Michigan Ross Students Fight Climate Change Through MAP Projects with the Erb Institute

Students made an impact in numerous ways, from raising awareness about sustainability topics in the business world during Climate Week, to creating plans for accelerated pathways to a world with net-zero emissions.

Ross and the Erb Institute have enjoyed a 25-year partnership that allows students to earn an MBA from Ross and an MS from the School for Environment and Sustainability at the same time. One of the biggest ways Ross and SEAS students make an impact while earning their degrees is through the Multidisciplinary Action Projects course.

In this current academic year, MAP has had a total of 19 projects centered around climate change.

One such project was with Treemetrics, a for-profit technology company in Ireland that has the ability to map a forest from the ground or via a drone or satellite in real time. Treemetrics is unique in the field in that they can also measure the CO2 footprint of the land, trees, and canopy. 

Treemetrics worked with Executive MBA students to develop a strategic plan for the next generation of high-tech solutions to better manage the world’s limited strategic resources.

Another team of MBA students worked with the Rainforest Foundation, an organization whose mission is to protect the land rights of indigenous peoples’ rainforests. The students helped to create the organization’s new five-year strategic plan. This year was Ross’ fifth MAP project in collaboration with the Rainforest Foundation in the past 20 years.

One team of MBA students even worked with the United Nations Climate Change High Level Champions, University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute, and the CDP to produce a strategic plan to help create accelerated pathways to Net Zero, a project that was reported on by the Erb Institute for Earth Day.

“At Michigan Ross, we know that projects like these represent both a powerful form of learning and an amazing opportunity for our students to have a meaningful impact on organizations doing such important work,” said Michigan Ross Dean Sharon Matusik.

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