Sustainability, Business, and Entrepreneurship Academy

Join the Sustainability, Business, and Entrepreneurship Academy to learn about a variety of topics in sustainability, business, and entrepreneurship from our very own Evergreen alumni. While the business-as-usual growth ideology dominates today’s global economy and has contributed to many of our current social and environmental challenges worldwide, this course focuses on business activities and systems that do not exceed critical thresholds while supporting recovery and regeneration in environmental and social systems. Structures such as employee-owned businesses, benefit corporations, and local living economies and business practices such as sourcing ingredients and materials locally, producing goods in low or zero-waste facilities powered by renewable energy, and offering robust employee benefits and well-being programs counter business-as-usual practices, among many others. These practices are examples of transformational sustainability business and entrepreneurship, driven by the vision of empowering the workforce and community, as well as developing products and services that not only minimize the impacts on the social and ecological systems we depend on, but improve them.

Topics covered in this course may include cooperatives, alternative business models, renewable energy, food systems, economic development, and more. Students will view speakers and events synchronously or asynchronously, complete related weekly reading assignments, and contribute to asynchronous discussions through Canvas. We will meet weekly and students will write two short reflection papers during the quarter. This course may be taken repeatedly, and you do not need to have taken the fall course to participate in the winter or spring iterations.

In order to participate, students need a computer on which they can access our Canvas website and participate in online written discussions.  Students will also need access to Zoom and a capacity to participate in online Zoom conversations. The class will be conducted entirely remotely. This 2-credit class will occur in conjunction with a cross-campus lecture series that may be integrated with other programs. Students can take this course for one quarter or join for up to all three quarters.