Wharton Launches New Global Business/Environmental Initiative
Joining forces with leaders from American businesses, government and non-governmental organizations, the University of Pennsylvania will launch a new enterprise this spring on business and the environment. The Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL), led by Penn’s Wharton School, will address the environmental issues facing businesses today from academic and policy-oriented perspectives. This cross-disciplinary endeavor also includes faculty from Penn’s schools of Arts and Sciences, Design, Engineering and Applied Science, Law and Medicine.
“IGEL will bring the expertise of Penn faculty together with a network of leading experts in relevant fields from around the world to discuss and research topics concerning business and the natural environment,” says Eric Orts, professor of legal studies and business ethics and founding director of the initiative, in a press release from the school. “This unique business orientation and top intellectual/research capacity will be brought to bear on some of the most important long-term environmental challenges we face today.”
IGEL will provide forums for business leaders with environmental responsibilities to consult with Penn faculty and selected experts on emerging issues, existing or proposed national and international regulation, best practices and the most current relevant research findings. The initiative will also facilitate research on environmental issues interest to the business and policy-making communities. A potential partnership is in the works with Tsinghua University in Beijing and the Paris Institute for Technology, Ecole de Mines.
The initiative kicks off with a two-day conference in Philadelphia April 14-16; its goals are to raise awareness of the need for businesses to work with academics, government and non-governmental groups to tackle environmental challenges and to identify topics and issues deserving continued research. Business and environmental summits will be held annually on issues of greatest concern.
For more information on guest speakers and panel discussions planned for the conference, click here.
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