As enterprise-level activities are increasingly scrutinized for their role in ecological degradation, social inequities, and economic disruptions, organizations must navigate a landscape where accountability extends well beyond financial performance. Students will examine how businesses can address material risks — from climate shocks and regulatory pressures to stakeholder expectations — while identifying opportunities to build resilience and competitive advantage through sustainability.

This module course goes beyond exploring why sustainability matters, focusing on how to enact effective sustainable strategies. Students will learn to identify and evaluate material environmental and social risks for organizations, measure and assess current sustainability efforts, and determine an organization’s existing strategy for addressing environmental and social risks. Students will develop an understanding of the institutional forces and systemic issues that shape organizational behavior, enabling them to design strategies that both mitigate risk and create long-term value. By emphasizing the intersection of strategic decision-making and sustainable leadership, this course equips students to build competitive advantage and drive measurable positive outcomes for both business and society.

BACKGROUND AND APPROACH
This course takes a broad, cross-industry approach to sustainability rather than focusing solely on real estate. By examining the impacts and drivers of sustainability as they may impact organizations that are tenants, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders, the course provides insights that are relevant across multiple sectors. This approach ensures that the content is accessible and valuable for students with interests both within and beyond real estate.

The elective course was specially designed for Master in Real Estate students, yet open to students in other programs. There are no prerequisites.

MRE students who want to take this course should enter the Limited Enrollment Course Lottery and will be automatically enrolled.