State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

corporate social responsibility

  • The Sustainability of Sustainability

    The Sustainability of Sustainability

    The managers of our organizations must pay attention to the physical dimensions of environmental sustainability.

  • Learning From Volkswagen’s $10 Billion Sustainability Mistake

    The market and government regulators are sending a message that is clear and ought not be misunderstood: people care about the environment and the quality of their air. If people did not support air pollution regulations they would not have cared about Volkswagen’s disregard of environmental law.

  • Quiet Moves Toward a Renewable Resource Based Economy

    The transition to a sustainable, renewable resource based economy will take decades to complete. Just as our organizations learned to incorporate occupational safety, financial reporting, performance measurement, customer relations, employment law, social media marketing and many other elements into their standard operating procedures, so too will they need to incorporate a concern for the physical…

  • ExxonMobil and the Distortion of Climate Science

    What protection can we fall back on when a giant, powerful, multinational corporation leads an effort to change the nature of reality itself and redefine scientific fact? The answer is of course, is the protection of other powerful institutions: research universities like the one I work for, the Congress, and, in this case, the New…

  • Lessons of the Move From Hybrids Back to SUVs

    This shift in consumer attitudes demonstrates that mass behaviors that lead to a sustainable and renewable economy will not come from a simple desire to protect the environment. Hybrids and electric cars are more expensive than traditional autos and as long as that is the case, they will have difficulty competing with them

  • Students Explore the World of Corporate Sustainability

    The Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development was pleased to host Katy Mixter, a program associate at Citigroup, on Friday November 8th at the fourth of six autumn brown bag events for undergraduates. The topic of sustainability in the private sector attracted both undergraduate and graduate students from various programs. Mixter, who works on Citi’s corporate…

  • Eni Brings New Energy to the Corporate Circle

    Eni Brings New Energy to the Corporate Circle

    In keeping with its corporate and social responsibility goals, Eni, an Italian energy company, recently renewed its Strategic Partnership with the Earth Institute’s Corporate Circle.

  • New Private Funds to Support Millennium Development Goals

    Today, two of the world’s leading companies announce grants and technical support totaling more than $1,000,000 aimed at ending global poverty by 2015. Nestlé and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development each pledged support for the Earth Institute’s work through the Millennium Villages project (MVP) as world leaders gather at the Millennium Development Goals summit…

  • The Sustainability of Sustainability

    The Sustainability of Sustainability

    The managers of our organizations must pay attention to the physical dimensions of environmental sustainability.

  • Learning From Volkswagen’s $10 Billion Sustainability Mistake

    The market and government regulators are sending a message that is clear and ought not be misunderstood: people care about the environment and the quality of their air. If people did not support air pollution regulations they would not have cared about Volkswagen’s disregard of environmental law.

  • Quiet Moves Toward a Renewable Resource Based Economy

    The transition to a sustainable, renewable resource based economy will take decades to complete. Just as our organizations learned to incorporate occupational safety, financial reporting, performance measurement, customer relations, employment law, social media marketing and many other elements into their standard operating procedures, so too will they need to incorporate a concern for the physical…

  • ExxonMobil and the Distortion of Climate Science

    What protection can we fall back on when a giant, powerful, multinational corporation leads an effort to change the nature of reality itself and redefine scientific fact? The answer is of course, is the protection of other powerful institutions: research universities like the one I work for, the Congress, and, in this case, the New…

  • Lessons of the Move From Hybrids Back to SUVs

    This shift in consumer attitudes demonstrates that mass behaviors that lead to a sustainable and renewable economy will not come from a simple desire to protect the environment. Hybrids and electric cars are more expensive than traditional autos and as long as that is the case, they will have difficulty competing with them

  • Students Explore the World of Corporate Sustainability

    The Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development was pleased to host Katy Mixter, a program associate at Citigroup, on Friday November 8th at the fourth of six autumn brown bag events for undergraduates. The topic of sustainability in the private sector attracted both undergraduate and graduate students from various programs. Mixter, who works on Citi’s corporate…

  • Eni Brings New Energy to the Corporate Circle

    Eni Brings New Energy to the Corporate Circle

    In keeping with its corporate and social responsibility goals, Eni, an Italian energy company, recently renewed its Strategic Partnership with the Earth Institute’s Corporate Circle.

  • New Private Funds to Support Millennium Development Goals

    Today, two of the world’s leading companies announce grants and technical support totaling more than $1,000,000 aimed at ending global poverty by 2015. Nestlé and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development each pledged support for the Earth Institute’s work through the Millennium Villages project (MVP) as world leaders gather at the Millennium Development Goals summit…