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Issue date: 11/7/06 Section: Student Life

A group of Sloanies show off their snazzy T-shirts at Carmen's Pizzeria in Evanston

When Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank, was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, it validated the role of economic concepts like microfinance in alleviating poverty in developing countries. Using business principles for social impact has become a hot topic on many business school campuses, and on October 26-29, 34 MIT Sloan students joined 1,400 MBAs from across the globe to network, learn, and discuss ways to push the envelope on issues like sustainability, corporate social responsibility, education, and energy.

The conference, themed "Navigating Global Change," was co-hosted by Net Impact and the Kellogg School of Management. Over the three-day event, students chose from more than 80 different panels, simulations, and keynotes or participated in one of five pre-set event tracks that covered topics such as Business and the Environment and Social Responsibility. "I'm debating between returning to consulting and entering the green building industry, and the conference was one of the best ways to sort out that question," said Nick Hofmeister '07, VP of Marketing for MIT Sloan's chapter. "I attended panels with people from the industry, learned about an MBA's place in green buildings, and toured one of the few platinum certified green buildings in the country."

Luminaries from the nonprofit world like Maria Otero, CEO of Accion International and John Wood, founder of Room to Read, as well as companies at the forefront of social responsibility including Starbucks, Whole Foods, and Timberland were in attendance. Traditional companies like Coca-Cola, Deloitte, and the Gap were also on hand to discuss their corporate citizenship initiatives and labor practices. A summit for professionals occurred concurrently with the student conference, providing both groups an additional opportunity to network at joint events held in downtown Chicago at Navy Pier and Union Station.

The conference itself was also focused on minimizing its ecological footprint. Net Impact purchased carbon financial instruments on the Chicago Climate Exchange to offset the emissions that resulted from the conference. They also instituted a comprehensive recycling and compost system and printed the 150+ page conference guide on 30% post consumer waste paper with soy-based ink.

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