Sustainability is more than “going green.” Educating the next generation of environmental advocates is a priority for Ira Feldman ’75, who was part of the first Earth Day at Poly in 1970, and has dedicated his life to sustainability.
Ira has more than 25 years’ experience as an attorney and consultant focusing on environmental regulatory innovation, strategic environmental management, sustainable business practices, and corporate social responsibility. He currently teaches these topics at the University of Pennsylvania and the City University of New York. Previously, as Special Counsel at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, Ira pioneered new enforcement settlement approaches; developed the EPA audit and self-disclosure policy; and was the architect of EPA’s first corporate voluntary excellence program. His recent work explores the role of environment-social-governance factors in the financial sector and the use of public-private partnerships to advance sustainable development. He has been president and senior counsel of Greentrack Strategies since 1996.
In 2020, we celebrated the third annual Poly Prep Sustainability Lecture & Prize, which is a component of the Nathan & Estelle Feldman Sustainability Education Initiative established by Ira to honor his parents. That same year, Ira was named one of Poly’s Distinguished Alumni.
Academics