People, profits and the planet are the three-pronged focus of a new Certificate in Corporate Sustainability aimed at mid-level and senior managers of small- and medium-sized companies in the Granite State. A joint project of NH Businesses for Social Responsibility (NHBSR) in Concord and the University of NH Sustainability Academy in Durham, the certificate program includes an intensive three-day institute, networking opportunities and a mentor-assisted project.
The program kicks off on the UNH campus on Oct. 4. It is expected to attract 25 to 30 participants and will wrap up on Oct. 6. The Institute includes seminars run by UNH faculty and regional business leaders on socially and environmentally responsible business practices, including strategies for implementing them. It will also include an eco-gastronomy networking dinner presented by the Whittemore School of Business & Economics at UNH, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of Smuttynose Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, which is a member of NHBSR.
The Institute is designed to be interactive. Participants will be asked to reflect on what they've learned and write down actions they can take right away. NHBSR will follow up with professionals to see whether the changes have been made, and to offer additional help and advice. We don't want people to come and then go back to what they've always been doing, says Kate Luczko, interim executive director of NHBSR. We want to help people hold themselves accountable.
Following the three-day program, participants will develop and execute an independent capstone project with advice from a mentor in the business community. Participants have four to six months to design and implement a sustainability initiative in their workplace. After the Institute and the capstone project are completed, Luczko wants to follow up with professionals and ask the million-dollar question: You left here, said you wanted to do this, how did it go? There will also be three to four informal networking sessions early in 2012.
The Certificate program costs $2,400 with a 15 percent discount available for NHBSR members and a discounted rate for people wishing to attend the Institute but not do a capstone project. For more information, visit www.nhbsr.org/certificate.
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