Member Article

Time for education to go green

The blossoming move towards a greener culture within the higher education sector is now producing ecologically cognisant students and academics at the heart of grassroots efforts to protect the environment. This is good news for the global community, as many of these students will institute change on an international level, whether at a major corporation or through their own entrepreneurial endeavours.

Although the environmental issue has been in the public consciousness for several decades now, there is now no doubt that we are witnessing the impact of humans on the environment on a global scale. Human influence is undoubtedly impacting climate change on a global scale by exacerbating highly destructive weather patterns and bringing about major ecological catastrophes, such as the bleaching of more than 20% of coral in the Great Barrier Reef earlier this year.

It has only been over the past decade that the environmental agenda has truly come to the fore on the global political stage, with politicians and business leaders now keen to install initiatives such as carbon credits and Green Corporate Responsibility. International business now plays a major role in facing environmental issues head on, and we see a real need for a paradigm shift in contemporary business practices at both a national and international level.

Universities are also trying to lead the way in terms of understanding the relationship between nature and mankind with environmental studies permeating into many different subject areas, including business. InterActive is one such educational institution keen to be part of this new movement with their new Eco Entrepreneur Global MBA Scholarship. The initiative gives back to the global community whilst aiming to inspire a new generation of business practitioners to work towards creating more environmentally focused business environment.

We have all unfortunately felt the impact of environmental issues in some form during our lives, but now, through the green movement in higher education and business, we have reached a key turning point and the chance to secure a brighter future for us all.

Jeremy Bradley is Director of Academic Affairs at online education provider Study InterActive.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jeremy Bradley .