UC Irvine Extension Offers New Certificate Program in Sustainability Leadership

Business Wire, July 28, 2008

New Curriculum Designed to Meet Business Demand for Knowledge of "Green" Practices

IRVINE, Calif. -- University of California, Irvine Extension is launching a new online curriculum, "Certificate Program in Sustainability Leadership," designed to provide up-to-date information about implementing sustainability and green practices. The new curriculum was developed for professionals who need an integrated approach in responding to environmental and societal needs, and obtaining regulatory compliance while maximizing profits.

Sustainability and green initiatives have recently risen in both visibility and urgency in the public conscience. The success of Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," his and the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change's (IPCC) subsequent Nobel Peace Prizes, validating climate change issues, and rapidly rising fuel and energy costs, coupled with the growth of globalization, and impending state and national legislation, have led concerned citizens nationwide to demand change.

"This program was created for leaders to meet this demand, and who want to make a positive impact on society," said Kirwan Rockefeller, Ph.D., director of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at UC Irvine Extension. "The program will arm participants with the knowledge necessary to generate "green" strategic innovation, competitive advantage and profitable growth for their organizations."

Providing an interdisciplinary focus, this program integrates sustainable development and environmentalism into management strategy, advances the comprehension of environmental compliance, contributes to an understanding of regulatory trends, and adds to the achievement of corporate social responsibility. The program is designed for individuals who are leading sustainability initiatives in their roles in corporate, government and public agencies, nonprofit advocacy organizations, engineering, public health, urban planning, and law. In addition, those within professional designations such as human resources, marketing, and facility management are encouraged to participate.

The Certificate Program in Sustainability Leadership will include four required courses and two elective courses. The curriculum will integrate systems thinking with a triple bottom line approach - demonstrating how to balance the needs of people, with sensitivity to the planet while generating profits.

"The current perception in business is that going green is very expensive," explains John Grosskopf, who serves as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Sustainability for TRC Solutions and advisor and course instructor at UC Irvine Extension. "In reality, companies can save money and the planet at the same time by making simple changes to their everyday practices."

The program will begin in the fall with two new courses. The first, "Legal Developments Concerning the Environment & Climate Change" begins Oct. 13. During the five online sessions, participants will review global and federal developments, with particular attention to legislation within California. Upon completion, students will be able to recognize elements of climate change impacting business and industry, understand issues pertaining to contracts and terminology, and identify legal issues and standards related to LEED Certification.

"Typically the first course in a certificate program is a 101 or overview," continued Rockefeller. "When developing the Sustainable Leadership curriculum, our advisors felt the legislation and regulations were a crucial place to being as an overview of 'green' and sustainable practices. It is invaluable to understand why our community must make climate changes."

"Developing Green and Sustainable Planned Communities" will be held Sept. 22 through Dec. 1 on the UCI campus. The second course within the certificate program teaches practical applications of green building practices, including the principals laid out by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and their relevance to residential developments and communities. Participants will learn to identify, assess, rate and rank green building practices and elements based on their return on investment and customer satisfaction.

UC Irvine Extension's goal is to offer its Certificate Program in Sustainable Leadership in a fully online format, catering to busy professionals across the U.S., who need to expand their knowledge of "green" initiatives.

To learn more about UC Irvine's Sustainability Leadership Certificate Program, please visit www.extension.uci.edu. To register for the two new courses, call 949-824-5414 or e-mail sustainability@uci.edu.

About the University of California, Irvine Extension: As the continuing education arm of UCI, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a university-level learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience, from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities. For more information, please visit www.extension.uci.edu.