Institute for Sustainable Enterprise
Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Institute for Sustainable Enterprise (ISE), part of the Silberman College of Business at the College at Florham, focuses on bringing people together to learn how to make their organizations and the world more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.
Founded in 2005, the ISE is committed to helping leaders and managers develop new roles and competencies for themselves that will contribute to creating sustainable enterprises in the 21st century. In addition to building bridges between the corporate, government, nongovernment and education / academic sectors, according to Gerard Farias, executive director of ISE, the institute “strives to create an atmosphere that fosters thoughtful reflection and collaboration through applied research, education, network-building and facilitation of sustainability-enhancing initiatives.”
As a testament to its success, the institute was recognized for being a local leader in sustainable development at a Green Tie Gala last spring. The organization received the World of Possibilities award from Unity Learning Environments, a Morristown-based nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainability education.
Educational initiatives by ISE include a series of seminars, roundtables and workshops that have brought to campus such notable experts as Ray Anderson, chief executive officer of Interface, Inc., whose talk on “Mid-Course Correction” attracted more than 200 attendees. Other speakers have included Georg Kell, executive head, United Nations Global Compact, who spoke on the role of business in achieving global sustainability, and Bruce Piasecki, president and founder of the American Hazard Control Group, who presented “World Inc. — Why Going Global Will Collide With Going Green Each Day of This New Century.”
Jeana Wirtenberg, ISE’s director, external relations and services, points out the benefits of becoming an ISE corporate partner. “First of all a new corporate partner would be joining a community of companies throughout New Jersey who are committed to fostering greater sustainability in their companies as well as in the communities and ultimately in the world,” she explains. “Our partners have the opportunity to learn best practices through our various breakfasts, seminars, workshops and roundtables and also to learn collaboratively from other partners and through involvement in our research efforts.”
“Financially, she continues, “they would be improving their companies’ opportunities and risk profiles as they become more educated about sustainability, so the company would become more attractive on Wall Street.”
The Institute for Sustainable Enterprise is funded in part by a seed grant from First Energy/Jersey Central Power & Light and receives support from corporate partners including Alcoa, Automatic Switch Co., BD, AT&T, Novartis and Ortho Biotech.
For more information or to inquire about corporate partnership, visit the ISE Web site at www.fdu.edu/ise or call 973-443-8879.
Doing Well By Doing Good: Sustainability as
Good Business
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