Osen Iyahen P23 Speaks On Sustainability Efforts

Osen Iyahen P23 spoke to students earlier this month on the topic of Sustainability as a part of the Hilly Chase Speaker Series. Iyahen is the Founder of Optimal Greening, an environmental sustainability company.

Iyahen began her career in 2001 as an Environmental Engineer and moved on to the energy sector in 2005. After two decades with multinational corporations, Iyahen transitioned to entrepreneurship with the intent to tackle environmental issues related to the energy, waste, and water sectors in Africa. In 2020 Iyahen founded Optimal Greening Limited, a consultancy supporting corporates and governments in their transition to sustainable business practices, as well as the Optimal Greening Foundation, A non-profit organization committed to delivering sustainable solutions to marginalized and disadvantaged communities in Nigeria and across Africa.

In her presentation to students and faculty, Iyahen dove into the pillars of sustainability as they relate to social, environmental, and economic factors. Through this comparison, students were able to understand both the driving forces behind sustainability and the opposition efforts faced through economic factors. Additionally, Iyahen compared the usage of natural resources to the quality of life between the United States and Nigeria. By doing so, she was able to demonstrate how the reduction of usage, in addition to modern sustainability efforts, is universally needed regardless of Socioeconomic Status.  Click here to see Iyahen’s presentation. 

Following the presentation, students asked Iyahen questions about her work in sustainability efforts both in the private sector and through her non-profit. Click here to see pictures from the night. At the end of the night, Iyahen sat down with students in the Podcast Elective to record the third episode of A View from the Hill, Eaglebrook’s official podcast. The students interviewing Iyahen asked questions related to both her work and the work of others in the field of sustainability. Listen to the podcast here.