The MIT Sloan Sustainability Speaker Series draws members of our sustainability ecosystem to campus to spark lively discussion on pressing sustainability-related topics. The Series addresses the problems and solutions of sustainability, from global climate change and rural poverty to new business models and investment strategies. Our speakers include expert practitioners and thought leaders from across the nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors.
To date, the MIT Sloan Sustainability Speaker Series has brought more than 20 cross-sector experts to campus.
Social Entrepreneur
Monday, April 22, 2013
E62-262
11:35 am to 12:55 pm
As a self-described evolutionary, J. Eric Mathis has been at the forefront of initiatives to bridge the gap between the fossil fuel and renewable energy industries through the development and implementation of innovative finance and business models. These models are designed to be beneficial to both industries, creating mutually productive economic linkages between the fossil fuel and renewable industries and most importantly, the surrounding communities. As a board member of the Williamson Redevelopment Authority, Mr. Mathis is helping to develop a comprehensive project entitled Sustainable Williamson which emphasizes healthy lifestyles as a key component to economic revitalization. Building from his past and present experiences, his most recent endeavor is participating in the creation and implementation of the Central Appalachian Sustainable Economies (CASE) network which is an interactive regional network of innovators cultivating new ideas and resources in central Appalachia to grow healthy communities. He is a proud Green for All Fellow, a 2010 recipient of Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Innovation Award for community renewables and a 2012 White House Champion of Change for Greening our Cities and Towns. Mr. Mathis graduated from Appalachian State University in 2007 and is presently finishing his master thesis in economic history.
Founder and CEO for Next Step Living Inc.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
E62-262
12:00 to 1:00 pm
Geoff is founder and CEO of Next Step Living, a New England-based residential energy efficiency company providing home energy diagnostics, improvements, remodeling and building to the greater New England area. NSL is dedicated to helping whole communities lower their energy bills, increase the comfort of their homes and reduce their carbon footprint. The company partners with major utilities, cities and employers to make it as easy as possible to take action.
Geoff has served as a teacher at his Alma Mater, The Roxbury Latin School, and is a graduate of The Kennedy School of Government and MIT's Sloan School of Management. Prior to this he worked at a consulting firm in the healthcare, nonprofit, and financial services sectors. Geoff has also worked in the public housing sector at the Community Builders in Boston and advised the Housing Authority of San Francisco. Geoff received his BA from Williams College in Political Economics. Geoff is a native of the Boston area having grown up and lived in Westwood, Dedham, Wellesley, West Roxbury, Newton and Brookline.
Strategist for the Future of the Planet
Thursday, February 7, 2013
E62-262
12:00 to 1:00 pm
What Will Our Future Look Like? How many people will the planet need to support? Will there be enough energy and food? Which nations will prosper and which will suffer? Will the belief in endless growth crumble?
Drawing on global forecasting tools, his own experience in the sustainability arena, and predictions of thirty–five leading thinkers, Randers guides us through the future he feels is most likely to emerge. Not to scare us, but to prepare us, and, when necessary, sound a call for changing course.
Jorgen Randers is professor of climate strategy at the Norwegian School of Management, where he works on climate issues and scenario analysis. He lectures internationally on sustainable development, and especially climate, within and outside corporations. He was the co-author of the original Limits to Growth study in 1972 and has just completed a book, 2052—A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years.
Founder of the Chicago Climate Exchange
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
E62-262
12:00 to 1:00 pm
Dr. Sandor is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Environmental Financial Products LLC, which specializes in inventing, designing and developing new financial markets with a special emphasis on investment advisory services. He is widely recognized as the “father of financial futures” for his pioneering work in developing the first interest rate futures contract in the 1970s, when he served as chief economist and vice president of the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT).
Sandor is also the founder of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) - the world’s first exchange to facilitate the reduction and trading of all six green house gases. In 2007, he was named the “father of carbon trading” by Time Magazine for his work in designing, developing and launching CCX and affiliated exchanges.
Sandor is known for asserting that the next financial revolution will be in the convergence of the financial markets and the environment. He is often credited for founding the field of Environmental Finance. His first book, “Good Derivatives: A Story of Financial and Environmental Innovation”, will be published in February 2012.
Transportation Innovator
Monday, November 19, 2012
Wong Auditorium
12:00 to 1:00 pm
Robin Chase is founder and CEO of Buzzcar, a service that brings together car owners and drivers in a carsharing marketplace. Buzzcar.com empowers individuals to take control of their mobility, without looking to governments or big businesses for solutions. Robin is also co–founder and former CEO of Zipcar, the largest carsharing company in the world, and GoLoco, an online ridesharing community.
She is on the Board of the World Resources Institute, the US Secretary of Commerce's National Advisory Committee for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and the US Department of Transportation's Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Advisory Committee. She served on the World Economic Forum Future of Transportation Council, the Massachusetts Governor's Transportation transition team, and the Boston Mayor's Wireless Task Force. In 2009, she was included in the Time 100 Most Influential People. Robin lectures widely, has been frequently featured in the major media, and has received many awards in the areas of innovation, design, and environment. Robin graduated from Wellesley College and MIT's Sloan School of Management, and was a Harvard University Loeb Fellow.
Thought Leader on For-Benefit Companies & Fourth Sector
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
E62-262
12:00 to 1:00 pm
Heerad Sabeti is devoted to pursuing systemic solutions to complex social, environmental and economic challenges. For over 20 years, he has been working toward the development of a fourth sector of organizations at the intersection of the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The fourth sector is comprised of for-benefit enterprises that are designed to seamlessly integrate public purposes with business means, harnessing entrepreneurial energy to shape a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient economy.
To accelerate the fourth sector’s development, Sabeti has been a driving force behind numerous national and international initiatives. He advises governments, corporations and NGOs on multi-sector collaboration, sustainable economic development, and market-based solutions to societal challenges.
View a list of the past Sustainability at MIT Sloan speakers
For more information about MIT Sloan’s Sustainability Initiative, contact
Jason Jay, Director of the Initiative for Sustainable Business & Society
Tel: (617) 253-0594 , E-mail: jjay@mit.edu
“Before I came to MIT Sloan I thought of sustainability only as the “green perspective” - caring for environment. Now, as a result of all of my sustainability involvement, I see sustainability as not only that, but a much broader focus on more thoughtful leadership in business, and I want to be able to do that in the future as a graduate, enabling my businesses to operate more sustainably.”
- Greg Zielinski, MBA ’12
© 2013 MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT