We believe that connecting sustainability and business outcomes is essential for shaping future-ready leaders. That belief is shared by two of the country's top MBA programs: the University of Vermont's Grossman School of Business — ranked #2 Green MBA by The Princeton Review — and the Center for Sustainable Business at NYU Stern, a leading authority on advancing sustainability in business education. Together, we identified a critical opportunity: preparing graduate students to work fluently with AI, GenAI workflows, and the data tools reshaping the future of sustainable business.
Next-gen readiness
Sustainability professionals are increasingly expected to understand, interpret, and apply advanced technologies like AI and machine learning to tackle today's most urgent business challenges. Yet many graduate programs are still building the capacity to teach applied AI in a sustainability context. Faculty and program directors at UVM and NYU wanted to expose students to the practical, career-relevant ways GenAI tools and workflows could support their future roles — but needed a partner to bridge the gap between theory and real-world practice.
A hands-on experience
We co-designed and delivered a workshop series — "Applied AI for Sustainable Business" — custom-tailored to graduate students preparing for careers in sustainable business. The curriculum covered:
- How AI and LLMs work, and why they matter for sustainability roles.
- Use cases and case studies showing real-world AI application in sustainable business.
- Hands-on exercises using today's most advanced GenAI tools to solve actual business problems.
- Guidance on ethics, environmental impacts, and how to use AI responsibly.
- Career advice and skill-building strategies for leveraging AI knowledge in interviews and roles.
The sessions were highly interactive, practical, and deeply contextualized for the sustainable-business domain. We also provided ongoing resources and a companion microsite to continue student learning after the sessions concluded.
"Your insights helped clarify how AI can be applied in practical, real-world ways, and gave me concrete skills I can now speak to in job interviews."
Anna GraffMBA Candidate, University of Vermont"Truly so great and incredibly insightful… students appreciated how directly applicable the tools you shared were."
Mariah MaldonadoAssistant Director, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business"My mind is spinning with all of the tools and tips you shared… Really fascinating, and the students seemed engaged throughout."
Abigail Talcott-SchlaiferManaging Director, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable BusinessInspiration to implementation
The workshops were met with enthusiasm by students and faculty alike, receiving top ratings in post-program surveys. Students highlighted the real-world relevance, engaging instruction, and clarity of explanations — especially around technical topics like vectors, tokens, and model selection.
An ongoing relationship
We continue to collaborate with both institutions to shape how tomorrow's leaders learn about technology's role in sustainability. Together, we're helping ensure that future business professionals aren't just ready for the AI era — they're ready to lead it.
Preparing your people to lead the AI era?
We bring the Applied AI for Sustainable Business curriculum to business and academia with a hands-on approach, practical, and tuned to your domain.
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