SYLLABUS

GREEN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

MGMT 252

Spring 10 Instructor: Will O’Brien

Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday (by appointment) Office: Carlson Hall #315
Class: Tuesday & Thursday, 4:15 – 5:30 PM Email: wobrien@clarku.edu
Classroom: JC102 Cell: 978-793-1635
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Target Audience: Juniors, Seniors & Graduate Students – All majors

Course Description:

This course introduces the concept and practice of sustainable development (SD) and energy management
(EM). SD/EM are explored as they related to local small business, the local government, local non-profits
and local citizens. Note that “local” can be any community in any country.

The course explores the nature of the “Triple Bottom Line” (TBL)—the simultaneous delivery of
economic, social, and environmental performance—and teaches students to apply models, tools, best
practices and frameworks to incorporate social and environmental dimensions into daily operations.

Course design enables future leaders to provide guidance, leadership and support to organizations in the
development and successful execution of initiatives in SD/EM. The course will include lectures, case
studies, guest speakers and community-based projects to illustrate issues, challenges and opportunities
related to SD/EM.

Competencies & Learning Objectives:

By applying and integrating the knowledge, skills, and attitudes acquired in the course to real world
sustainability and energy management problems through a community engagement experience, students
will develop the following:
Knowledge
• Awareness of basic environmental science and energy management concepts and issues related to
sustainable development.
• Understanding of the principles, best practices and processes in SD/EM and their successful
application
• Comprehension of the business case for SD/EM within local organizations

Skills
• Solve quantitative and qualitative problems related to SD/EM
• Use potential solutions to justify informed decisions in a SD/EM implementation plan
• Analyze key factors relating to the success or failure of SD and/or EM projects including TBL
concepts
• Apply scientific knowledge and technology innovation as part of problem solving
• Employ critical thinking

Perspectives
• Passion for service to address the environmental, economic and social challenges of their
community
• Recognition of the local demand for change in individual as well as organizational practices to
preserve the environment for future generations

Essential Reading:

1. Rogers, Peter P., Kazi F. Jalal, Boyd, John. A., An Introduction to Sustainable Development; Glen
Educational Foundation, 2008.
2. McKenzie-Mohr, Doug, Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based
Social Marketing; available at no charge at www.cbsm.com/public/world.lasso
3. Reading assignments per the syllabus; articles and research papers posted on Cicada.

Supplemental Reading: these books are on reserve in the library for your use….

1. Green Urbanism Down Under: Learning from Sustainable Communities in Australia

2. The Urban War against Climate Change

3.Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems: Principles and Practices

4.The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices

5.Growing Greener Cities: Urban Sustainability in the Twenty-First Century

6. Consulting for Business Sustainability

7. Eco-Cities: Rebuilding Cities in Balance with Nature

8. Small Town Sustainability

9. Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources for Citizens and Their Governments

Additional Optional Reading:

1. Epstein, Mark J. (January 2008) Making Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing and
Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental and Economic Impacts, Berrett-Kohler Publishers, San
Francisco.
2. Cunningham, William P. (2007), Environmental Science – 9th Edition, McGraw Hill, New York.

Resources:
• Sustainable Communities Network at www.sustainable.org/
• Sustainability & Energy Management Plans developed by Bentley University, Clark University
and MA Maritime students will be made available for your reference at www.greenprof.org

A “Paperless” Course:

To enhance awareness of and reduce our own resource use, this course will strive to be a “paperless”
course. To facilitate our collective learning, we will rely heavily on technology including Cicada, email,
and a projector in class sessions for presentations and discussions. All written assignments will be
submitted electronically, and all feedback on written assignments will be made electronically. All
readings will be available electronically on Cicada, and students are encouraged to read the assignments
without printing out the readings. Mid-term and final exams will be conducted using Cicada.

Cicada:

This course will be supported by the Cicada (http://www.cicada.clarku.edu) course management system.
The Cicada site will contain class documents, assignments, and announcements. It will also contain
PowerPoint slides presented in class. If you encounter difficulties with the use of Cicada, please contact
sos@clarku.edu.

Professionalism:

Most students already have these habits; i.e., preparing for class, arriving on time, and
contributing to class discussions.

For the exceptions who do not…

• it is essential that you are fully prepared for “meetings”; in this case, for class.
• as a young professional, it is important that you be on time; i.e., arrive before class starts.
• it is important that you focus on your work; e.g., the use of laptops and/cell phones
during is not allowed.

Note: class sessions start on time; if you arrive late, one point will be deducted from your final
grade for the class.

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is highly valued at Clark. Research, scholarship and teaching are possible only in an
environment characterized by honesty and mutual trust. Academic integrity requires that your work be
your own. Because of the damage that violations of academic integrity do to the intellectual climate of the
University, they must be treated with the utmost seriousness and appropriate sanctions must be imposed.
The maintenance of high standards of academic integrity is the concern of every member of the
University community.

