The Boulder-Denver area is well known for its conscientiousness regarding the environment. Through Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR) at Leeds, students can enroll in a variety of courses that consider what role businesses and leaders have to all stakeholders, including the environment. Some classes encourage students to think about the environmental impact of business activities and to weigh them with other more standard business measures like profitability.
Students from Sustainable Venturing on a field trip to the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL).
One such class offered to both Full-Time MBA students and to Masters of the Environment students is Sustainable Venturing. The course is taught by Professor Jeffrey York who has industry experience and research experience in how to merge business with environmental responsibility. Throughout the semester, students are challenged to think about sustainability in the context of new ventures – both in terms of new products and services.
In addition to developing a business plan for a sustainable venture, students learn from guest speakers from many industries such as natural and organics and real estate. Likewise, the class interacts with the local business community and each team is assigned a mentor from an industry that aligns with their project. Other opportunities to build skills are field trips – like one to the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL).
