These days, you can get a degree in just about anything – environmental sustainability included!
With the pressures mounting to protect the environment and eat healthier, how we treat the earth and our bodies is beginning to parlay itself into more niche areas, such as the business room. Companies are under pressure to perform sustainability and embrace the so-called “triple bottom line” while fashion designers are getting flack for tailing only the oil and gas industry as the biggest contributor of waste to the already burdened world. Here are some of the best environmental sustainability programs in their respective fields for four unique concentrations.
1. Green Business
Program: Wharton
Degree: MBA and M.A. Environmental Studies
What you learn: Lasting just under three years, the MES/MBA dual degree offers students the opportunity to hone their business administration skills whilst deepening their knowledge of environmental issues, learning technical environmental evaluation techniques and gaining practical field experience. The green MBA‘s tuition is no walk in the park, but the dual degree program expands upon business skills and integrates them with environmental management knowledge to give you that extra edge in the business environment.
Tuition: $68,210 (2014-15)
2. Conscious Traveling
Program: Leeds Metropolitan University (UK)
Degree: M.A. Responsible Tourism Management
What you Learn: A pioneer in this course of study, Leeds has been offering students course study in responsible tourism management since 2007. Professor Harold Goodwin brought the course to Leeds five years after founding the International Centre for Responsible Tourism. The program shows students how to make tourism a platform for sustainable development. Students often work and live around the world while taking classes in responsible tourism theory, local economic development and poverty alleviation.
Tuition: £8,750 (2012-13)
3. Sustainable Clothing
Program: London College of Fashion (UK)
Degree: M.A. Fashion and the Environment
What you Learn: Since 2008, the Centre for Sustainable Fashion has been operating at the London College of Fashion. It is an international leader in eco-friendly clothing, teaching about the environmental, cultural and social impacts associated with clothing’s life cycle. The program inspires innovative and proactive ways to approach sustainable fashion solutions.
Tuition: £9,000 (2012)
4. Green Food Chefs
Program: Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts
Degree: Chef’s Training Program; The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts is licensed by the New York State Department of Education. It is accredited by ACCET.
What you learn: Founded in 1977, The Natural Gourmet is the leader in healthy, plant-based cooking. The program is mostly vegetarian and combines cooking classes with lectures that span the range of nutrition approaches, such as Western nutrition, Chinese medicine, macrobiotics, raw foods, fermentation, medicinal cooking and more.
Tuition: $26,000 (2014)
Aylin Erman is founder of GlowKitchen. There she shares step-by-step picture recipes of her plant-based creations. Aylin lives and works in Istanbul as a writer and editor at the country’s first-ever green-living and sustainability platform, Yesilist. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter to keep up with food news and recipes.
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Photo Credit: Carlos Reusser Monsalves