2018 Net Impact Conference

By Sophia Schuster, MBA Class of 2019

At the end of October, six MBAs from the Net Impact Graduate Chapter had the opportunity to attend Net Impact’s National Conference in Phoenix, AZ. Aside from getting some much-needed and well-deserved time in the sun, we had the opportunity to connect with students from across the country who are committed to fusing their sustainability and social responsibility with their business expertise. Continue reading

MBArk/Expo Fest

By Liz Kennedy, MBA Class of 2019

For people who care a lot about healthy foods and sustainability and want to work for a company that does too, attending the Natural Products Expo East Conference was a dream come true. What made the experience even better was attending as part of the MBArk program. MBArk was started by a Yale School of Management graduate named Joe Dobrow. Continue reading

Sustainability Case Competition

The fourth annual Penn State Smeal College of Business Sustainability Case Competition took place at Penn State University on December 1st, 2017. Teams participated in a two-round competition where they created a case-analysis presentation related to PepsiCo’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading

Wayne Balta, IBM, visits Smeal MBA Net Impact

Smeal MBA Net Impact was fortunate enough to be paid a visit from Wayne Balta, VP of Corporate Environmental Affairs and Product Safety at IBM. With decades of experience at IBM, many of which he spent working on environmental issues, Mr. Balta provided an insiders’ perspective from one of the world’s largest and most respected companies.

The open Q&A session addressed some of the key management issues in corporate responsibility. IBM has been reporting on environmental issues since 1990. Their robust Continue reading

Things Are Getting Crazy In Net Impact

Some of us in Net Impact are doing something very different. Ten of your fellow students and dedicated Net Impacters are taking an extra course over Mods Two and Three. This is going to be difficult, and it may sound a little crazy. But like many sustainability ideas, we think this is worth it.

We are partnering with the Sustainability Institute on a project to help various Penn Continue reading

Smeal MBA Net Impact Joins Like Minds in San Jose

You can’t put your hand on a noiseless and odorless bank of fuel cells that is pumping out hundreds of kilowatts of power for the building next door and not believe in its potential. Along with others on the Net Impact tour of Bloom Energy, a group of Smeal MBAs met with Bloom representatives, saw (and touched) the technology, asked a lot of questions, and came away believing it’s a serious innovation for energy generation. Bloom’s fuel cell technology is highly reliable and financially viable—both of which are prompting Fortune 500 companies and others to invest in the energy source.

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Net Impact and WMBA Wine Tour

“Making wines that are up to international standards year after year requires art, science, and dedication.” –Elwin Stewart, Happy Valley Vineyard and Winery

You did it. The first Mod of the year is done! You have a week to recuperate and give your mind a break. But you can’t just stare at a wall…for too long. You have to do something. It should be something fun, but not too intense. Something interesting, but not too heavy. You should do something that gets you outside, enjoying some fresh air and natural sunlight. And while you’re at it, a little wine wouldn’t hurt.

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The Flipside of Capitalism

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By Shridhar Vijay Kumar and Rahul Panicker, MBA Class of 2013

India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The country has undergone rapid progress ever since the government opened up its borders for foreign investments in 1991. Sounds familiar? This is exactly what you will hear in Continue reading

KPMG International Case Competition

By Anthony Cheng, MBA Class of 2014

Last month, a team of 1st year MBAs consisting of Anthony Cheng, Wei (Effie) Li,  Xin (Jennifer) Peng, and Yun (Carrie) Zhou went to Miami, FL to compete in the KPMG International Case Competition.  With temperatures in State College below freezing, we were excited to go to South Beach for a case competition.

We flew out of the University Park Airport early in the morning on Thursday, January 10th, had a Continue reading

Navigating Energy at Viawest – An EDF Climate Corps fellow’s three commandments

This summer, I went for evening drinks with a colleague, and as we strolled through downtown Denver looking for a nice place to relax, my friend pointed to one establishment and said, “Let’s not go to that pub. They still use incandescents.”

It’s certainly not far-fetched to think customers will make purchasing decisions based on a company’s sustainability initiatives.  Similar to the way people have demand healthier options from fast food chains, many corporations have started expecting their vendors and partners to provide environmentally-friendly alternatives.  If you’re a major co-location provider with two dozen facilities across five states, you better be prepared for this trend. Continue reading