Concentration SD: Sustainable Development
Perhaps the greatest challenge in creating a sustainable culture is changing
the organizations within that culture. And surely one of the greatest challenges
to any organization is changing the patterns of behavior and practice of its members
and stakeholders.
In collaboration with other Penn departments, Dow Chemical Company, and other
external partners, Organizational Dynamics has created a series of courses designed
to help leaders implement sustainabiity initiatives today.
On November 13 and 14, the Sustainable Development Concentration sponsored
a spectacular kick-off event here on campus. Penn President Dr. Amy Gutmann along with
Jerome Peribere, President and CEO Dow Advanced Materials, Dow Chemical Company,
provided opening remarks prior to the Friday evening panel discussion on "Eco-Municipalities:
What Does a Sustainable City Look Like?" The distinguished panel included Neil Hawkins,
V.P. of Sustainability, Environment, Health & Safety, Dow Chemical; Anne Papageorge,
V.P. Facilities and Real Estate Services, University of Pennsylvania; Katherine Gazewski,
Director of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia; and special guest Dr. David Cook, Chief
Executive, The Natural Step Foundation.
On Saturday morning, workshops on the sustainability theme were facilitated by Organizational
Dynamics students and alumni, with participants from various community groups joining
corporate and university officials to determine strategy going forward.
Earlier in the Semester, Organizational Dynamics' Dr. Alan Barstow
was an honored guest at
ceremonies marking the unveiling of Penn's Climate Action Plan, described by President Gutmann
as "The best University Climnate Action Plan on the planet." You can view Dr. Gutmann's presentation below.
A printable Sustainable Development flyer can be found here.
Click here for the list of recent Sustainable Development courses.
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SAS: School of Arts and Sciences
University of Pennsylvania