Evaluation and Grading:

Grades will be determined on the following basis:

Cases (4) 20%

Professionalism 15%
Exam 25%
Sustainability Planning Project 40%

Project > Sustainability/Energy Management Plan & Presentation:

Addendum A provides a listing and descriptive information on the projects which student teams will work on
this semester. During the second and third class, the clients will speak to the class, describe their
requirements, answer questions, etc.

In 4 person teams, students will develop Sustainability Plans to meet the unique needs of the selected
organizations.

Objectives of the project are to:

• Apply the knowledge gained in the course to help a local organization become green.
• Accelerate development of the competencies outlined above.
• Provide material for study in future delivery of this course.

The project will consist of both an oral presentation (25%) and a written SD/EM Plan (75%), with one
presentation and one paper being submitted for each team. The paper should consist of a maximum of 15
typed, double-spaced pages of narrative in 12-point font.
The team will be required to use the structure below as the basic outline. This may be modified to meet the
unique needs of the client:

• Background information of the organization

• Identification of opportunity areas regarding sustainable development and/or energy management
• Vision and reasons to "go green"
• Recommendations for or analysis of specific SD/EM initiatives for the organization
including possible barriers to implementation as well as enablers
• Recommendations to foster sustainable behavior within the client organization to enable
successful implementation of the plan
• Business case and/or financial justification, as applicable
• Performance measurements and reporting process to track successful implementation
Note: peer evaluations will be conducted at the end of the semester to identify team members who have
made an exceptional contribution as well as any “social loafer”; i.e., student who did not contribute.

Instructor Information: www.clarku.edu/gsom/faculty/facultybio.cfm?id=783&progid=20&

Addendum A - Community Engagement Sustainability & Energy Management Projects:

In collaboration with:
• International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE),
• Clark’s Community Engagement Volunteer (CEV) organization,
• Worcester's Department of Energy Efficiency and Conservation
• Institute for Energy & Sustainability (IES)
• Town of Stow, MA
The organizations chosen for the projects may be a community-based small businesses, not-for-profit
organizations or municipalities.
In January 2010, student teams will be established and client meetings arranged. Implementable SD/EM
plans developed and presented to clients during the Spring 2010 semester.
Worcester, MA
Specific projects identified as of this time include the development of a:
• Business plan for the establishment of a Sustainability Consulting firm in Worcester. Client is
Institute for Energy & Sustainability (IES) www.wpi.edu/news/20090/ieis.html
• Plan for Worcester Community Gardens throughout the city neighborhoods to provide organic
produce.
Stow, MA
In addition, several possible sustainability planning projects have been identified for the Town of Stow:
www.stow-ma.gov/Pages/index

• MA Green Communities Act: conduct research to determine the level of success of the Act; i.e.,
which communities are benefiting from it. www.mass.gov/energy/greencommunities
Determine if this legislation is useful for the Town of Stow:
o If yes, provide recommendations to enable Stow to benefit from the current legislation or
o If not, provide recommendations for modification the Act to make it applicable to small
townships.

Students: Graduate, Environmental Science & Policy majors.

Executive Sponsor: tbd

• Eco-mobility in Stow: there are two components:

#1 Examine the reasons for and lessons learned from the initiative which failed within the last
few years that provided transportation from the Stow Shopping Center to the Acton Train Station.
Conduct research of Stow residents to determine:
 o number of people who commute using the train
o number who would use the service (from Stow Shopping Center to Acton) if it were
reinstated
o what would be required to make this initiative successful
Based on this research, provide a recommendation to proceed or not. If the recommendation is to
proceed with the initiative, provide an implementable plan for the Town of Stow to implement.

#2 Investigate alternatives including: walking path, bike lanes or around town shuttle for Stow
residents. Provide recommendations.

Students: Undergraduate and graduate.

Executive Sponsor: Greg Jones, gregory.j@comcast.net

• Local Renewable Energy Options: conduct research to determine realistic and affordable
renewable energy alternatives for Stow residents. Provide information on the options including
local “success stories”, “how to” tips, easy-to-use financial analytical tools to calculate savings,
payback periods, etc. Publish on Town of Stow website, Energy & Sustainability section.

In addition, this project includes helping to plan and support Stow’s participation in the Energy
Fair to be conducted in Maynard, MA in March….date?

Students: Undergraduate and graduate.

Executive Sponsor: tbd

• Energy & Sustainability section for Town of Stow website: conduct research of other
community websites focused on Energy & Sustainability. Based on the findings, recommend 2-3
alternatives website formats which would be appropriate for the Energy & Sustainability section
the Town of Stow website. Given approval, develop and implement the website using appropriate
content management tools; e.g., WordPress or Indexhibit. http://wordpress.org/ or
http://www.indexhibit.org/ Transition to the appropriate organization; e.g., Stow Energy Group,
for on-going content management and support.

