SecondMuse Co-CEOs Carrie Freeman and Todd Khozein reflect on a year of high stakes and validation.
We are immensely grateful to have witnessed this year the fruits of our maturing practice. After more than a decade of refining our approach to building just economies that are good for both people and the planet, 2022 provided us with encouraging indicators that we’ve hit an important new stride.
Whether it was employee feedback resoundingly affirming that our efforts to make our workplace increasingly welcoming and inclusive have worked, invitations to share our expertise on the world stage, or data and stories from the field, we are inspired to see the green shoots of the better world we’re building.
We know that progress can’t happen quickly enough. This year, we have followed with broken hearts the devastating floods in Pakistan, severe drought in the Horn of Africa and beyond, and other catastrophic effects of climate change. We have deeply felt the outcries over gender injustice in Iran, the plight of Ukrainians, and the economic uncertainty rippling from converging global crises to communities around the world — especially those that have been historically underserved.
But the bright silver lining we see is a broader recognition of the interconnectedness of global problems and an increased appetite for the sort of circular, ecosystem approaches we’ve used for years to puzzle out solutions to complex challenges. As more actors look for guidance on fostering relationships among wide-ranging people and organizations, we are thrilled to serve as resources. We were excited to share our expertise in the circular plastic economy at a number of events, including the G20 Bali summit; speak at the Clinton Global Initiative about fostering community-based food system solutions; and synthesize our approach to designing just, environmentally friendly economies through a free course we are offering through a partnership with the Sorenson Impact Foundation.
Internally, we’ve made a more systematic effort to exchange and apply learnings across our programs — whether that’s using our New York climate investment experience to inform the design of financial mechanisms focused on waste management in South and Southeast Asia, or applying our experience supporting women in South and Southeast Asia to our work advancing gender equity in the U.S. tech sector.
But what inspires and energizes us most are the stories we witness and hear about from the field: The story of the women working in India’s informal waste management sector who have received formal training in everything from financial and business management to how to drive a car via their work with EcoSattva Environmental Solutions, a women-led social enterprise The Incubation Network has supported through its Equality in Plastics Circularity program. The vision, talent, and influence diverse young people in our Headstream initiative are already having on their peers and even Powerholders at big tech companies gives us hope that the digital world will one day live up to its beautiful, empowering potential. We similarly beam at the success our gender equality in tech program has had engaging tech leaders — including so many men — committed to learning from women leaders and experts about how to advance gender equity at work via the GET Champions initiative. And we’re so proud of the tens of millions of dollars in funding that has gone this year to entrepreneurs in our For ClimateTech initiative. Though we’ve witnessed it so many times before, the convening of tens of thousands of people from across the planet for the annual Space Apps Challenge also never ceases to amaze us.
We are grateful to our funders, partners, and the many communities in which we work, who are building this better world alongside us. We are especially grateful to SecondMuse team members and strived to express that gratitude this year through improved benefits, parental leave policies, and wellness initiatives.
We are closing out 2022 more confident than ever in our cutting-edge approach to ecosystem building and systems change, our expertise in the markets in which we operate, and our ability to quantify and qualify the impact we’re having with more precision and sophistication. In 2023, we aim to build off our momentum and expand our network through new partnerships and collaborations, deliver more results and continue our steady march toward a just world in which all humans have the opportunity to thrive. We look forward to engaging with you all in the new year.
With appreciation,
Carrie and Todd
