I read today about a program in the US, where MBA students get placed in large corporatons to help them begin their sustainability journey.
The program is run by the Environmental Defense Fund under the banner – Climate Corps – and sees some of the best and brightest of US business schools getting placed in major corporations like Yahoo to advise on all matters sustainable.
Climate Corps is the first program of its kind to put MBA students’ financial and analytical skills—as well as a passion for the environment—to work developing an economic rationale for energy efficiency.
Recruits from top business schools undergo intensive training in fundamental energy efficiency strategies. They are then placed as Climate Corps Fellows at carefully selected companies that agree to to provide a dedicated high-level project sponsor, grant access to relevant areas of the company and ultimately take action.
Over the course of 10-12 weeks, the Climate Corps Fellows develop detailed business cases for their final recommendations. The end result is a thoroughly-researched set of recommendations and tools to drive next steps. Results from the first year of the program demonstrate the impact of this innovative approach.
As a growing number of MBA students seek to address environmental challenges, Climate Corps helps them and host companies break new ground for energy efficiency and bottom-line impact.
This is the kind of thing that more Australian business schools should get involved in. It seems so few of them have strong internship programs, or at least far less developed than some of their American counterparts.
I also think they need to place a much stronger emphasis on integrating sustainability into their curriculum. For now, we don’t seem to have enough forward thinking business practitioners that see sustainability as a real competitive advantage, rather than just a cost.
I’m hoping I can do my part to persuade MGSM (the school where I am currently doing my MBA) to do more to inspire the next generation of business leaders. In my mind, it’s a great way to differentiate yourself and show you see opportunity where others see problems – which really is all we could ask from a business leader.
