411 - ESG, Reporting and Tools for Energy & Sustainability
Core/Elective: Core
Credits: 1.0
Quarter Taught: Winter
Synopsis:
This course aims to provide a broad overview of the widely used quantitative tools in sustainability. Using a discussion, case-based and problem-set centered focus, this course will delve into issues surrounding greenhouse gas quantification and the ways that organizations build sustainability reports and plans. Students will learn about core quantitative methods for measuring sustainability performance while also touching on protocol and policy frameworks that enable the application and verification of these measurements. They will build their ability to measure and quantify impact of an individual organization. The course will ensure that students can both read and be involved in writing a measurable, robust sustainability plan.
Course Objectives:
- Overview of Common Quantitative Tools: The course will introduce key metrics associated with quantifying environmental impact & sustainability including but not limited to Economic, Environment and Social measures. Students will become familiar with the most widely used of the hundreds of (voluntary) sustainability standards in the market today;
- Energy Efficiency Laws, Standards, and Programs: Students will be introduced to various types of EE-related local, state, and federal policies and regulations. They will learn about utility incentives, government programs, and third-party certifications;
- Developing Quantitative Capabilities: Students will learn and apply quantitative concepts to real-world situations. Use of cases and problem sets will offer students a chance to exercise the theories using real data;
- Understanding GHG Reporting Protocols and Processes: While there are many measures to consider, greenhouse gases (GHG) will be the primary area of focus in this course. By looking at frameworks from the EPA, IPCC and the GHG Protocol, students will learn the varied protocols that govern GHG reporting. By touching on firms such as the CDP and GRI, students will also learn about the growing market for disclosures and its importance;
- Applying Quantitative Tools: In addition to focus on what to measure and how to measure it, students will be engaged in conversations about how to engage stakeholders who are at various levels of their journey in sustainability measurement; and
- Producing Real-World Sustainability Reports: By the end of the course, students should be able to critically read a sustainability plan and be positioned by the end to be the primary (but not solitary) author of a sustainability report for a small company, city, or equivalent entity