Enroll in a Sustainable Practices online Seminar

Welcome to the University of Colorado Boulder’s Sustainable Practices Program online enrollment.

You can enroll in individual online seminars at any time during the first 3 weeks after a Program Session begins. Our program is flexible to meet the needs of busy professionals like you trying to increase their sustainability expertise. However, please review the seminar dates below.

Read the prompts carefully and complete the enrollment and payment process. Note that your “seat” is not reserved until we receive your payment. Once your enrollment is received and confirmed, you will receive email confirmation. 

We look forward to working with you and helping you through the process. If you have any questions, please contact an Enrollment Representative at 303-492-7438, or by email at sustainability@colorado.edu.

Seminar 1: Fundamentals of Sustainability and Resource Leadership

Seminar Description:

The seminar objective is to develop a foundational understanding of technical approaches and analytical frameworks that can be used to develop, execute, and monitor sustainability. We will review the history of sustainability, cover core frameworks and principles. Our focus will be on the short term goals and actions that are available to individual businesses, non-profits groups, and individual jurisdictions. Examples of topics we will cover include carbon accounting, ecological footprint analysis, systems approaches to resource management, water and energy conservation, waste reduction and recycling, and transportation and green building.

We highly recommend completing seminars in sequence. Seminars 1, 2 and 3 must be completed to be eligible for the final culminating seminars 4a and 4b. Please contact an Enrollment Representative for more information.

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Seminar 2: Organizational Change and Communication Strategies

Seminar Description:

Students will learn about the process of promoting a culture of sustainability, encompassing change at the human, departmental, and organizational levels. Topics covered include: adaptive vs. transformative change, laying the foundation for change, relationship building, leadership for innovation, policy development, sustainable characteristics of organizations, recognizing disincentives, benchmarking, community-based social marketing, community partnerships, dealing with resistance and creating buy-in.

Communication strategies covered in this seminar include how to design successful strategic communications among employees, clients, and the public. We will tap into the latest research from policymakers, think tanks, researchers and organizations that are on the forefront of messaging about sustainability, and we’ll examine what is working, what has not, and why. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to frame sustainability, develop a communications plan, and implement the plan with confidence and leadership.

Finally this seminar will also address best-practices for stakeholder engagement. Participants will learn facilitation tactics to identify shared mission, vision, and core values. We will also learn strategies to create a shared story that enables your organization to convey a shared identity and purpose around sustainability initiatives.

We highly recommend completing seminars in sequence. Seminars 1, 2 and 3 must be completed to be eligible for the final culminating seminars 4a and 4b. Please contact an Enrollment Representative for more information.

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Seminar 3: Applied Sustainability: Planning, Implementation and Assessment

Seminar Description:

This final seminar in the preparatory series will bring together many of the concepts and skills learned in the previous two seminars and provide guided practical experience into the application of sustainability within organizations. Students will gain experience in applying and implementing sustainability tools such as assessments, setting goals, ranking and determining initiatives, measuring sustainability efforts, reporting tools and stakeholder engagement for organizations.  In order to successfully lead and implement sustainability initiatives, participants will also be introduced to and practice using sustainability accounting and auditing tools, and making the case for proposed initiatives including return on investment, as well as developing strategic sustainability plans.

The content and exercises in this Seminar are robust and time-consuming and it is recommended that participants schedule at least 45 days to complete this Seminar.

We highly recommend completing seminars in sequence. Seminars 1, 2 and 3 must be completed to be eligible for the final culminating seminars 4a and 4b. Please contact an Enrollment Representative for more information.

Enroll Now!

Seminar 4a: Business Sustainability Leadership

Seminar Description:

In the 21st century, sustainability is an imperative for business success, as well as a source of new opportunity. The intention of this seminar is to integrate the concepts of sustainability into a comprehensive business model that is based on the triple bottom line of social, environmental and financial performance, or People, Planet, and Profit. This seminar will examine the issues, challenges and concerns of providing Sustainability Leadership specific to the private sector, including maximizing efficiencies, making the business case, corporate social responsibility and reporting. Topics will include an in-depth review of policy and regulation, the effects of business practices on developing countries, social justice, human health, and climate change; as well as the positive impacts of business models that incorporate corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Participants will learn to align operational functioning with sustainability. They also will learn and practice stakeholder engagement and facilitation techniques to use in their own organization.

This culminating Seminar requires students to complete a mentored sustainability project with tangible deliverable. Students are paired with a seasoned sustainability professional for mentorship.

We highly recommend completing seminars in sequence. Seminars 1, 2 and 3 must be completed to enroll in this seminar. Please contact an Enrollment Representative for more information.

Seminar 4b: Community Sustainability Leadership

Seminar Description:

In the 21st century, sustainability is an imperative for community vitality, as well as a source of new opportunity. The intention of this seminar is to integrate the concepts of urban sustainability into a comprehensive sustainable cities model that is based on the triple bottom line of social, environmental and financial performance, or People, Planet, and Profit. This seminar will examine the issues, challenges and concerns of providing Sustainability Leadership specific to the three primary social sectors (government, private, nonprofit), including making the business case, the social justice case and the environmental protection case. Topics will include an in-depth review of policy and regulation, the effects of business practices on local sustainability, social justice, human health, and climate change; as well as the positive impacts of alternative community development models. Participants will learn to align sustainability with concepts of governance, local economic vitality reporting, and community infrastructure changes for the future. They also will learn and practice stakeholder engagement and facilitation techniques to use in their own organization.

This culminating Seminar requires students to complete a mentored sustainability project with tangible deliverable. Students are paired with a seasoned sustainability professional for mentorship.

We highly recommend completing seminars in sequence. Seminars 1, 2 and 3 must be completed to enroll in this seminar. Please contact an Enrollment Representative for more information.