GOOD Institute and Net Impact are joining organizations and individuals around the world celebrating Earth Day and Earth Week this week around the 2023 theme Invest in Our Planet. “…the theme is focused on engaging governments, institutions, businesses, and the more than 1 billion citizens who participate annually in Earth Day to do their part – everyone accounted for, everyone accountable.”
All week long, on the Net Impact blog, we will be showcasing pieces written by our #ClimateContributors, who exemplify the work our community does all year long to drive climate action.
Chapter Stories that Make An Impact: University of Michigan
Today, the potential for business to be a force for good has never been more apparent. From creating jobs that drive economic growth to becoming more sustainable and environmentally conscious, businesses have the power to make a meaningful, positive impact on the world. Net Impact Chapters are at the forefront of driving these conversations.
In November, the Net Impact Undergraduate Chapter at the University of Michigan hosted an event with the former CEO and Chairman of DTE Energy, discussing the role of business leadership in a transition to renewables. Over 200 people attended, even a handful of protesters who were upset with the company’s past (and present) reliance on fossil fuels.
Aiming to foster greater dialogue about the role of business in the climate movement and bridge the gap between environmentalists and business leaders, the Chapter wrote an eye-opening op-ed in response.
Read the piece in its entirety below:
Op-Ed: We believe in the power of business to do good
It’s easy to look at the history of colonialism, capitalism and climate change, see all of the wreckage that corporations have left behind, and want nothing to do with it. Even we, Net Impact Undergrad, as a business and sustainability club on campus, are often pessimistic about the success of an environmental revolution and long-term sustainable economic growth under our current capitalist system. Yet, we still enroll in business school. Why? Because we refuse to be complacent with climate disaster and want to roll up our sleeves to get the work done.
Three weeks ago, we hosted Gerry Anderson, the former CEO and Chairman of DTE Energy, to talk to students about how it is possible to make change and have an impact in a historically unsustainable industry. Alongside nearly 200 attendees, our event also featured a few protesters upset with DTE’s past (and present) dependency on coal and other fossil fuels destroying our earth. As protesters’ signs helpfully pointed out, DTE still relies on almost 58% coal to generate the electricity we use daily to power our community.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Anderson’s speech reminded listeners that DTE’s coal reliance was over 80% at the beginning of his tenure, an impressive feat that continues as DTE gradually decreases its dependence on unsustainable fossil fuels. Anderson’s tenure at DTE included helping write the legislation that became the clean power provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and being one of the first energy industry CEOs to commit to retiring coal-fired generation.
While implementing this goal is not linear, and wanting these changes more quickly is valid, tangible change requires collaboration, feasible solutions and listening to those with whom you may disagree. We must thank protesters for wanting to start these dialogues on campus, despite our differences in how we believe we will actualize this change.
Quote Card by Opinion.
What happened at this event is representative of a greater, unproductive sentiment within the environmentalist movement, especially on the University of Michigan campus. Our club often finds itself falling into this sentiment: creating an artificial divide between environmentalists and business leaders. Fostering division rather than cooperation within the sustainability community undermines the creation of tangible change and the ability to communicate about environmental protection effectively.
We believe that business leaders working through companies to initiate change is essential to the environmental movement. Our club aims to grow a sentiment of environmentalism that invokes change from inside the business world because, ultimately, we need practical business change just as much as we need motivated and informed protesters. We believe that Anderson’s speech perfectly embodied this goal. Instead of shying away from unsustainable industries, we can jump into the fray and promote real change from the inside.
Environmentalism in business requires taking the wheel and steering towards progress. Forward-thinking individuals must work hard to facilitate the necessary change within businesses, which is radical in its own way. Demeaning individuals that are working hard to make such industries more environmentally friendly creates opponents in a common cause.
We’re also realistic that the two sides of this dialogue aren’t always going to like each other. We may be on the same side of the fight for a better climate future, but we have very different ideas on how to get there. Ultimately, it will take us both to effect change: motivating change from the outside (protesters) and actualizing this change from the inside (business). This tension remains, and in the end, this event helped us business majors recognize the types of struggles we will face from both sides in our fight for a just transition to more renewable energy sources. Anderson’s humble and dignified response exemplified for business students how to productively respond to criticism and continue to persevere for a better future.
How are businesspeople aiming to make a difference? Let’s use DTE as an example. Stakeholders and investors want to embrace sustainability without skyrocketing energy costs or decreasing the reliability of the grid. Regulatory agencies like the Michigan Public Service Commission must approve all new plans, and stakeholders raise valid equity concerns about the existing plans.
There are challenges of energy storage for renewables, availability of metal for batteries, equitability of high-cost renewables and strain on grids from the increase in electric cars that magnify the scope of the challenges facing utility companies. Creating a thoughtful and careful long-term strategy requires consideration of all of these consequences and is the type of challenge we business students are eager to tackle. DTE’s 20% decrease in coal reliance and commitment to going net zero by 2050 exemplify successes in this aim.
We are seeing firsthand how our business education can make a tangible difference. We know addressing change from the inside is a hard path, but as business students, we believe in being communicators and problem solvers. We’ve decided to respond to the sources of our frustration with stalled climate progress with action instead of mere words. We are unapologetic about using the power of business to do good.
Net Impact is an undergraduate business club. More information can be found here.
This piece was originally published originally in The Michigan Daily.
The Net Impact Undergraduate Chapter at the University of Michigan recently welcomed 18 new members to their team and are continuing to source projects for their club through an incubator program where they work with and provide member resources to develop projects they are passionate about.
The following are community projects they are currently focused on:
- A marketing plan for a local, woman-owned, sustainably sourced chocolate company
- A fundraising plan for a Detroit-based nonprofit providing free or low-cost legal aid to immigrants and refugees
- An architectural design project with a local, net-zero housing project
- A campus-wide sustainable fashion educational project
- A career trek for members to learn about various companies in the impact and sustainability space
If you reside in the Michigan area, you may be interested in joining this incredible community. Check out their website here.
