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Ira Feldman
BIOGRAPHY
Ira Feldman is a US-based sustainability leader with an interdisciplinary skill set and a global reach. He has over 25 years experience as an attorney and management consultant focusing on environmental regulatory innovation (e.g., alternatives to “command and control” regulation), strategic environmental management, sustainable business practices and corporate social responsibility. Ira is at the leading edge of the convergence of sustainability, climate adaptation and ecosystem services and he teaches these topics at the University of Pennsylvania. His recent work explores the role of ESG (environment-social-governance) factors in the financial sector; the implications of “soft law” or “private law” for business and government; and the use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to advance sustainable development.
Reflecting the depth and breadth of his expertise, Ira currently serves on the advisory boards of such diverse organizations as the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL); the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE); the Sustainability Accounting Advisory Board (SASB); and the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI). He has long played a leading role in defining future domestic policy directions through his participation in environmental management and sustainability policy initiatives such as the President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) and the Multi-state Working Group on Environmental Performance (MSWG).
As team leader or in partnership with other consultancies and law firms, Ira has assisted governmental entities, multilateral organizations, think tanks, corporate trade associations and SME’s, on a wide range of implementation, policy development, and training activities. He led in the development of corporate voluntary excellence programs, environmental performance tools and strategies, and international voluntary standards such as the ISO 14000 series, ISO 26000 and GRI. Previously, as Special Counsel at US EPA headquarters, he pioneered new enforcement settlement approaches; developed the Agency’s audit and self-disclosure policy; and was the architect of EPA’s first corporate voluntary excellence program.
Ira is committed to advancing sustainability thinking in the US through policy initiatives and electoral politics; bringing clarity and coherence to the emerging field of sustainability professionals; assisting colleges and universities with faculty and curriculum development for sustainability in higher education; and remaining an active contributor to the substantive sustainability and climate dialogue.
QUALIFICATIONS
- B.A. (interdisciplinary environmental studies, University of Pennsylvania, 1979)
- M.S. (interdisciplinary environmental studies, University of Pennsylvania. 1980)
- J.D. (Columbia University School of Law, 1985)
- Advanced Certificate (Risk Assessment and Environmental Toxicology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 1995)
- Advanced Certificate (Management of Public and Not-for-Profit Organizations, Georgetown University School of Public Policy, 2003)
- Bar Admissions: New York State and District of Columbia
ORGANIZATIONS & ACTIVITIES
Environment and Sustainability in Higher Education
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
Advisory Council
January 2015 – Present
American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC)
May 2012 – Jan. 2014
Member, Climate Adaptation Committee
Association for Environmental Studies & Sciences (AESS)
Member, Blended and Online Learning Committee
May 2014 – Present
Environment and Sustainability Organizations
International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)
Member, February 2009 – Present
Board of Directors, April 2008 – August 2013
ISSP Management Team, August 2009 – May 2013.
Coordinator, Policy and Standards workstream, October 2011 – May 2013
American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP)
April 2013 – Present
Policy Working Group
Research Working Group
SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board)
Advisory Council
December 2012 – Present
Vermillion Institute (Calgary, Canada)
Senior Advisor
March 2011 – Present
Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI)
Advisor, Climate Adaptation; Expert to ISO TC 207/SC7
Jan. 2015 – Present
Law Associations & Initiatives
ABA President’s Task Force on Sustainable Development, April 2013 – Present
Member, ABA Delegation to World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg (2002)
American Bar Association (ABA-SEER)
Section on Environment, Energy & Resources (SEER)
May 1985 – Present
Past Chair, “Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Ecosystems” Committee (2002 – 2004)
Vice Chair, “Climate Change, Sustainable Development & Ecosystems” Committee (2004 – 2013)
American Bar Association (ABA-SIL)
Section on International Law (SIL)
September 2006 – Present
Vice Chair, “Corporate Social Responsibility” Committee (2006 – 2013)
Steering Committee, “Corporate Social Responsibility” Committee (2013- present)
World Bank Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development
Thematic Working Group “Law and Economy”
Community of Practice on “Public-Private Partnerships”
June 2013 – Present
UNCITRAL – UN Commission on International Trade and Law
Expert Group on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
