ESPM 136 - Sustainable Industry
A central question for global sustainability is whether industries can be transformed fast enough to respond to climate, ecosystem, equity, and democracy crises. This is largely about motivating rapid change, displacing incumbent blockers, and directing the best of corporate innovation to advance more sustainable systems. This course covers the central dynamics of transitions and processes to drive more sustainable industry. The course explores internal firm capabilities (core functions, practices, mechanisms, technologies, etc.) and external pressures (from governments, NGOs, consumers, employees, etc.) to advance more sustainable industry. The course examines emerging production and consumption systems, introduces several methods for mapping and measuring the environmental and social impacts of industry, and evaluates recent strategies to advance more sustainable production and consumption.
The course will be divided into three sections: (1) history of industry and transitions; (2) methods for mapping and measurement; (3) case studies and conclusions. The first section will introduce frameworks for analyzing industrial systems and efforts to transform these systems to be more sustainable. We will examine both big-picture, transformative visions, and incremental, efficiency proposals. The second section will examine methods and tools, with a focus on supply chain mapping and Life Cycle Analysis. The third section will analyze a range of company and product cases. Throughout the course we will discuss the challenges, barriers, and opportunities for both changing incumbent industries and supporting emerging sustainable disruptions.
The class will explore questions such as:
ESPM 260 - Governance of Global Production
This graduate seminar explores theory, policy and management strategies driving the governance of global production and consumption. This year’s course is focused in particular on the role of citizen/consumers and their consumption decisions, and how this affects manufacturers and retailers. Ultimately, we are interested in emerging strategies in governance to advance more sustainable systems. We will examine:
· The increasing globalization of production and consumption;
· Recent marketplace and political disruptions (from the Occupy Movement to radical transparency coming to markets);
· Continued gaps between what consumers and corporations say about sustainability, and what they actually do;
· Strategies to overcome the “attitudes-behavior gap” through information, NGO campaigns, and policies/regulation.
· Strategies to mobilize citizen/consumers to consume less, greener, collaboratively, politically, etc.;
· NGO market campaigns to influence corporations;
· Leading corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives. (Are Walmart’s sustainability initiatives serious or PR? Can Nike really change its business model? Is Unilever serious about listening to consumers as it develops new products?)
· Innovative governance strategies to advance sustainable production.
Using case studies from a wide range of industries, we will explore the potentials and limitations of new governance strategies, corporate social responsibility programs, NGO campaigns, green consumer movements, behavioral psychology strategies to change consumers, and regulatory strategies. We will examine why new strategies have emerged, how they function, and when and under what conditions they are actually effective in advancing more sustainable production and consumption.
Previous Courses:
ESPM 163 - Environmental Justice
This course engages environmental problems, community responses, and policy debates regarding “environmental justice” (EJ) issues – essentially the race, class, and equity implications of environmental problems and policies. The course presents empirical evidence on distributions of environmental quality and health, enforcement of regulations, access to resources to respond to urban and industrial problems, and the broader political economy of decision-making around environmental and health issues. The course explores and critically analyzes philosophies, frameworks, and strategies underlying environmental justice movements. The goals for the course are to: analyze institutional processes impacting race, class, and the environment; analyze data on the distributions of environmental quality and demographic trends; analyze government policies related to environmental issues; analyze strategies to prevent or remedy environmental justice problems; and to strengthen critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills.
ESPM 24 - Globalization, Sweatshops, Toxics and You
This seminar examines where and how the things you consume and use everyday – jeans, shoes, computers, coffee, food, plastics, etc. – are produced, the environmental and social impacts of producing and consuming all of this stuff, and efforts to reduce pollution, sweatshops, and other adverse impacts of global production. Students will analyze both the structure and control of global supply chains and their personal connections to these systems.
