Companies are learning that environmental sustainability offers competitive opportunities, improves efficiency and opens up new markets.
Management Innovation
New co-authored paper from Erb Managing Director, Rick Bunch examines global landscape of sustainability education
February 2, 2012
Sustainability and Management Education in China and India: Enabling a Global Green Economic Transition (pdf abstract), or Read the paper online.
By:
Rick Bunch, Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan
Jacob Park, Green Mountain College
Runa Sarkar, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
The Oxford Handbook of Business and the Natural Environment
November 30, 2011
The Oxford Handbook of Business and the Natural Environment
Edited by Pratima Bansal and Andrew J. Hoffman
Oxford University Press, December 2011
Understanding the intersection of business activity and environmental protection has become increasingly complex, and there has emerged a focus in academic research on business decision-making, firm behavior, and the protection of the natural environment. This handbook reviews the state of the field as it grows into a mature area of study within management science, its achievements, and its future avenues of research. It brings together original contributions in the field along several lines of inquiry. The first six focus on disciplines as delineated in contemporary business schools: business strategy; policy and non-market strategies; organizational theory and behavior; operations and technology; marketing; and accounting and finance. The seventh section reviews emergent and associated perspectives, whilst a concluding section, written by long-standing leaders in the field, discusses the future outlook for research. Additional Details
Creative Solutions for Addressing RO Brine in India
November 22, 2011
Project: Creative Solutions for Addressing RO Brine in India
Client: Sarvajal Private Water Limited
Faculty Advisor: Ming Xu
Student Group Members:
Lauren Berent, MS Sustainable Systems
Lilly Connett, MS Aquatic Sciences/Sustainable Systems
Caitlin Harren, MBA/MS Sustainable Systems
Kathryn Harris, MS Behavior, Education and Communication
Meredith Neely, MSE/MS Sustainable Systems
Vaishnavi Tripuraneni, MS Sustainable Systems
Abstract: The Piramal Foundation, operates under the brand “Sarvajal”, provides clean and affordable drinking water to over 64,000 people in rural India through locally leased and operated reverse-osmosis (RO) water purification franchises. RO produces liquid brine that is not potable. Due to water scarcity and contamination, making the most of water resources is especially critical in India, particularly within the context of global climate change and development pressures.
This project aims to find economically and socially acceptable solutions for the brine. A team of six SNRE students, led by Sarvajal staff and SNRE faculty, researched, developed, pilot-tested and analyzed creative and culturally relevant solutions for using the brine produced as a by-product of reverse osmosis. The team ran on the ground pilots at selected Sarvajal franchisee locations in India over the summer. The team aims not only to provide Sarvajal with a viable solution but also to contribute to the literature on solutions for dealing with brine from small scale RO processes.
Building a Sustainability Strategy for Solo Cup Company
November 22, 2011
Project: Building a Sustainability Strategy for Solo Cup Company
Client: Solo Cup Company
Faculty Advisor: Scott Noesen
Student Group Members:
Elise Hunter, MBA/MS Environmental Policy and Planning
Stephanie Judd, MBA/MS Environmental Policy and Planning;
Michelle Lin, MBA/MS Behavior, Education and Communication
Mary Sell, MS Environmental Policy and Planning/Sustainable Systems
Abstract: Solo Cup is a $1.6 billion international company that produces single-use, disposable, packaging options for the modern consumer. In 2009, Solo Cup created a Sustainability Department to create and implement a corporate sustainability strategy that would support the company’s short- and long-term business objectives. Prior to the establishment of the department, sustainability initiatives were independently identified and pursued across the firm. In the fall of 2010, a Master’s Project group from the University of Michigan initiated a project with Solo Cup in order to develop short and long-term strategic sustainability goals for the organization. While Solo Cup strongly supports departmental ownership and pursuit of sustainability initiatives, the project sought to ensure these initiatives support the firm’s overall business objectives, have a demonstrable positive economic impact, and support the firm’s broader sustainability agenda. Furthermore, the project aims to integrate sustainability into the firm’s culture at both the organizational and individual levels. The student-led team worked extensively with both internal and external stakeholders to build a viable strategy for the company. The team considered both the short and long term priorities of the company in order to ensure the recommended sustainability strategy and goals would be appropriate for the company’s business objectives, while allowing for quantifiable, measurable progress.
Erb Speaker Series / Detroit Dirt: Sustainable Urban Entrepreneurship in Detroit
November 1, 2011
Detroit Dirt has a vision of putting the city’s most abundant resource to work—land. Vacant land can employ people in the community, establish youth led businesses and educational programs, while simultaneously developing sustainable neighborhoods by creating community gardens. The vision of Detroit Dirt is to regenerate waste into organic materials –namely compost – for the revitalization of Detroit using the ecosystem as a guide and model for creating sustainable businesses. Detroit Dirt has also worked closely with General Motors to help the company reduce the amount of waste that it produces and to improve GMs facilities with sustainable enhancements.
Detroit Dirt was co-founded by Greg Willerer and Pashon Murray. Greg Willerer is a former teacher in the Chicago and Detroit school systems. He started Brother Nature farms three years ago in Detroit’s Corktown. Greg has been featured in Time Magazine for his positive impact on the urban farming movement in Detroit. Currently, Greg sells his produce to local restaurants and farmer markets. Greg Willerer has experienced and proved that urban farming in the city of Detroit can provide an income, help the environment, and make a major contribution to Detroit’s food systems.
