The BusinessClimate
Management Education Program

Program Offering

A two day seminar on climate change. The program will consist of a series of lectures, brainstorming, breakout sessions, incorporating the latest information available on the subject of climate change as well as results from a survey conducted about your own company's carbon profile.

Program Objectives

1. An Understanding of Anthropogenic Climate Change

The state of scientific understanding and the state of human response.

We will provide a background view of climate science for the lay audience, including a review of the history of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, the obseverable results of a warming world, and a summary of the scientific consensus behind global warming.

We will then move into a discussion of the response so far to climate change: the economic viewpoint of climate change, is it a problem, how much will it cost to address, exploring the findings of the Stern report. Then discussion will move to the state of regulation, from a global perspective (Kyoto) and then in the U.S. We will discuss the response of the business community thus far, again first from a global and then a U.S. perspective, discussing who is talking and who is taking action. We will take a look at the world financial markets including both the regulated and voluntary markets, carbon trading, measuring the exposure to carbon (a company's carbon footprint/shadow) and the implications for publicly traded companies.

2. Implications for Business and the Private Sector

A review and discussion of the implications of climate change on the world of business, as well as the potential opportunities for businesses to take advantage of change. We will explore the implications of regulatory action, competitive pressures, and public attitudes as well as a look at the opportunities for new ways for businesses to operate, including ways to define organizational mission, ways to energize employees, ways to involve all organizational stakeholders. We will explore how some very successful companies are addressing climate change, and how this is prompting strategic approaches to problem-solving that involve everything from the Deming systems approach, to exploring concepts like bio-mimicry and the ecology of commerce. We will also look at the implication of a changing consumer mindset, winning the hearts and minds of climate aware consumers.

3. Analysis of your Business from a Climate Change Perspective

How long and dark is your business' carbon shadow? (Long referring to the time required to eliminate carbon completely, dark referring to the carbon intensity of your business.) If it chooses to, how can your company achieve carbon-neutrality ASAP?

We will help you understand the carbon intensity of your own business operations, as well as your company's influence over other businesses as a buyer or supplier of goods and services. All this will help inform and prepare your enterprise for the coming carbon-constricted economy.

We will help you understand where the fossil fuels are and how to squeeze them out:

• Are they in transportation? If so can how can that be eased?
• Is it mainly in your use of energy in your buildings and commercial properties, and how can that be addressed?
• Is it from business travel? Would you be willing to have those neutralized with credits?
• Does the carbon come from your suppliers? Can you work with your suppliers to figure a way to get the carbon reduced?
• Can you see what your competitors are doing?
• What's the attitude of the consumer and what's the worst case scenario for you regarding climate change and consumer reaction (your brand, how you are perceived, are you part of the problem or part of the solution, are you a leader or a follower?)
• Is a competitor taking the lead?
• Is it hard to communicate your carbon impact to the public in the kind of business you are in? If so, can you then show the public that you do indeed have an impact and that you are doing something about it?
• What are your exposures to carbon from a financial, reputational, and operational standpoint?

4. Taking Action

We will help you formulate a plan of action for getting started. We can use brainstorming as a way to list potential actions, types of behaviors, policies, positions that your business might consider adopting. We would recommend three stages of attack:

1. Internal
   1. Management/Employees/Owners
   2. Internal operations
   3. Buildings
   4. Equipment
   5. Product and Service Realization Processes
2. Suppliers/Competitors
3. Customers/Public

Internal

Create a sense of common purpose within the organization to address climate change. Understand where your employees are while you communicate to them your views as the leaders of the organization. Control first what is completely within your control: your facilities and how they are heated, cooled and electrified.

Supplier/Competitor

Address climate change by doing what's easiest first - i.e. saving money. Work with suppliers to reduce the carbon shadow of inputs by reducing waste and introducing efficiencies. Work with competitors by becoming an advocate for change within your industry - show leadership, by what you do and how you communicate to others the importance of this effort.

Customers/Public

Understand how your customers view this issue and be prepared to measure up. If they are unaware, help inform them. If they're out in front - show them you're listening and moving in the right direction. Don't be surprised the good will that will come your way from the public (as well as customers, suppliers and even competitors) by becoming a true leader in creating a sustainable low-carbon enterprise.

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