The Sustainable Business Group at the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business is working to increase awareness about alternatives to environmentally unfriendly manufacturing practices and work toward a more environmentally conscious future.
“Really, our responsibility is education,” SBG Vice President Benjamin Gordon said. “We’re here to educate the community.”
The student group, founded two years ago, hosts guest speakers from local businesses with the intent of showing students how businesses have been both successful and environmentally responsible. Many of the speakers have emphasized using alternatives to products such as plastics and finding ways to reuse their resources in order to work toward “long-term survival” rather than “short-term profits,” according to Programs Director Alexander Friedman.
“Green business works when you add environmental and social costs on to your balance sheet,” Friedman said.
SBG was inspired by the annual Sustainable Business Symposium, which also hosts guest speakers at the Lundquist College of Business, along with trade expos, panels and workshops. The purpose of the symposium is similar to that of SBG, although the symposium has been co-hosted by other disciplines. When the first symposium was held in 1997, the Environmental Studies Program, the law school and the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management also participated, according to co-adviser Vera Kewene.
Aside from educating fellow students about sustainability, several SBG members said they have grown personally from working within the group of eight student members.
“It’s opened a wealth of opportunity in my eyes,” Gordon said. “It’s a great way to educate oneself on how others have been successful in making a living while being a socially conscious member of society.”
SBG is also working on a waste-reduction project around the University, and is hoping to increase awareness about reducing waste.
“I think it’s really important that business students consider the environment,” Director of Development Saki Amemiya said. “Recycling can help (businesses) get more benefits. I really want people to think ‘sustainability.’”
SBG is hosting a presentation today by Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Vermont-based company Seventh Generation, at 7 p.m. in 182 Lillis. Hollender’s company uses recycled materials to make environmentally friendly household products such as laundry detergents and toilet paper. According to the company’s Web site, the name Seventh Generation comes from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy, which states: “In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”