Beyond the Classroom: Erb on the Road Brings Business Sustainability to Life

At the Erb Institute, we believe that sustainability can’t be fully understood from behind a desk. It needs to be seen, questioned, felt. That’s the ethos behind Erb on the Road, an immersive course that takes Erb Institute dual degree MBA/MS students out of the classroom and into the communities and conversations shaping the future of business and sustainability.

Led by Erb’s Managing Director Melissa Zaksek, Erb on the Road combines classroom dialogue with on-the-ground exposure. Over the course of several days, students travel across Michigan, meeting with nonprofit leaders, community organizers, corporate change-makers, and policy advocates. The result? A hands-on learning experience that’s as challenging as it is transformative.

"Erb on the Road is designed to introduce our incoming MBA/MS students to the complexities of business sustainability in practice. By taking this course out of the classroom, Erbers gain a more nuanced appreciation of what it means to drive change at a systems level. And, it’s a great opportunity for us to introduce our students to Michgan’s unique and exciting innovation and economic opportunities."
— Melissa Zaksek, Managing Director, Erb Institute

The course has evolved since its launch in 2019. While the first offerings focused on companies’ environmental and social impact, the program has since explored questions around broader stakeholder-informed business sustainability decision-making. In recent years, Erb on the Road experiences have included in-depth examinations of environmental justice in Detroit, deep dives into rural utility-scale renewable energy siting, and explorations of the role of corporations in shaping sustainability policy. Students are presented with the opportunity to engage with leaders tackling issues in various sectors—public, private, NGO, and research—connecting academic theory with the complex realities playing out across the state.

In 2024, the itinerary included a session with community advocate Ashley Rudzinski of the Great Lakes Business Network, whose work on the controversial Line 5 pipeline brought to light the power of narrative in advocacy while challenging students to consider the interplay between economics and environmental protection more deeply. Students also met with researchers like Dr. Sarah Mills from the University of Michigan, whose analysis of property tax policy and integrated resource plans prompted new ways of thinking about renewable energy and rural equity.

Building a Learning Community

Alongside the professional exposure and intellectual challenge, Erb on the Road plays another essential role: it helps build community among the incoming Erb cohort. The shared experience of learning, traveling, and reflecting together accelerates connection and camaraderie—laying the foundation for peer support, collaboration, and a sense of belonging that lasts well beyond the course.

The immersive format gives students the chance not just to observe but to process together: long bus rides lead to impromptu debates, shared meals spark new ideas, and evening debriefs make space for vulnerability, perspective shifts, and reflection.

Grappling With Complexity

Erb on the Road isn’t meant to provide easy answers—it’s designed to surface difficult questions. The course challenges students to sit with complexity, recognize competing priorities, and reflect on what it really takes to lead change across systems.

And that’s exactly the point. Erb on the Road is about seeing the intersection of business, sustainability, and justice not as abstract ideals, but as urgent and interconnected challenges that demand new kinds of leadership.

“Erb on the Road pushes our students to grapple with the real-world complexities that business sustainability leaders face—balancing opportunity with trade-offs, and weighing impacts that are often far-reaching and unpredictable. These decisions can’t be made in isolation. Community needs, unintended consequences, and hidden costs or benefits must all be part of the equation. By taking our students directly to the places where these choices play out—set against the backdrop of Michigan’s natural beauty—we help them see what it means to lead, and imagine themselves in those roles.”

 — Melissa Zaksek, Managing Director, Erb Institute