4 Buffalo Business Autumn 2020
Sustainably profitable
MBA course helps students see sustainability as a business strategy
What's the environmental impact of a
cup of coffee?
That's the kind of question students set
out to find answers to—and business oppor-
tunities for—in the School of Management's
first "Sustainability as a Business Strategy"
course last winter.
They learned companies shouldn't just
invest in the environment because it's the
right thing to do, but because it makes smart
business sense.
"We're seeing a radical market shi
from what consumers are demanding, led
by Gen Z," says Ryan McPherson, chief
sustainability officer for UB. "If today's
companies aren't paying attention to climate
change and sustainability, they're doing so at
their own peril."
McPherson co-taught the course with
his wife, Alexandra, principal at Niagara
Share, an organization that works to build
sustainable entrepreneurial opportuni-
ties and regenerative economies. They
tasked students in the school's Professional
MBA program with developing an idea
or company to advance one of the United
Nations' sustainable development goals, and
creating a concept paper, short video pitch
and a longer live pitch to sell their idea to a
panel of judges.
The group investigating coffee discov-
ered the product has a big impact on global
warming and developed a line of skin
care products from used grounds from
Buffalo coffee shops. Other ideas included a
proposal to reuse decommissioned commer-
cial equipment for workforce development,
an app to help companies engage in sustain-
able development goals and a ridesharing
service that rewards drivers with lower
emissions.
Visit mgt.buffalo.edu /sustainability
to learn how the School of Management
is integrating sustainability throughout
our courses, programs, research and
partnerships.
Andrea Doyle, Mitchel Victor, Alex Bosko and Kelsey Battaglia pitch their business plan for food waste composting company Regrowth Compost Solutions.
Photo: Tom Wolf
Startups
