Since the 90’s, businesses have been warming to the ideas behind sustainable markets: for example, the triple bottom line, environmental footprints, and stakeholder engagement. But core business operations have pretty much continued as usual, serving the same markets with the same products, even in leading companies.
But a new phase of sustainability is beginning. Social entrepreneurs are using for-profit business models to address seemingly intractable social problems. And corporations are starting to include clean technologies in their business models. But to stay competitive and ensure success, it is important that universities educate students–the next generation of business leaders–to meet these challenges.
Together with Engineers for a Sustainable World, the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University, and Penn State University, WRI will host the Business Engineering (BE) Sustainability Workshop to develop and promote sustainable enterprise curricula. The workshop is supported by the National Science Foundation.
The workshop will address the need for new technologies and enterprises to meet the basic needs of the world’s poor. WRI and its network of business schools and industry partners have been working on Bottom of the Pyramid (low-income) market development, which WRI has developed through case studies, the NextBillion blog, and other resources.
Energy for Economic Vitality is a new WRI program that promotes renewable energy businesses to serve the poor in developing countries. Commercializing new clean energy technologies is an important part of addressing energy security, climate change, and poverty alleviation. The workshop will identify opportunities for business and engineering students to collaborate for more effective clean technology development and deployment.
WRI is taking a long-term approach to preparing tomorrow’s leaders for the challenges of global business sustainability. The BE Sustainability Workshop will bring academics and practitioners together with business and engineering students to explore ways to develop and commercialize new technologies. The event is at the University of Maryland in College Park on February 16-17, 2007.
Sheri Willoughby, Senior AssociateSheri Willoughby is a senior associate in the Markets & Enterprise Program where she manages the Accelerating Clean Energy Markets (ACEM) project in India, which supports renewable energy business in underserved communities.
