In the forums and sites I haunt, I see the term Green MBA used quite frequently among the more academic now. Being a high school dropout with no interest in university, obtaining one hasn't been high up on my green "todo" list; but for many people, a green MBA could be a ticket to a fruitful and lucrative career.
A green MBA is basically a sustainable business degree. Traditionally, MBA (Master of Business Administration) students tend to give even less thought to environmental impact of business after they graduate from business school than they did before they commenced. That's because business degrees have been focused on profit and consumption.
... but so is a green MBA; just with a new twist on thinking.
Just a few years ago, less than half of the top U.S. business schools offered anything associating social and environmental concerns to business; but that's rapidly changing.
I don't think that anyone would argue that green business is the Next Big Thing.. in fact, it's the Current Big Thing; there's so many eco-focused business success stories to prove the models can work. But once the honeymoon period is over, there will be more than just a place for green business, it will simply become the norm.
Green business is not about forgoing profit for the sake of the planet; quite the opposite. Much of it is about efficiency - for example, using less packaging, less electricity, less chemicals - all of which are money savers.
MBA programs also emphasize a triple bottom line, also known as "TBL" or "3BL" -- profit, people, planet.
Profit: what keeps business in business :)
People: Fair business practices toward staff, contractors, suppliers and the community in which a company conducts business
Planet: Sustainable environmental practices
The curriculum at one university I looked at includes courses such as EcoCommerce Models, Green and Social Marketing and Ecological Economics - sounds a lot more interesting to me than a dry old traditional business degree! Some institutions also offer degrees you can do online.
The cost of a green MBA is around the same as a traditional MBA, just not as widely available - yet. In the years to come, I can see there being no distinction between the two.
If you or your children are considering a career in business and would like the letters after your name that seem so important these days when applying for positions, consider going for a green MBA. To locate courses, it's as easy as going to your favorite search engine and typing:
green mba state
or
green mba country
.. where state or country is where you are located. If you don't find anything replace "green mba" with "sustainable business degree"
Reading all this stuff about sustainable business degrees nearly makes me want to complete my high school education and then go to university.
..nah :).
