Insights and Impact: EarthShift Global at ISSST 2025
This year’s International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology (ISSST) brought together a vibrant community of researchers, practitioners, and innovators working at the front lines of sustainability. EarthShift Global was proud to contribute through a range of sessions that reflected both the rigor and creativity needed to drive meaningful change.
We kicked off the week with a collaborative poster presentation exploring the intersection of agromining and Sustainable Return on Investment (S-ROI). Agromining, an emerging technique that uses hyperaccumulator plants to extract valuable metals from soil, offers promising potential for sustainable resource recovery. Our poster illustrated how S-ROI can be used to evaluate these early-stage innovations, quantifying not only economic returns but also environmental and social value. The work sparked engaging conversations about how to measure and communicate impact in ways that truly reflect systems-level benefits.
Our Scientific Marketing Manager, Tess Konnovitch, gave a talk focused on a critical but often overlooked part of sustainability work: data communication. In “How to Enhance Your Data Visualization in 10 Minutes,” she walked through quick, practical tips for improving the clarity and accessibility of sustainability graphics. From redesigning cluttered charts to choosing more effective color palettes, the session emphasized how small, intentional changes can transform complex data into something far more compelling and actionable.
We were also honored to sponsor the ISSST 2025 Student Poster Competition. The sessions featured a wide range of research from graduate students tackling today’s most pressing sustainability challenges. Congratulations to Jenesis Cochrane of Northwestern University, this year’s winner, and to runners-up Spencer Checkoway (University of Michigan) and Lauren MacDonald (Penn State University). We were inspired by the quality, creativity, and relevance of the work on display, and proud to support this platform for emerging voices.
To close out our contributions to the conference, CEO Lise Laurin led a hands-on workshop on Sustainable Return on Investment. Designed for both newcomers and experienced professionals, the session introduced the method’s core principles and demonstrated its value in evaluating complex sustainability decisions. We walked participants through real-world examples and offered tools they could use to begin applying S-ROI in their own work.
The energy, insight, and collaboration on display throughout the conference reminded us of the power of shared learning. We left ISSST 2025 feeling recharged and more committed than ever to advancing sustainability through practical, thoughtful solutions.