Erb Institute Sustainability Experts in the News

The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise is renowned for its contributions to business sustainability through research, teaching and engagement. Erb faculty are respected and sought after by business and the media for their expertise on matters relating to markets and their connection to, and ability to drive, sustainable innovation.

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Environment

As Long as Climate Change Does Not Touch the Rich, Nothing Will Change, Says Andrew J. Hoffman
Andrew J. Hoffman is an American Professor of Sustainable Business at the University of Michigan. He came to the Czech Republic for the release of his book, "How Culture Shapes the Debate on Climate Change."

Research, Reports & Publications

Corporate Sustainability Insights from Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability's Strategic Advisory Member, Neil Hawkins
“It’s extremely important to have a few goals that will lead a company to have a truly positive impact, but also to stick to those goals and align everyone around them,” he says. “These are hugely important for culture, identity, recruiting and retention. They need to be simple and easy to understand, helping the company to stay focused… It’s about constancy of purpose; you want to instill this into the culture.” It starts on the inside, and without engrained commitment, alignment and clarity (Purpose), Performance and Participation will be lacking.

Media & Communications

Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Experts in the News - Can Hollywood Movies About Climate Change Make a Difference?
Erb Professor and author of How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate, Andy Hoffman, was quoted today in a New York Times piece, “Can Hollywood Movies About Climate Change Make a Difference?” The piece discusses recent movies like Darren Aronofsky’s “Mother!,” that seek to affect climate change through depicting it on screen for mass audiences.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Experts in the News - Thomas P. Lyon 'A Test for Corporate Sustainability Leadership'
CHow much of the Paris Agreement commitments will non-federal efforts actually provide? How much of that will be attributable to corporate sustainability leadership, and how much to state or city policies? Which companies will step up to advocate for more sensible public policy? Will they speak out on climate change per se, or will they feel a need to couch their views in terms of the more politically palatable issues of renewable energy and energy efficiency? Will they actually walk the talk? How will members of the public respond to CEO advocacy on renewable energy and climate change? Will the corporate sector speak up on behalf of watersheds, as well as renewable energy and climate protection?

Energy

Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Director Joe Arvai - What is (and, is not) an Energy Strategy?
When most people talk about energy strategies, they’re actually not talking about strategy at all. Oftentimes, narratives are about what companies and policy makers could or should be doing when it comes to energy transitions are framed as “strategy”. For example, I’ve heard people say that putting a price on carbon, or the need to transition to an electrified economy that does not depend upon fossil fuels, is an “energy strategy.”

Research, Reports & Publications

Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Director, Joe Arvai - Big Data Will Not Save Us

Research, Reports & Publications

Andy Hoffman, Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability, quoted in "The Troubling Return of Al Gore" - New Republic
Gore is the most polarizing figure in climate politics—disputed on the left, and widely loathed on the right. According to research by environmental scholar Andrew Hoffman published in 2011, nearly 40 percent of all articles casting doubt on climate change mentioned Gore. “He had become extremely provocative for many people, and that limited his voice,” Hoffman told me. “Now that he’s stepping back into it, we’ll see what happens.”

Sustainable Development Goals

Business Has Much to Do If It Wants to Be a Climate Leader
If there’s one group that’s basking in the long shadow cast by Donald Trump’s ill-fated decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, it’s business. In story after story, reporters and pundits are hailing businesses – large and small – as the would-be saviours of much needed progress in the efforts to curb the risks associated with climate change.

Environment

EPA Science Advisory Board Member Offers Take on Pulling out of Paris Climate Accord
Pulling out of the agreement was one of Trump's campaign promises, but according to Arvai, public opinion strongly supports fighting climate change. Even among Trump voters, he said, there is a "near majority" that understand the need to reduce carbon emissions.

Sustainable Development Goals

Erb Faculty Director, Joe Arvai – Better Decisions for a Better World
Joe Arvai, is the Director of the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan; his research focuses on decision-making in support of the triple-bottom-line. His work unfolds in the real-world, and accounts for decision-making by a broad spectrum of public and stakeholder groups, as well as by technical experts, business leaders, and policy makers.

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