Sustainable Enterprise

Updated October 2009

Entrepreneurship

Tom Dean, Associate Professor of Management, is a leading scholar in the area of sustainable entrepreneurship and has published articles examining the role of entrepreneurship in reducing environmental degradation. He also has developed a business plan competition that focuses on sustainable enterprises.

Fair and Alternative Trade

CSU's Center for Fair and Alternative Trade Studies grew out of the successful Fair Trade Research Group established at Colorado State University in 1999. Working with an international network of scholars and practitioners, the CSU team has pursued research projects funded by the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and others. The Center analyzes a range of local, national, and global initiatives which seek to enhance social justice and environmental sustainability through fair and alternative production, distribution, and consumption practices.

Global Innovation Center for Energy, Health, & Environment

The Global Innovation Center for Energy, Health, and Environment is an alliance between CSU’s business and engineering colleges, with the aim of improving global health by developing the technology and business structures to disseminate sustainable solutions for some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems. Initial funding was provided by the CSU Academic Enhancement Program and allowed for the building of the Advanced Cookstove Laboratory. This work led to a research agreement with Envirofit and the Shell Foundation. Other projects include work on cleaner diesel engines and biofuels.

Green Building Investment

Steve Laposa, Associate Professor of Real Estate and Director of the Everitt Real Estate Center, researches the returns on investment associated with green building investment funds; he is also collaborating with the Department of Atmospheric Science to conduct studies on global cities and global climate.

Manufacturing

Management faculty Lisa Ellram and Ken Petersen research environmentally conscious manufacturing and supply chain management.

Valuation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Derek Johnston, Assistant Professor of Accounting, is actively engaged in research programs investigating the valuation of greenhouse gas emissions and the association between R&D expenditures and environmental compliance costs.

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