ECO-OS is excited to spotlight Gisela Chulman, a valued member of our Professional Services team!
Before joining ECO-OS, Gisela was already deeply immersed in the world of sustainability, serving as one of the founders of Lira Shapira: a local currency based on composting in South Tel Aviv. Hailing from São Paulo, Brazil with a BA in Economics and an MA in Environmental Studies, Gisela is motivated and passionate about the intersection between sustainability and innovation.
We recently sat down with Gisela to learn more about her background and her role at ECO-OS:
What is your position at ECO-OS?
I am a project manager with the Professional Services team at ECO-OS, meaning I am the main contact for the clients in my portfolio. My primary focus is helping them maximize their use of the ECO-OS system in reaching their ESG goals, and providing added business value. This can range from teaching them how to use the platform to create value in a different way, creating decarbonization plans based on their data repository, or working alongside them to take new product and feature ideas to our development team.
Tell us about your interest in the world of sustainability.
While studying for my BA in Economics, I realized there was something missing. It seemed like what we were learning was disconnected from the reality of the global problems that humanity is facing. Whether it was luck or destiny, someone suggested I enroll in one of the sustainability courses that the university offered, and it totally changed how I see things. Finally I could put a label on how I was feeling, how we were not dealing with our natural resources in the right way. That began my journey in the field of sustainability; I started working in the sustainability center and among my projects there, I calculated the sustainability index for the stock market in São Paulo.
What can the ECO-OS team always count on you for?
I think that with my 10 years of experience in sustainability, I bring a lot of knowledge related to the company values and am always glad to help my coworkers with understanding the alphabet soup of different ESG frameworks and standards. I really enjoy helping the content team with the ECO-OS glossary, discussing and interpreting different concepts and standards (SASB vs. GRI vs. CDP), the difference between them and the big picture of sustainability and where we are right now. My team can also always count on me to bring good and interesting vegan food for lunch. :)
What are some of your goals working at ECO-OS?
I see ECO-OS as a good place to learn, especially technical knowledge. There’s a lot of knowledge and diverse expertise within the team and each of us is very open to teach and love to learn. My main goal is to learn as much as possible, and to feel that I’m making a difference. It's amazing that the projects that we do are actually changing how the companies see and deal with climate change.
I've also learned a lot about scope 3 emissions. When I first heard about it, I had a vague idea about what it was and now I regularly calculate the 15 categories on the ECO-OS platform for our clients.
Tell us a fun fact about you!
I get together with a group of friends for jam sessions in nature. I play the cajon and hang drum! We play our music in nature. I also really enjoy playing sports: football (the real one), spike ball, volleyball, swimming, and more.
Gisela's passion for sustainability and love of learning is infectious. We're so lucky to have her and learn from her every day!
Glossary
Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG): A comprehensive framework used to evaluate a company's commitment to sustainable and ethical practices. ESG encompasses three key areas: Environmental factors, such as a company's carbon footprint, resource usage, and environmental stewardship; Social factors, including employee relations, community involvement, and human rights; and Governance factors, which assess corporate leadership, transparency, ethical behavior, and stakeholder engagement. ESG criteria help stakeholders understand and evaluate a company's long-term sustainability and ethical impact on the world, guiding investment and operational decisions.
ESG Frameworks: An ESG framework is a set of guidelines that helps organizations measure and report their performance in Environmental, Social, and Governance areas. It provides criteria for assessing a company’s impact on the environment, social responsibilities, and governance standards. ESG frameworks, like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), enable businesses to align with sustainability goals and communicate their responsible practices to stakeholders. Following an ESG framework can enhance a company's reputation, reduce risks, and improve access to investment opportunities.
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP): The CDP is an international organization that has set a framework of standards for environmental reporting, including climate change, water security, and deforestation. The CDP works with individual companies, cities, and large regions to report their environmental information and receive a score based on their responses, serving to benchmark their performance, promote transparency into their operations, and identify risks and opportunities related to climate change.
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB): A framework that provides industry-specific standards to guide companies in reporting their ESG metrics. SASB standards highlight the most material ESG issues relevant to different industries, providing companies with specific guidelines to focus on in their reporting and decarbonization efforts.
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): An ESG reporting framework of universal standards, and industry-specific standards. They are the world's most widely used sustainability standards focusing on how a company's ESG reporting affects the economy. Reporting with the GRI is voluntary but are often employed to meet stakeholder expectations and adhere to regulations.
Scope 3 emissions: Indirect emissions involved in producing a product, including upstream and downstream emissions. Upstream emissions relate to those activities that support the production of your product before manufacturing (i.e. production and transportation of raw materials, business travel, capital goods, etc.) and Downstream emissions support the distribution and end-of-life of your product (processing of sold products, waste disposal, use of product, etc.) Scope 3 emissions are often the hardest to collect and typically account for the majority of emissions stemming from a product's production (for non-vertically integrated companies.
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