Because the concept might be new to some, David Riley, executive director of the Penn State Center for Sustainability, defined the idea of sustainable business for a group of about 40 students.
“This is an emerging concept. People think that sustainability is just about the environment, but it’s about things that last,” he said.
Acknowledging the growing amount of start-up companies and entrepreneurs emerging in our environmentally-declining world, a panel of experts addressed students in Foster Auditorium on Monday evening about opportunities and careers in sustainable business.
The overarching point expressed by the panelists was that with the future in mind, there is no other choice than to conduct business in a sustainable way.
Michael Peck, founder of the MAPA Group, brought a “doing well by doing good” mindset to his business development consulting practice. He spoke zealously about the importance of sustainable business practices.
“[Sustainable business] is exactly what the country needs. In fact, this is the most patriotic thing we can do,” Peck said.
The panelists listed and explained the different types of businesses taking a sustainable approach, an approach that is dedicated to reducing the negative impact on global or local environments and communities.
During the question and answer segment of the program, students voiced concerns that they were feeling unprepared to apply knowledge they learned in school to the workplace, specifically in sustainable business.
Cole Hons, the discussion moderator and Strategic Communications Director at the Penn State Center for Sustainability, asked the audience to raise their hands if they felt their Penn State education provided them with the skills to enter the workplace. Less than half of the students in attendance raised their hands.
Victoria Buchler (senior-sculpture) said she came to the panel looking to learn more about a career in sustainability and to find out what direction to take if that is her passion.
For the group of attendees who didn’t feel prepared to enter the “real world”, the panelists emphasized the differences in most small, sustainable business companies compared to large corporations.
Peck said co-operatives, companies who are collectively owned by their members, give employees a voice, regardless of their position in the company.
Andy Smith, a professor in Penn State Great Valley’s new MBA program in sustainability management, said current corporate business practices are based upon assumptions that no longer apply.
“Sustainability is built upon a whole new set of assumptions. It is the future,” Smith said.
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