October 2013 – Present
Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
Advisory Council
May 2014 – Present
Environmental Law Institute (ELI)
Council of Partners
May 2006 – May 2011
International Standards Development
International Organization for Standardization (ISO TC 207)
ISO TC 207 SC 1 and SC 4 (ISO 14000 series)
January 1994 – September 2001
US/ANSI Expert, ISO 14031 (Environmental Performance Evaluation); ISO 14050 (Terms & Definitions); ISO 14063 (Environmental Communications) US TAG to TC 207, Vice Chair, Sub-TAG 4 on Environmental Performance Evaluation
International Organization for Standardization (ISO WG/SR)
Working Group on Social Responsibility (ISO 26000)
March 2005 – November 2009
US/ANSI Expert to WG/SR for SSRO stakeholder group
Member, Chairman’s Advisory Group (CAG) for WG/SR
Co-Chair, Service, Support, Research & Others (SSRO) Stakeholder Group in WG/SR
Co-Chair, Drafting Team Environment in WG/SR USTAG to WG/SR,
SSRO representative to Stakeholder Council
International Organization for Standardization (ISO TC 207)
ISO TC 207/ SC 7
April 2015 – present
GHGMI Expert to SC 7
Chair, Climate Adaptation Task Force (ATF)
National Policy Initiatives
President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD)
Environmental Management Task Force
April 1997 – August 1999
National Environmental Policy Institute (NEPI)
Advisor to former Congressman and NEPI Executive Director Don Ritter
March 1995 – April 1999
Reinventing the Vehicle for Environmental Management (1995)
Multi-state Working Group on Environmental Performance (MSWG)
Member, Officer, Director
June 2001 – June 2011
Other proprietary projects
Owner/Moderator LinkedIn Group
January 2012 – Present
Sustainability Lexicon Project ™
Founder & Director
May 2010 – Present
Public Service Appointments
Maryland Climate Change Commission, Adaptation Working Group
September 2007 – May 2009
Sustainability Working Group
September 2008 – Present
Advisor to Working Group Co-chairs
Environment Commission
October 1999 – April 2002
Served successively as member, vice chair and chair of the commission
Gov. Martin O’Malley, Maryland
O’Malley-Brown Environment & Natural Resources Transition Team
November 2006 – May 2007
Attorney General Doug Gansler, Maryland
Maryland AG Environmental Advisory Council
November 2006 – Present
Campaign policy positions
National Advisory Council
October 2003 – November 2004
Coordinated Maryland and Boston Convention events
Energy & Environment Team
September 2007 – November 2008
Coordinator, Ad Hoc Group for Sustainable Change
Energy & Environment Team
February 2012 – November 2012
National Organizing Committee
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
Greentrack Strategies, president & senior counsel (1996 – present)
Capital Environmental, vice president (1995 – 96)
US Environmental Protection Agency, Special Counsel, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) (1990 – 95)
Skadden Arps, associate attorney (1987 – 89)
Kaye Scholer, associate attorney (1985 – 87)
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
Lecturer, Masters in Environmental Studies (MES) (2002 – present)
- Exploring Ecosystem Services
- The Challenge of Climate Adaptation
- Crossing Borders
- Transboundary Issues in Environmental Law, Regulation and Management
- Global Environmental Issues
- Environmental Management: Law and Policy (Wharton School)
City University of New York (New York , NY)
Adjunct professor, Urban Sustainability Graduate Program (2015 – present)
- Environmental Policymaking
Vermont Law School (South Royalton, VT)
Lecturer, Center for Environmental Law (Fall 2013)
- Introduction to Environmental Law
Washington College of Law, American University (Washington, DC)
Environmental Law Summer Institute (2004 – 2006)
- Environmental Regulatory Innovation
Vytautus Magnus Law School (Kaunas, Lithuania)
Adjunct Professor, Michigan State Program in Transnational Law (2001-2002)
- US, European Union and Lithuanian Environmental Law – a comparative approach
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Ira Feldman & John Dernbach, “The ABA Embraces Sustainability – from the Earth Summit to Rio+20 and Beyond,” International Law News, Winter 2015.
Richard Field & Ira Feldman, “The United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda,” International Law News, Winter 2015.
John Dernbach, Lee DeHihns & Ira Feldman, “The Growing Importance of Sustainability to Lawyers and the ABA,” ABA-SEER Trends, July 2013.
Ira Feldman, “Book Review: ISO 26000: The Business Guide to the New Standard on Social Responsibility, by Lars Moratis and Timo Cochiius,” ISSP Insights, Nov. 2012, reprinted in Greenleaf Publishing blog, Oct. 11, 2012.
Ira Feldman, “Rio+20: The Summary of All Summaries,” An edited synthesis of Rio+20 reports and commentary prepared for ISSP, June 2012.
Ira Feldman, “ISO Standards, Environmental Management Systems and Ecosystem Services” chapter in: Djordje Pinter & Uwe Schubert (editors), Wirtschaft – Gesellschaft – Natur, Ansätze zu einem zukunftsfähigen Wirtschaften, Metropolis Verlag, Marburg Germany, May 2011, reprinted in Environmental Quality Management, Spring 2012.
Ira Feldman, Marsha Willard, et al., “Competencies for Sustainability Professionals,” ISSP report, 2010, reprinted in Environmental Quality Management, Fall 2010.
Ira Feldman, “Business & Industry: Transitioning to Sustainability” chapter in J. Dernbach (ed.), Agenda for a Sustainable America, Island Press/ELI, 2009.
