“Having a degree in the field of sustainability legitimizes my career path and helps me to better understand the variety of people I work with on new initiatives at Verizon.” Nicole deFuria chose the MS in Sustainability Management Program as a way to complement her professional work as a member of Verizon’s Corporate Sustainability Team.
“I know that I will miss being a student in the MPA-ESP program and working on valuable projects, like the Spring Workshop. Having had the experience of working with my team on a real-life project for our non-profit client has definitely made me feel more prepared for life after graduation,” stated Andrew McCornack, a member of the Workshop project “Managing Food Waste in the Urban Environment.”
“We are incredibly proud of our work as well as the work of our classmates whose presentations highlighted our ability to use the skills that we have learned in the classroom to address contemporary sustainability challenges in the clearest possible way,” stated Pamela Quinlan, presenter for the Workshop Project “Development of a New Communications Strategy for Freshkills Park.”
“After years of working in numerous facets of the financial services industry, late 2008 drove me to re-evaluate my life purpose and realize at my core was an unwavering dedication to promoting sustainable practices.” Scott Miller joined the MS in Sustainability Management program as a part-time student in fall 2011 to align his career goals with what he believes to be his true purpose.
At the Institute for Conscious Global Change (ICGC), Andi Broffman has been working specifically on Goal #7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability of the Millennium Earth Project, focusing specifically on Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As a researcher, Andi compiles data for a geographic information systems (GIS) team that puts the data into the software to develop maps highlighting unaddressed needs and opportunities for advancing Millennium Development Goals in the world’s least developed countries.
“While full time students at the School of International and Public Affairs have been able to focus their studies in environmental policy and sustainability management since 1987, students in the Executive MPA program have not been provided with this opportunity,” says Concentration Director Steve Cohen. Beginning in the fall of 2012, SIPA in partnership with the Earth Institute will provide Executive MPAs with a new choice of Concentration: An Executive MPA in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management.
Diana Beltran joined the MS in Sustainability Management Program because she viewed its curriculum as a way to merge her two passions: hospitality and the environment.
MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) Student Josh Garrett puts the memo writing skills he learned in the classroom into practice as an intern focused on hydrofracking policy at Earthjustice. He is doing legal research on how existing environmental policies relate to the practice and identifying ingredients in hydraulic fracturing fluid.
“I’m happy to see the diversity in projects and learning opportunities, as it highlights the dynamic nature of the field of sustainability management, and places this program at the forefront of addressing evolving issues in sustainability,” stated Grant Goodrich, Faculty Advisor for the Workshop project “New Award Metrics for Sustainability.”
Craig Holland chose the MS in Sustainability Management program because he wanted to gain the knowledge base necessary to be a more effective manager to the architects with whom he works at the design firm, Hoberman Associates.
State of the Planet is a forum for discussion on varying viewpoints. The opinions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Earth Institute or Columbia University.
