About Us
Erin Harkness McKinnon is the President and Founder of Green Light Sustainability Advisors, an environmental consultancy that specializes in the transition to sustainable business practices 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 President of the Board of Directors of The Human Impacts Institute, a non-profit focused on climate change education through the arts, international salons, and hands-on projects. In addition, she was a member of the Board of Trustees at Sarah Lawrence College from 2005-2014 where she was leading the green campus effort.
Erin has been collecting contemporary art since 1996. Through her role as Board President of the Human Impacts Institute, she has assisted in organizing the Creative Climate Awards, an annual art show of local and international artists whose work focuses on communication the issues surrounding climate change through all artistic media. Climate change communication must touch and inspire one to act and come in multiple forms – film, the written word, painting, photography, sculpture, and performance – as learning is a personal journey.
Prior to founding Green Light Sustainability Advisors, Erin worked with New York State Senator Liz Kruger and non-profit organizations on projects such as environmental protection through revenue generation, the impact of manufacturing on climate change, and the effects of sea level rise on the New Jersey coastline. She has also written profiles on leaders in environmental corporate responsibility for the Sierra Club and other publications. Erin is also an active volunteer with The Nature Conservancy’s Young Professionals Group.
COLLEAGUE BIOS
Yvonne Isaac
Green Building Consultant
Yvonne R. Isaac is an experienced real estate development, construction operations and sustainability executive who currently provides consulting services to select clients. Prior to working independently she was the Vice President for Operations of Full Spectrum of NY where she was responsible for the management of the firm’s development projects from design through construction completion and conversion, as well as corporate business operations. Full Spectrum NY first firm to develop affordable, sustainable, green, smart, mixed-use and mixed-income condominium in New York State and is the recipient of many awards for its leadership in environmental and cultural sustainability. Ms. Isaac maintains a consultant relationship with the firm.
Robert B. Pojasek, Ph.D
Sustainability Expert
Robert B. Pojasek 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 and pollution prevention and abatement. Professor Pojasek is also an Adjunct Professor at Harvard University where he teaches two popular distance learning courses on sustainability. He also 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.
Zachary S. Cutler
Director, EcoDesign, Inc.
Zachary S. Cutler is the director of Ecodesign Inc., a family founded urban design firm and an expert in the implementation of innovative sustainability solutions for urban renewal and infrastructure. Mr. Cutler 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 projects involve: road construction technologies for hostile environments, solar and wave energy installations, hybrid street lighting, mobile energy storage, bio-fuel, and water technologies.