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Kogod Sustainability Review: Editor's Note

Founder and editor-in-chief Kareem Ihmeidan introduces the Kogod Sustainability Review against the backdrop of sustainability in business.

Kareem Ihmeidan hero

Kogod School of Business MS in sustainability management student Kareem Ihmeidan.


 

In 2018, American University became the largest higher education institution in the United States to reach carbon neutrality. Through reducing overall emissions, using renewable energy sources and offsetting the remainder, American University achieved carbon neutrality two years ahead of its goal. A testament of this vision rests in the Kogod School of Business, which houses a Masters in Sustainability Management. This will be the 10th year running for the Masters in Sustainability Management program at Kogod. It is one of the few sustainability programs offered at a business school and the only program of its kind with a fully online option. Through the years, the program has evolved from a novel idea to one of the leading sustainability programs in the nation. Just this year, it was awarded the Page Grand Prize, which recognizes excellence in sustainable business education. Previous winners have included the likes of Harvard University, Duke University, Cornell University, and Northwestern University.

Yet a lot has changed since the inception of Kogod’s Sustainability Management program. The public and private sector are embracing sustainability faster than ever. As a new generation of consumers who value sustainability enter the fray, corporations are placing sustainable initiatives at the forefront of their business models. The federal government passed sweeping legislation that gives incentives for sustainable practices and investments. NGO’s are increasingly growing and on the front lines advocating for more action. Industries are looking for a resource that will blend future trends, ideas, research, and perspectives to serve as a useful tool for their own sustainability strategies. This is what the Kogod Sustainability Review (KSR) will accomplish.

The purpose behind KSR is not merely to be a compilation of articles. Rather, KSR intends to mobilize ideas and insights to cultivate a more sustainable world.”

Kareem Ihmeidan headshot

Kareem Ihmeidan

Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Kogod Sustainability Review

From sustainability leaders, academics, and students, articles will span across various industries and stakeholders to highlight the many challenges and opportunities before us.

I would like to thank our notable guest writers Dean Ann Harrisson of the Haas School of Business at University of California Berkeley, Jason Bordoff the Founding Director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University and President Sylvia Burwell of American University. Having such leaders contribute to the inaugural edition demonstrates their commitment on this topic. To Kogod faculty and staff Professor David Bartlett, Assistant Dean of Marketing & Strategy Katya Popova, and Dean David Marchick, I thank you for nurturing this idea and ensuring resources were at our disposal to make it come together. Finally, to the entire KSR team, Chandler Randol, Erica Chiorzzai, Onyekachi Agbo, Isabela Barriga, Zoe Mattioli and Caroline Kissack, a group of students who believed in the purpose behind this publication, this first edition is a product of their hard work and sacrifice.

Victor Hugo once said, “There is nothing more powerful in the world than an idea whose time has come.” At Kogod, we believe the idea and time have aligned, and this publication will serve as a touchstone of hope for the future of our planet and all who call it home.