A central question for global sustainability is whether industries can be transformed fast enough to respond to climate, ecosystem, equity, and democracy crises. This is largely about motivating rapid change, displacing incumbent blockers, and directing the best of corporate innovation to advance more sustainable systems. This course covers the central dynamics of transitions and processes to drive more sustainable industry. The course explores internal firm capabilities (core functions, practices, mechanisms, technologies, etc.) and external pressures (from governments, NGOs, consumers, employees, etc.) to advance more sustainable industry. The course examines emerging production and consumption systems, introduces several methods for mapping and measuring the environmental and social impacts of industry, and evaluates recent strategies to advance more sustainable production and consumption.
The course will be divided into three sections: (1) history of industry and transitions; (2) methods for mapping and measurement; (3) case studies and conclusions. The first section will introduce frameworks for analyzing industrial systems and efforts to transform these systems to be more sustainable. We will examine both big-picture, transformative visions, and incremental, efficiency proposals. The second section will examine methods and tools, with a focus on supply chain mapping and Life Cycle Analysis. The third section will analyze a range of company and product cases. Throughout the course we will discuss the challenges, barriers, and opportunities for both changing incumbent industries and supporting emerging sustainable disruptions.
The class will explore questions such as:
- What would truly sustainable industry mean?
- How do we identify a company’s main environmental and social hotspots?
- What are the core business drivers of negative impacts?
- Where are the key points of leverage over these impacts?
- What motivates firms to improve their environmental and social performance?
- What internal “dilemmas” block change from incumbents and elites?
- What new processes can support more sustainable industry?
- How can we design policies and incentives to motivate firms to green themselves?
- How do we move sustainable transitions forward much faster?
ESPM 260 - Governance of Global Production
This graduate seminar explores theory, policy and management strategies driving the governance of global production and consumption. This year’s course is focused in particular on the role of citizen/consumers and their consumption decisions, and how this affects manufacturers and retailers. Ultimately, we are interested in emerging strategies in governance to advance more sustainable systems. We will examine:
· The increasing globalization of production and consumption;
· Recent marketplace and political disruptions (from the Occupy Movement to radical transparency coming to markets);
· Continued gaps between what consumers and corporations say about sustainability, and what they actually do;
· Strategies to overcome the “attitudes-behavior gap” through information, NGO campaigns, and policies/regulation.
· Strategies to mobilize citizen/consumers to consume less, greener, collaboratively, politically, etc.;
· NGO market campaigns to influence corporations;
· Leading corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives. (Are Walmart’s sustainability initiatives serious or PR? Can Nike really change its business model? Is Unilever serious about listening to consumers as it develops new products?)
· Innovative governance strategies to advance sustainable production.
Using case studies from a wide range of industries, we will explore the potentials and limitations of new governance strategies, corporate social responsibility programs, NGO campaigns, green consumer movements, behavioral psychology strategies to change consumers, and regulatory strategies. We will examine why new strategies have emerged, how they function, and when and under what conditions they are actually effective in advancing more sustainable production and consumption.
Previous Courses:
ESPM 163 - Environmental Justice
This course engages environmental problems, community responses, and policy debates regarding “environmental justice” (EJ) issues – essentially the race, class, and equity implications of environmental problems and policies. The course presents empirical evidence on distributions of environmental quality and health, enforcement of regulations, access to resources to respond to urban and industrial problems, and the broader political economy of decision-making around environmental and health issues. The course explores and critically analyzes philosophies, frameworks, and strategies underlying environmental justice movements. The goals for the course are to: analyze institutional processes impacting race, class, and the environment; analyze data on the distributions of environmental quality and demographic trends; analyze government policies related to environmental issues; analyze strategies to prevent or remedy environmental justice problems; and to strengthen critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills.
ESPM 24 - Globalization, Sweatshops, Toxics and You
This seminar examines where and how the things you consume and use everyday – jeans, shoes, computers, coffee, food, plastics, etc. – are produced, the environmental and social impacts of producing and consuming all of this stuff, and efforts to reduce pollution, sweatshops, and other adverse impacts of global production. Students will analyze both the structure and control of global supply chains and their personal connections to these systems.
