This is the first part in a two-part series on the role of systems thinking in business solutions for sustainable development. For most of us, it is rare to go through a single day without hearing the words “sustainability” or “green” applied to anything from Apple...
Smart Appliances Crucial for Smoothing the Energy Demand Curve Smart home appliances built to communicate directly with the Smart Grid would reduce peak electrical demand and the need for utilities to generate power known as “spinning reserves,” writes Erb...
By Holly Tallon The other day I watched a documentary that focused on one main question: are humans innately competitive or cooperative, or a mixture of both? This question really struck me because I realized I had never really thought about it much, considering how...
People complain that my generation’s “addiction” to technology will lead us down the path of unsustainability. I think they are wrong. While it is true that my generation, Gen Y (those born after 1980) is the quickest demographic to adopt new computing trends, the...
Corporate sustainability strategies are common practice in today’s corporate America, going far beyond a company’s environmental footprint, to becoming a central part of company strategy. Sustainability challenges companies to think about themselves as part of an...
The most sophisticated management system in the world was developed in a laboratory of iron, oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon surrounded by a thin layer of ozone. This system, what we call the planet’s ecosystems, costlessly manages biological functions that allow us to...
Four substantial, student-led sustainability projects are gaining momentum on campus, thanks to financial support from the new Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund. One of them is the Reusable Containers Program, headed by Erb students Phel meyer, Rich Grousset and...
As of 2011, the University of Michigan campus was generating 10,000 tons of solid waste every year - nearly 28 tons per day. The University realizes this is a major problem and has begun taking action accordingly. President Coleman recently set an ambitious target of...
Read more: Whole Foods’ Detroit Gamble (pdf) Read online: Whole Foods’ Detroit Gamble (html)
Patagonia: Encouraging Customers to Buy Used Clothing (pdf abstract) Purchase the full report on Patagonia A: Encouraging Customers to Buy Used Clothing (Case study #1-429-230) – published 03/2012, 22 pages. By: Allyson Johnson, Courtney Lee, Steven Rippberger, and...