Expanding Connections

Running a successful business is no easy feat. Tackling sustainability in a meaningful way can be a daunting task, and many think that accomplishing both is wishful thinking. Here at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, we're always seeking to find transformative, effective, and efficient ways to disprove those doubters and make sustainable business the norm.

This week, we're thrilled to announce a new partnership that will help students and businesses tackle these challenges on a macro level. Together, the Yale School of Management, the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development have aligned to directly connect business leaders with future sustainability leaders of tomorrow. In addition to the natural synergies between the three organizations, the partnership's impact is particularly poised to have meaningful impacts on business practices through the SOM-established 25-school-strong Global Network for Advanced Management.

According to Bakker, “the world needs action on sustainability issues, and more importantly, action that can be scaled up. We’re partnering with Yale University to better leverage the worlds of science and management schools to scale up ideas and create new ways of approaching how business can positively contribute to a sustainable future.”

The work is already getting started. Already in progress - an online course, Natural Capital: Risks and Opportunities in Global Resource Systems, taught by CBEY co-director Brad Gentry. Coming up - targeted internships and research opportunities for students interested in the connections between business and the environment, as well as workshops, curriculum development, and a speaker series drawing on the experiences of the CEOs who make up the WBCSD.

Learn more about Bakker's vision for sustainable business development in his Yale Insights conversation. You can also view "The Path to Resilient Prosperity," a discussion between Bakker, NRDC President Frances Beinecke, and GIST Advisory Founder and CEO Pavan Sukhdev, and keep an eye out for updates on upcoming partnership initiatives!