Communicating Sustainability through Stories and Hope: a course on Business and the Natural Environment Trudy Heller, Ph.D. Executive Education for the Environment USA Greening of Industry Network Conference Cardiff, Wales, UK July 2006

T. Heller ExecEd-environment Graduate Students in MBA, Public Policy and Environmental Studies

T. Heller ExecEd-environment 45 diaries from 6 classes include emotional reactions, areas of agreement or disagreement, the discovery of new insights, challenges or questioning attitudes and beliefs, etc. - Do NOT summarize the readings or discussion. -Optional; not graded; points toward grade

T. Heller ExecEd-environment From Discouraged  In the business world…environmental goals just never do seem to command the attention that profit driven motives do.  …regulation is the only mechanism to spur change in a competitive industry.  Seriously, though, the tragedy of the commons seems unavoidable in most cases.

T. Heller ExecEd-environment Discouraged  We not only need to fix environmental issues but political, social and economic… It seems like such an uphill battle.

T. Heller ExecEd-environment To Hopeful from Environmental Studies students:  “Michael Porter’s article was fantastic. It was really inspiring and made me think about things in a new way. I have wanted to go into business environmental performance, and this really boosted my confidence that a field actually exists.”  The film we watched was very intriguing and uplifting… However, I was upset by the fact that I wasn’t aware of these advancements before.

T. Heller ExecEd-environment Hopeful … This course has not only been an eye-opener for me as an average civilian, but also as a business student. I feel I have been made aware of many more business problems, but at the same time, I now have knowledge of many more business opportunities. Ken Peattie’s ideas to me are profound..…If we have any hopes of a sustainable future, this form of thinking is the way..

T. Heller ExecEd-environment Hopeful  I found the Basel Action network video incredible. They should show this video to the aspiring electrical engineers and business people involved with electronics…. This video…needs to get more publicity… This is the type of video that if it’s seen once, it will be remembered.

T. Heller ExecEd-environment A Coherent Story Promotes Transformation  The information in the second half of the class didn’t feel like it flowed as logically as it did in the first half. …I found myself …trying to figure out what we were talking about and why, how it fits.

T. Heller ExecEd-environment “Garbage Can” of Problems and Solutions Problems  Energy cost  Waste disposal  Hazardous waste  Hazardous materials  Site remediation  End of Life responsibilitySolutions  Design for env  EMS  POEMS  Green Chemistry  Supply chain mgm’t  Life cycle analysis

T. Heller ExecEd-environment 3 Stories: Shifts in the Business World Driving Sustainable Business Mgmt. II. II. Eliminate -not reduce- waste I. A second industrial revolution III. Greener development of the bottom of the economic pyramid