DESCRIPTION
[Flow of course] [Readings] [Grading]
Environmental product differentiation opens new markets. Green procurement and total quality environmental management significantly reduce input and operating costs. Product innovation and eco-entrepreneurship are ways of doing well while doing good. These are some of the opportunities.
The cost of landfilling in the US is increasing rapidly. Communities are demanding higher standards of air, water and soil quality. European and Japanese legislation on product take-back and waste exports concerns many US manufacturers. Rising fuel prices make fuel-efficiency a competitive factor. These are some of the challenges.
This course takes a holistic view of the interaction of businesses with the environment. It outlines reasons why businesses would want to care about environmental issues, introduces environmental assessment and management tools, and visits topics from various business functions. The main topics that will be covered are:
Ø Relevant domestic and international environmental legislation
Ø Environmental assessment and management tools
Ø Corporate environmental programs
Ø Environmental marketing
Ø Environmental operations
Ø Closed-loop supply chains
Ø Sustainable Development
Who Should Take this Course?
If you’ve ever asked “What do I need to know about environmental issues to make my company more successful?” this course is for you. And if you haven’t, maybe this is the right time! There are many reasons to care about how businesses interact with the environment – from the basic (cost reduction, compliance) to the inspiring (entrepreneurial opportunities), and this course will get you started on identifying and capitalizing on these opportunities.
Click here for a 1-page summary of the course flow.
Readings,
Handouts, and the Course Book
There are no required textbooks for this course, but below are a partial list of reference books and popular environmental books that we will draw on in class. Complementary material such as case studies and articles will be included in the course pack, distributed on CD, or posted on the web site during the semester.
Silent Spring, Carson
Ecology of Commerce, Hawken
In Earth's Company, Frankel
Cannibals with Forks, Elkington
Enviro-Capitalist: Doing Good While Doing Well, Anderson and Leal
Industrial Ecology, Graedel and Allenby
Streamlined Life-Cycle Assessment, Graedel
Environmental Economics: An Elementary Introduction, Turner, Pearce and Bateman
Measuring Corporate Environmental Performance, Epstein
The Skeptical Environmentalist, Lomborg
Your grade will be based on three items, weighted as follows:
· Assignments (individual): 20%
· Group project: 50% (individual grade will incorporate evaluations by team members)
· Class participation: 30%(half of this is attendance)
You can do one optional in-class presentation (1 slide, 5 minutes) on a topic, book, company, NGO, etc. of your choice to count towards your participation grade.