Sustainability & Social Enterprise:
Resources to Get Involved
Business students are increasingly interested in starting or working for companies that develop innovative products and services that have a positive societal impact. Career opportunities in sustainability, social enterprise, and the nonprofit sector are rapidly increasing. Whether a student is interested in working in microfinance, community foundations, education, global philanthropy, or corporate sustainability, it is critical to have a strong foundation in business leadership and a solid understanding of business fundamentals. Integrated throughout the Darden curriculum is the theme that while business has one main bottom line—profitability—it must be achieved in an ethical, socially-minded, and environmentally-responsible manner.
Sustainability at Darden and at UVA
Darden's vision is to be a zero waste, carbon neutral enterprise by 2020, and a top ten school for teaching and research in sustainability by 2013. Visit Sustainability at Darden to learn more about how the Darden School of Business is working to achieve these goals. Learn what the University of Virginia is doing to promote a Greener Grounds, by visiting Sustainability at UVA.
Clubs & Activities
- Net Impact at Darden - Net Impact is dedicated to using the power of business to positively impact social, environmental, and economic concerns across the world.
- Darden Education Club - The Education Club strives to generate energy, passion, appreciation, and focus around the education industry.
- Darden Nonprofit Internship Fund (DNIF) - DNIF is a student-funded program that helps First Year students defray summer living expenses while pursuing low-paying internships in the nonprofit and social sectors.
- Building Goodness in April (BGiA) - BGiA's mission is to rehabilitate the homes of low-income, elderly, and disabled families in the Charlottesville community.
- Outreach at Darden - Outreach is Darden's umbrella community service organization that organizes fun activities that leave a positive impact on the world outside of Darden.
- Opportunity Consultants Inc. - This student organization performs pro-bono consulting engagements in the Charlottesville community.
- Black Business Student Forum (BBSF) Conference - In 2009, BBSF's annual conference focused on "The Business of Social Change: Using business principles to solve the world's biggest challenges."
Student Videos
Sustainability & Social Enterprise Curriculum
Business education plays a critical role in enabling our society to solve its most pressing sustainability and social challenges. Darden has a history of incorporating sustainability topics and experiences into its curriculum rather than teaching about them as social or environmental issues that are separate from business. In addition to the sustainability and ethics content incorporated into required courses, the following electives provide a partial or total focus on these topics:
MBA Courses with Extensive or Total Focus on Social, Ethical, or Environmental Issues
MBA Classes with a Partial Focus on Social, Ethical, or Environmental Issues
For-Credit Projects in Sustainability
Students conducting research electives and Darden Business Projects frequently choose sustainability topics, such as developing markets for recycled products, biofuels, microfinance, renewable energy, carbon trading, and local food systems. Many projects have been Darden-focused, helping the school achieve its goal of being a zero waste, carbon neutral enterprise. Examples include:
- Zero Waste, Carbon Neutral at Darden: Recommendations for Sustainable Operations
This project summarized Darden’s carbon footprint and waste, providing short-term and long-term recommendations for becoming a zero waste, zero carbon enterprise.
- Making the Case for Composting at Darden
This project evaluated the costs and benefits of three different technologies/processes for composting Darden’s organic waste.
- Community Food Systems Project
In collaboration with UVA Architecture School’s Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, this study delved into local food entrepreneurship opportunities that help achieve economic development, sustainability, and health and supply chain security goals.
Faculty Resources
The following faculty teach and/or conduct research on sustainability, ethics, or social issues:
Centers and Institutes Focused on Sustainability and Ethics
These Darden centers and institutes conduct research and support classroom learning:
Current Student & Alumni Contacts
Still have questions? Feel free to contact the following current students and alumni to ask specific questions about sustainability and social enterprise at Darden or in their careers. For additional contacts, please visit the Darden Student and Alumni Ambassadors list.
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
Undergraduate education: College of William and Mary
Undergraduate major: Business and Government
Previous occupation: Director of Sales and Marketing
Future plans: General management
Darden activities: VP of Campus Greening and Curriculum Change, Net Impact; Honor Educator, UVA Honor Committee; Co-Captain, Boys and Girls Club Cycling Challenge
"Darden provides a number of opportunities to learn more about sustainability and social enterprise. In my First Year I competed in a green business case competition, participated in our Carbon Footprint Challenge, and discussed renewable energy trends with visiting executives and speakers. I also secured an exciting internship in the public sector through Darden’s on-grounds recruiting system. Because of these experiences, I am confident I will graduate with the ability to really make an impact through business."
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Undergraduate education: Claremont-McKenna College
Undergraduate major: Economics-Accounting & Psychology (w/ Leadership Sequence)
Previous occupation: Financial Services
Future plans: Education entrepreneurship
Darden activities: Education Club, Black Business Student Forum, Darden Nonprofit Internship Fund
"Darden provides an aspiring entrepreneur like me with a toolkit to execute all aspects of a social enterprise from an early stage, rapid growth, and into maturity. While the classroom experience sets the stage for the full-time program, there are just as many learning activities outside of the classroom. Clubs, speakers, and proactive engagement in the Darden community are required and, together with the curriculum, give Darden the rigor its students seek. All of these working parts make Darden a unique learning environment, and collectively, the Darden community stimulates my exploration and cultivates my creativity in social entrepreneurship."
Undergraduate education: University of Notre Dame (MS from UNC-Chapel Hill)
Undergraduate major: Geological Sciences (MS in Geological Sciences)
Company: National Park Service
Role: Business Management Specialist, Intermountain Region
Current location: Denver, CO
"Darden gave me the skills and the confidence to begin making a valuable contribution to my organization on day one. As the only MBA on my team, I have unique expertise to share. As the newest person on my team, I have much to learn about the culture and history of my organization. Darden taught me to ask good and relevant questions as well as to explain new concepts to facilitate learning and collaboration within my team."
Undergraduate education: Washington and Lee University
Undergraduate major: Economics and Politics, Certificate in Environmental Studies
Company: Target Corporation
Role: Environmental Sustainability
Current location: Minneapolis, MN
"Darden gave me a broader understanding of the elements that make a business sustainable over the long-term. I discovered that sustainability isn't just about checking the boxes on a handful of environmental or social initiatives—it's about making decisions today that will ensure that the business will be around for its customers, employees, and shareholders for years to come. The Darden experience—rigorous case prep, spirited classroom discussions, a tight-knit student population, and world class faculty—gave me a bias toward action that I rely upon every day in my work."