Learn the Economics of Sustainability: Calculate Financial Benefits of Environmental and Social Practices

Sustainability professionals are frequently charged with defining the economic value of implementing environmental and social sustainability practices. In this course, students will be presented with key economic principles and identify long-term costs and benefits of sustainable practices through a variety of financial management tools, including the time value of money and Lifecycle Cost analysis. Students will explore value created for organizations through various social and environmental sustainable practices and will be able to calculate the financial benefit attributable to strategic sustainability initiatives.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the fundamental concepts in economics and how they impact corporate decision making and environmental performance.
• Understand and be able to calculate financial performance measures, such as the time value of money, Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Triple Bottom Line.
• Gain a working understanding of the steps and elements in a Life Cycle Cost Analysis and its use in showing the value of sustainable practices.
• Understand the financial benefits of more sustainable business practices.