Students often have a concept of "sustainability" contrasting with its definition, believing that it is a moral or "green," but not necessarily a practical imperative. This course provides a foundation in the what and the why of sustainability and how it underpins economic robustness. Some still view environmental and social responsibilities in tension with economic success, impeding aggressive improvement. Examining the achievements and unintended consequences since the industrial revolution that created the need for complex regulations and protective technologies, the presenter will demonstrate from real world experience how successive use of those defined risks and their true costs (including often neglected externalities) as opportunities to address root-cause, geometrically reduces negative impacts, optimizes resource use and produces substantial economic gains. This course's strength is that it is grounded in real world outcomes, emphasizes critical thinking to derive true cost/benefit analysis, utilizes available tools and grounds the learning in the students' everyday lives.