Pashon Murray has extensive experience starting new businesses as an entrepreneur, working in areas of community development, education and land development. Pashon’s professional career spans several years and is uniquely diverse, focusing in areas of marketing, lobbying and corporate initiatives concentrating in sustainability. Pashon has had the opportunity to build some great professional relationships and social capital with Associated Builders Contractors (ABC), Repower America, Michigan Works, Oakland Community College, Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation (NWF), The City of Grand Rapids, and The Alliance for Climate Protection, and Wayne State University. Pashon is very passionate about the environment and she has dedicated her life to environmental justice and campaigning for clean energy.
John Bradburn is a Staff Environmental Engineer with GMs Real Estate and Facilities Group, Energy and Environment, Global Environmental Programs. John’s current job responsibilities include implementing process and product technology improvements on a global basis that reduce environmental impacts and costs. These improvements include working with suppliers, product and manufacturing engineers as well as external stakeholder groups from a Design for the Environment (DfE) perspective to improve the global environment.
John has been recoginized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Environmental Excellence in Transportation group, with four Environmental Excellence in Transportation awards for material development and usage as well as reuse and recycling projects. He has also received numerous GM internal environmental recognitions and is responsible for GMs Design for the Environment (DfE) activities, including the landfill free initiative. To date, this program has resulted in over half of GMs global manufacturing operations (76) and 13 non-manufacturing operations eliminating all manufacturing waste from entering landfills.
Corporate Sustainability Report for Aurora Organic Dairy
June 8, 2011
Project: Charting the Course for Sustainability at Aurora Organic Dairy – Phase III: Developing a Prototype Corporate Sustainability Report
Client: Aurora Organic Dairy
Faculty Advisor: Scott Noesen and Greg Keoleian
Student Group Members:
Rosemary Lapka, MBA/MS Sustainable Systems
Neesha Modi, MBA/MS Sustainable Systems
Lauren Start, MBA/MS Sustainable Systems
David Weinglass, MBA/MS Sustainable Systems
This masters project is the third in a series of three projects. The first project conducted a cradle to grave energy and green house gas footprint for a gallon of packaged Aurora Organic Dairy (AOD) milk. The second phase expanded the analysis by updating the energy and carbon footprints and conducting water, waste and nutrient lifecycle analyses. The third phase will update relevant areas of the energy, green house gas and water footprints and research indicators, metrics, industry benchmarks, and other relevant data needed to create and draft an effective prototype corporate sustainability report (CSR). AOD’s CSR will draw from CSR reporting best practices and standards, including relevant economic, environmental, and social elements such as energy and water use, animal welfare, charitable giving, and employee benefits. The resulting prototype report will provide the components for AOD to complete its first CSR, which will link results of ongoing operations with short-term and long-term sustainability goals.
Campus Energy Management for UM Cisco Systems
June 8, 2011
Project: Campus Energy Management via the IP Network: A Feasibility Study for Achieving Energy Efficiency via EnergyWise
Client: Cisco Systems
Faculty Advisor: Jarod Kelly
Student Group Members:
Sarah Howie, Erb ’12
Bryan Hogle, Erb ’11
Tim Haines, MS Sustainable Systems
Hunt Briggs, Erb ’11
The goal of the project is to investigate the current state of and future potential for IT-based energy management technologies at the University of Michigan.
Download the Report (pdf)
Read the Abstract on Deep Blue (html)
Renewables Strategy for Southern Company
April 25, 2011
Southern Company Renewable Energy Masters Project Team
Project: Renewable Energy Investment Strategies for Southern Company: A Scenario Planning Analysis
Client: Southern Company
Faculty Advisor: John DeCicco
Student Group Members:
Alanya Schofield, MBA/MS Environmental Policy and Planning
Michelle Quibell, MBA/MS Sustainable Systems
Jennifer Ritchey, MBA/MS Environmental Policy and Planning
Nick Abstoss, MBA/MS Sustainable Systems
Chris Hicks, MBA/MS Sustainable System
The objective of this year-long masters project was to develop renewable energy investment timelines and strategies for Southern Company over the next twenty years under various plausible federal energy and climate legislation scenarios. Phase one of the project was comprised of benchmarking renewable energy investments from other comparable regulated utilities to identify the key drivers and barriers to such investments and the types of technologies being deployed. After this initial research phase, we developed a model with input from the client to identify the quantity, type and timing of renewable energy deployment under various policy scenarios, focusing primarily on a federal Renewable Energy Standard and a price on carbon. Primary inputs for this model include existing load capacity for Southern Company, projected cost estimates for renewable and fossil fuel technologies, renewable energy potential within the territory, capacity values for each technology and policy factors. Finally, we performed primary and secondary research on project costs for renewable energy technologies for the next twenty years to established breakeven costs under the different scenarios.
April 1 – Impact Investing Seminar with Erb Alum Kipp Baratoff
March 24, 2011
This is a free one-day, non-credit, intensive seminar open to MBA and MBA/MS students, and others by request. Ross, R1220 from 9am-5pm.
April 13 – Erb Speaker Series / Dr. James Salo, Trucost
February 28, 2011
“Understanding & Managing Environmental Impacts.” 5-6:30 pm, R 1240. Free and open to the public. Light refreshments. Announcement
Tweet