Students: Undergraduate and graduate.

Executive Sponsor: Sharon Brownfield sharonbrownfield@aol.com

• Community Awareness & Engagement: conduct research of other community sustainability

initiatives to identify approaches/initiatives which have been successful re: increasing awareness,
engaging residents and fostering sustainable behavior. www.cbsm.com/public/world.lasso
Based on this research, develop a plan which focuses on recommended initiatives for the Town of
Stow to implement.

Given the strong student interest in this topic and opportunities in Stow, two projects have been
created. As part of the discovery phase, teams will determine which audiences are appropriate for
their respective projects:
o Project #1: focus on a selection of these target audiences: Town employees:
Leadership/Administration, Town Hall Staff, Fire Department, Police Department,
Highway Department, etc.
 o Project #2: focus on a selection of these target audiences: Schools: Pompositticut (K-2),
Center (3-5) and Hale (6-8), Plantation Apartments (senior citizens) and Stow citizens in
general.
o An example is the Low Carbon Diet: http://www.empowermentinstitute.net/lcd/ ; the
handbook may be obtained from Amazon.com for $11.

o Other possible initiatives include guidelines which help residents:

ƒ Recycle and/or process for reuse a variety of products
ƒ Purchase local produce
ƒ Purchase green cleaning products
ƒ Others
Students: Undergraduate and graduate.
Executive Sponsor: Arnie Epstein arnold.epstein@comcast.net
Addendum B

DATE TOPIC REQUIRED READING ASSIGNMENT

Jan. 19 Introductions, review syllabus, projects and MGMT 252 Syllabus

Sustainability Planning and Tools.

Jan. 21 Sustainability Planning Projects; clients to Sustainability Planning and By Friday, Jan. 22nd
describe requirements for projects: Tools e-mail with your
team membership
• Chris Noonan, Institute for Energy & and the project(s) that
Sustainability (IES) you choose to work
• Julius Jones, Regional Environmental on.
Council
Jan. 26 Sustainability Planning Projects; clients to “Project Mgmt. Primer” – Projects assigned to
describe requirements for projects: Cicada teams.
• Arnie Epstein, Town of Stow

Jan. 28 “Greening the Community” lecture “Greening the Community”

lecture on Cicada
“Fostering Sustainable Behavior”
Paper – Cicada

Feb. 2 Energy Efficiency: John O’Dell, Energy Energy Efficiency - Cicada

Manager, Worcester
Feb. 4
Malthus to Sustainable Development Text, chapter #1 By Friday, Feb. 5th
upload practice
SOWs to Cicada

Feb. 9 Malthus to Sustainable Development Text, chapter #1

Case #1

Feb. 11 Challenges in Sustainable Development Text, chapter #2 By Friday, Feb. 12th

upload actual SOWs
to Cicada
Upload Case #1 to
Cicada.

Feb. 16 Challenges in Sustainable Development Text, chapter #2

Global Environmental Issues
Feb. 18 Text, chapter #3
Global Environmental Issues
Feb. 23 Text, chapter #3

Feb. 25 Sustainable Development Indicators Text, chapter #4

Mar. 2 Student Teams: Project Updates Text, chapter #4 Upload Project

Updates to Cicada.
 Mar. 4 Environmental Assessment Text, chapter #5

Mar. 9-11 No classes – Spring Break

Mar. 16 Sustainability in Higher Education: Upload Case #2 to

Cicada.
• Nathan Gauthier www.greencampus.harvard.edu
Harvard Office for Sustainability
Mar. 18 Environmental Management, Trends and Text, chapter #6
Policies
 
Mar. 23 Legislation, Int’l. Law & Multilateral Text, chapter #7
Environmental Agreements

Mar. 25 Social Dimensions & Policies Text, chapter #8

 
Mar. 30 Social Dimensions & Policies Text, chapter #8

April 1 Economics of Sustainability; Case #3 Text, chapter #9 Upload Case #3 to

Cicada.

April 6 Sustainability: Externalities, Valuation & Text, chapter #10

Time Externalities

April 8 Sustainability: Externalities, Valuation & Text, chapter #10

Time Externalities

April 13 Natural Resource Accounting Text, chapter #11

April 15 Role of International Financial Institutions; Text, chapter #12 Upload Case #4 to
Case #4 Cicada.

April 20 International Cooperation Text, chapter #13 Upload drafts of

Sustainability Plans.

April 22 Feedback on drafts of Sustainability Plans

April 27 Team Presentations to class and client

April 29 Team Presentations to class and client

May 4-5 No Class - Reading Days

May 8-9

May 7th Final Exam in JC105 using Cicada.

2:30-4:30 PM