Pioneering Sustainability
Swafford ’24 Completes First Sustainable Business Certificate
Congratulations to Finn Swafford ’24, BBA/Concentration in Management, of Stafford, Virginia, who is the first business student to complete the Sustainable Business Certificate. His achievement was recognized by Giles Jackson, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Business, Sustainability & Society, during the MBA Hooding Ceremony on May 9, in Halpin-Harrison Hall.
Sustainability is an imperative in business. One reason is that commodities that were once plentiful and cheap, such as water, are becoming more expensive. If these risks are not strategically managed, business operations may become unsustainable. This certificate gives students a thorough grounding in this emerging field.”
Giles Jackson, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Business, Sustainability & Society
According to Jackson, the four-course curriculum focuses on sustainability as it relates to strategy and governance, various stakeholders and their agendas, and sustainable business issues, such as science-based targets and net zero goals, climate and biodiversity policies, ESG investing, tax, regulation and litigation, business and human rights, and more. The course culminates with a practicum with a business, nonprofit or government agency.
Swafford completed his internship at Massanutten, a premier four-season resort in McGaheysville, Virginia.
[Massanutten] gave me a lot of free rein. They asked me what I was interested in, and I explained that it was sustainability. Right away, they said, “Oh, we can get you on the Sustainability Committee, and there’ll be room to create your own projects.’”
Finn Swafford ’24, BBA/Concentration in Management
Swafford designed and implemented a ‘Leave No Trace’ project, a set of seven principles to lessen the impact that people, including staff and visitors, make throughout the 6,000-acre resort.
“I implemented an education program for employees during onboarding, ensuring they would also receive annual training,” he said. “Some employees were sent to get certified and took two-day courses on leaving no trace.”
He also worked with the Massanutten staff to create signage around the resort and found other ways to help with messaging about these principles.
I’ve always cared about the environment and taking care of people. I feel these principles play an important role in business, and they offer me a sense of purpose and a way to feel good about what I’m doing.“
Finn Swafford
Learn more about applying sustainable business principles and practices with business management at Sustainable Business Certificate. The certificate is also available as an elective within the MBA program.
