Dominated Markets by Swochchhanda Pandey
- Co-Creation versus Co-Optation: How Institutions Can Address Environmental Justice Without Undermining the Movement by Amaris Renee Norwood
- The Clothes on Your Back Have a History by Madison Doring