Kim Poldner

Who are you and where do you work?
My name is Kim Poldner and I am a fresh oikos alumna! I am currently residing in Nancy, France with an SNSF scholarship to do post-doctoral research at ICN Business School.

How and why were you involved with oikos as a student?
In 2008 I was selected as the fourth oikos PhD fellow, which made me move to St. Gallen and pursue my PhD in Organization and Cultural Studies. This experience has been so positive that I am delighted to continue my work in academia, focused on entrepreneuring in ethical fashion. During my time in the oikos lab, I was responsible for alumni relations so it is not a surprise that I want to stay in touch now that I have left St. Gallen!

What do you care about in sustainability?
My passion goes out to sustainable lifestyles and I am an active practitioner of it: everyday I learn new things about how to green my endeavors. Sustainability enables me to always ask critical questions and sharpen my thinking. I very much believe we are all connected and I consider it my personal responsibility and daily challenge to consciously live my life to the benefit of the whole planet.

How do you make a difference for sustainability in your job?
I try to inspire everyone I meet with beautiful stories of eco fashion entrepreneurs. Through my website Eco Fashion World people can find out where to shop their designs.

Which hurdles did you overcome in your job?
The biggest hurdle is an internal one: constantly aiming to make conscious choices is not always easy and I do have my lazy days. What disturbs me is to meet professors who are sustainability gurus in their field and finding out that they don’t live a sustainable life at all. I try not to moralize but instead be positive about all the change that is happening for the good.

What would you like to make happen in the oikos network in 2012?
I love to see the qualities and skills of my fellow alumni brought together in an enterprise that will benefit the entire network.

Can you give one hint for the current oikos students that aim to make a difference?

Sounds like a cliché, but it remains true: follow your heart. Don’t think too much about career perspectives and what to study or not. Rather, be authentic in who you are, because the world needs history-makers that re-define current (bad) practices. If you’re following the beaten tracks, it is much more difficult to divert and come up with something truly innovative. Be an artist in living your life!