Budget Analyst @ University of California, Berkeley | Environmental Economics and Policy
I am incredibly grateful to have taken part in the Berkeley Changemaker course “Sustainable Capitalism in the Nordics?”. Thank you to my amazing professor Robert Strand for making this the most engaging and enlightening course I have so far taken! Through the discussion based model of the course, I shared many insightful conversations with my peers, broadening my perspective on capitalism, sustainability, and the corporate American business model. What particularly stood out to me was the unique Nordic business model where stakeholder interest and sustainability are prioritized, an approach very different from a shareholder profit motivated model. A prime example of this is Novo Nordisk, a company that takes the Triple Bottom Line approach to business: balancing financial, social, and environmental considerations. In this course sustainability is defined as, “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” We emphasized the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a comprehensive framework for sustainable progress. As the course came to a wrap, I pledged my commitment to SDG #12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Monitoring my own consumption, investing in long-term reusable products, and doing research to shop from sustainable brands are ways that I individually make an effort to responsibly consume. In the future, I plan to remain committed by colllaborating with organizations that prioritize sustainability and are dedicated to fostering responsible production practices. The circular economy movement will not be easy and will require collective effort from individuals, corporations, and governments. However, as the famous James Baldwin quote goes, “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Beyond this course, I look forward to further engagement with the Nordic Center at UC Berkeley & the Center for Responsible Business at Berkeley Haas and hope to see continued collaboration between California and the Nordics. Heja sustainability!
Sustainability academic. Executive Director, Nordic Center at UC Berkeley. Executive Director, Center for Responsible Business at Berkeley Haas. Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School. DAD of Jonas & Mikkel.
I returned from 🇩🇰 Denmark and 🇸🇪 Sweden from running an MBA cohort of our “Sustainable Capitalism in the Nordics?” course to take part in the final sesssion of our undergraduate version of “Sustainable Capitalism in the Nordics?: A Berkeley Changemaker Course” here on campus at University of California, Berkeley. The ultimate goal of a course in the Berkeley Changemaker program is to create strong leaders and future change makers who will change the world in meaningful ways. We spent our final session togther with each student sharing their Personal Commitment Pledge that involved students identifying which of the Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs) targets they commit themselves to be a #CHANGEMAKER, to express WHY they are committing themselves to that target (i.e. statement of PURPOSE), and one specific action they will take to do so. The world has no shortage of problems - but I have great hope for a brighter tomorrow because of these Berkeley Changemakers. Onward #BerkeleyChangemakers!!! University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business Nordic Center at UC Berkeley Center for Responsible Business at Berkeley Haas Laura Hassner Rich Lyons Alex Budak
