Skip to Content
Report an accessibility problem

Sustainability News

December 13, 2019

business studentsMost people are experiencing the concept of sustainability in a gloom-and-doom context of seemingly insurmountable global challenges like plastic pollution in the ocean and climate change. Today, however, sustainability strategies are smart business: They reduce cost through efficiency, increase revenue, and help organizations come out on top in the talent war.

The Sustainability Opportunity is an intensive seminar that combines the power of the consistently top-ranked W. P. Carey School of Business with the pioneering, first-in-the-nation School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. Instead of focusing on gloom and doom, this seminar focuses on the business and organizational opportunities that accompany our global challenges.

Faculty from ASU’s School of Sustainability and the Department of Supply Chain Management in the university’s W. P. Carey School will provide instruction and offer practical insights. They’ll be joined by Bruno Sarda, President, CDP North America, an organization which supports companies and cities to disclose the environmental impacts of their operations.

“The certificate program will examine sustainability not only through the lens of the environment but also through the lens of business,” says Professor of Supply Chain Management Kevin Dooley. “It’s not just, ‘How do we reach a goal like, say, using less water,’ but ‘How do we do so in a way that reduces the footprint of doing business from the bottom line up?”

“The program is really about building leadership in you so that you can go forward and take this to your career and your enterprise and build a sustainable future” says Professor George Basile of the School of Sustainability.

The next certificate program is from April 2 to 4 in Wrigley Hall at ASU’s sunny Tempe campus. The curriculum is designed for mid-career professionals in the private sector who want to create a decided advantage in the marketplace by reorienting their professional and organizational abilities toward sustainability and resiliency, with a focus on leveraging the opportunities presented by both.

Participants will also benefit from a professional cohort and sustainability network of peers in the private sector, representing a diversity of roles, ranks, company sizes, and industries. This includes managers, directors, senior directors, vice presidents, and senior vice presidents — all those with strategic oversight of sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), or the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG), as well as operational managers who aspire to such a role.

Together, participants will work to identify leverage points for organizational change and professional development to achieve a sustainability advantage, and help increase organizational resilience. Sessions and field study will enable them to leave with tangible, applied tools that can be used in their workplace and personal lives.

Learn more about the Professional Certificate in Sustainability Strategy and register today. Email sustainabilityskills@asu.edu for more information. The best early bird rate ends January 15, 2020.