Sprott School of Business students collaborate with organizations to reduce their environmental impact
Earlier this month, government and business leaders from around the world met in Glasgow for COP26 to renew their commitment to fight climate change. Meanwhile, students at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business have been working with small and medium-sized companies to help them become more environmentally sustainable in their operations.
Students in the third-year Business and Environmental Sustainability course had the opportunity to collaborate with Ontario-based NONA Vegan Foods and Coffee Connections in the US to reduce their negative impact on the environment.
“It’s important for students to understand how companies actualize these ideas and put them in place,” said Ruth McKay, associate professor of management, who developed and teaches the course.
“Thinking about how a company should become environmentally sustainable is easy in theory but challenging in practice.”
Bachelor of Commerce student Christina Latsis said that working on projects involving real businesses and focusing on sustainability is vital for all students, and especially for business students.
“I think that it is imperative that we create courses and projects such as these to provide students with the opportunity to solve relevant real-world issues that they will be likely to encounter in their professional work. Moreover, this also provides students with the opportunity to gain experience and connections to businesses and develop a sense for where their interests and passions lie.”
The course was also open to students in other programs with an interest in sustainability and the role of business – allowing for the groups to draw from different perspectives in their approaches with the companies.
“It was an inspiring learning experience to see what can be done to make a company more sustainable, instead of just accepting the negative impacts that, say, a coffee company can have on the environment,” said Carleton Biology student Sydney Alteen, whose group worked with Coffee Connections.
The students examined the companies’ operations – from supply chain to packaging to marketing – and then developed creative ideas that would help them reduce their environmental footprint. Representatives from the companies were impressed by the calibre of their work and the significance of their ideas.
“I really appreciate that the solutions provided were so thoroughly researched to include pricing, design and functionality,” said Kailey Gilchrist, CEO of NONA Vegan. “I love that they incorporated metrics for us to judge our ecological footprint over time. The whole report took into account implementation for both the short and long terms.”
Jeff Heimberger, co-owner of Coffee Connections, had a positive experience as well and said that the ideas the students provided will be helpful as the company begins to adapt their business practices.
[Photo credit: Coffee Connections]
Students have also been working with a local cleaning company Sani-Sol Sanitation Solutions to bring environmental sustainability into their operations. This company has been selected intentionally because of how pervasive clean products are – especially as a result of COVID-19 – and the impact these products have on people through indoor air quality and exposure.
“For the students this experience is unique, and the skills gained are transferable for employment opportunities,” Ruth said. “It is great to have young people, with their passion for improving the world and their experience as consumers, sharing their knowledge and helping companies.”
“One thing that is clear, as we follow COP26, is the need for all of us to work together to solve our environmental challenges. It’s about collaboration. This course embodies that collaboration.”