Shades of Green showcases sustainable businesses
Students may notice the world of business is getting a little greener these days thanks to the third annual Shades of Green event, which kicked off on Sept. 30 and lasted until Oct. 7. The event is a yearly sustainability initiative put together by the College of Business.
Brennan Meagher- Blaine Daenen, senior management major, discusses sustainability within the transportation sector with Valvoline representatives.
Gerri McCord, career advisor for the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business, is a founding board member for the event. She believes that there is a lot students can learn throughout this week.
“Companies are becoming a lot more environmentally friendly. There will be a growing need for employees who can support these sustainable business practices,” McCord said. “This is a great opportunity to introduce students to a new career path. Accordingly, who better to network with than professionals currently working in the field.”
Shades of Green attempts to cover a broad spectrum of sustainability. Some issues that are focused on include sustainability within the transportation and health sectors. All are invited to attend the events associated with Shades of Green, particularly business executives, business managers, faculty, staff, students, government officials, planners and community members.
Dean of the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business, Matthew Liao-Troth, encouraged people to attend events throughout the week.
Shades of Green kicked off on Thursday, Sept. 30, on the front porch of Atkinson with a proclamation on behalf of the mayor by City Planner Mike Couch. It was declared Shades of Green Day.
The following day, Friday, Sept. 30, there was a forum in Macon entitled Size Six Stiletto Heel & a Pair of Birkenstocks. At this forum were four female executives who worked in sustainable careers. The forum discussed various topics: urban design and transportation planning, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification and integration of natural and built environments and careers.
In order to keep with the theme of sustainability, an organic meal was served and all utensils were biodegradable. This particular event was by invitation only.
One aspect of the week-long event was the fact that speakers came from all over the country, as far as California and Michigan. Several speakers, traveling from far away, could have been expensive, however, this is not the case.
“Every speaker is coming on their own time and finances,” McCord stated.
On the morning of Saturday, Oct. 1, the Bicycling Club of Milledgeville and Georgia Forestry presented “Ride for the Green of It,” a four-mile bike ride at Bartram Forest. The bicycle ride highlighted the beauty of nature and alternative forms of transportation. Senior marketing major Courtney Kennedy helped to organize the event.
“I think the event went really well, although there were not as many participants as we had hoped for,” Kennedy said. “If we could do things differently, I would have started promoting the event a lot earlier and possibly having a promotion table at bike events held throughout the year in Milledgeville to spread more awareness to those who enjoy biking.”
Senior marketing major Michael Chase was present at Ride for the Green of It.
“I’m glad Shades of Green is highlighting sustainable businesses and alternative transportation because it’s something that I have always been interested in,” Chase said.
Other events throughout the week include a display of Valvoline’s sustainable oil processing system, a women’s leadership forum, an art display and a panel about sustainability of the food supply.
Posted by Brennan Meagher
on Oct 6 2011. Filed under News.
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