Peter Soyka, Mark Bateman & Ira Feldman, “Environmental Investing Practices in Europe: A Harbinger of Future U.S. Best Practices?” chapter in R. Taylor Mancuso (ed.), Environmental Cost Management, Nova, 2009.
Ira Feldman & Joshua Kahan, “Last to the Party: The Hill Takes Up Climate Change Adaptation,” 11 Climate Change, Sustainable Development & Ecosystems (ABA/SEER Committee) 1, August 2008.
Ira Feldman & Sarah Jensen, “Preparing for the Day After Tomorrow: Frameworks for Climate Change Adaptation,” 8 Sustainable Development Law & Policy 61, Fall 2007.
Ira Feldman & Richard Blaustein, “Ecosystem Services as a Framework for Law and Policy,” 37 Environmental Law Reporter 10756, October 2007.
Ira Feldman & Adam Saslow, “Sorting Tools: Enhancing Environmental Performance,” summary and synthesis report prepared for Multistate Working Group on Environmental Performance, proceedings of a February 2005 event at Pace Law School, November 2007.
Ira Feldman & Adam Saslow, “Sustainability Assessment: West Virginia,” report prepared for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, commissioned by the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), February 2005.
Ira Feldman, “The Stakeholder Convergence: Enhanced Public Participation and Sustainable Business Practices,” chapter in C. Bruch (ed.), The New Public: the Globalization of Public Participation. (ELI, 2002), updated and reprinted in 33 Environmental Law Reporter (ELR) 10495, July 2003.
Ira Feldman & Douglas Weinfield. “Understanding the Emergence of Environmental Management Systems: Policy, Regulatory, and Management Uses of the EMS Framework.” Trends (ABA Environmental Section), January 2002.
Ira Feldman & Douglas Weinfield. “Environmental Management Systems: Policy, Regulatory, and Management Implications of EMS and Related Standards,” chapter in M. Gerrard (ed.), Environmental Law, Matthew Bender, 2001.
Ira Feldman “Environmental Management Systems and Public Policy: The ‘Major Country’ Report,” (report prepared for the Government of Jamaica and USAID), January 2000.
Ira Feldman, “The Inevitability of Multidisciplinary Practice,” Environmental Law & Practice, Fall 1999.
Ira Feldman & Michelle Wyman, “Environmental Management Systems and Regulatory Substitution in Bavaria,” International Environmental Systems Update, November 1998.
Ira Feldman, “ISO 14000 Can Underpin a New ‘Dual Track’ Regulatory System,” Environmental Business. Journal, January 1997, reprinted in FELSEF Journal, January 1999.
Ira Feldman, “The Future of Environmental Management,” introductory chapter in T. Tibor & I. Feldman (eds.), Implementing ISO 14000 (McGraw Hill 1997).
Tom Tibor & Ira Feldman (contributing eds.) Implementing ISO 14000: A Practical, Comprehensive Guide to the ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards (McGraw Hill 1997).
Ira Feldman, “Beyond Compliance: Escape from Command and Control,” chapter in J. Cascio, ISO 14000 Handbook (CEEM and ASQC 1996) at 402.
Ira Feldman, “What is the Relationship Between ‘Micro’ and ‘Macro’ Performance Indicators?” International Environmental Systems Update, August 1996.
Ira Feldman, “ISO 14000: A Component of a Management Systems Alternative to ‘Command and Control’ Regulation,” Environmental Forum (Environmental Law Institute), November 1995.
Ira Feldman & Michael Schiavo, “Non-Mandatory Pollution Reduction: Moving Beyond Command & Control,” in National Environmental Policy Institute (NEPI), Reinventing the Vehicle for Environmental Management (1995).
Tom Tibor, & Ira Feldman. “ISO 14000 and the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme,” European Community Marketing Guide (1995).
Tom Tibor & Ira Feldman. ISO 14000: A Guide to the New Environmental Management Standards (Irwin 1995).
Ira Feldman and Michael Schiavo, “A Private Road to Environmental Excellence: The Working of Green Track,” Corporate Environmental Strategy, Summer 1995.
Ira Feldman and Michael Schiavo, “Developing an Environmental Excellence Program: Lessons Learned from the Environmental Leadership Program,” Total Quality Environmental Management, Summer 1995.
Ira Feldman and Michael Schiavo, “EPA’s Environmental Leadership Pilot Projects,” in J. Willig (ed.) Auditing for Environmental Quality Leadership (Wiley 1995).
Ira Feldman and Michael Schiavo, “Incentives and Certainty: EPA Introduces New Audit Policy,” SONREEL News (ABA), May-June 1995.
Gordon Davidson and Ira Feldman. “The Greening of Corporate America.” Legal Times (special report), April 17, 1995.
Ira Feldman and Michael Schiavo, “Environmental Leadership: EPA’s Beyond Compliance Program,” in Environmental Auditing Handbook, (Executive Enterprises 1994), reprinted in Total Quality Environmental Management, May 1994.