The Leading EDGE Seminars at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business give Duke graduate students an in-depth look at cutting-edge issues, trends, methodologies, and practices related to the topics of global energy and corporate sustainability.
Leading EDGE Seminars are more than a speaker series. The seminars bring together industry experts, academic thought leaders, and graduate students to engage in combination of lecture, facilitated discussion, and networking. The seminars complement Duke's Energy & Environment academic curriculum by engaging students in timely, contemporary energy and environmental management applications. Seminars cover topics ranging from global energy market economics and finance to value chain sustainability, carbon markets, and energy technology commercialization and entrepreneurship.
2011-12 Seminars
Sept. 28, 2011
Coal, Cleantech, and Competitiveness: The Role of Coal in National and International Context
Nov 2, 2011
Sustainable Agricultural Sourcing
Nov. 9, 2011
Energy, Environment, and the Future of Electric Utilities
Feb. 8, 2012
"Making the Clean Economy Pay"
Kate McGinty, Weston Solutions
What is the Clean Economy, anyway? What does it take to "do well by doing good?". Innovation is the key: innovation in technology; creativity in business models; flexibility in public policy--all are key if what's good for the environment and communities is also going to work for the bottom line. Come explore the issues with Kate McGinty--Senior Vice President of Weston Solutions, Inc. and former Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality for Bill Clinton and Al Gore, and Pennsylvania Secretary of Environmental Protection with Governor Rendell. Also on the agenda will be shale gas since Kate serves on President Obama's shale advisory task force.
March 21, 2012
"Business and the Water/Energy/Agriculture Nexus"
Jeff Fulgham, Banyan Water (Formerly GE Power & Water)
Jeff Fulgham, formerly GE Power and Water’s Chief Sustainability Officer and now Chief Sales Officer at Banyan Water, has been at the center of the corporate sustainability revolution. Working with many Fortune 500 companies over the last 30 years, Jeff has helped create long-term sustainable advantage through proactive approaches to water, air quality, land use, waste management and other environmental issues.
In this talk, Jeff will share his experiences and insights related to how companies embrace or reject sustainability, are proactive or reactive in their approach, and how sustainability is increasingly critical to their business success. Drawing on his deep expertise in water management, Jeff will also describe the cutting edge tools and frameworks that companies are using to effectively address their sustainability challenges.
March 28, 2012
"Accelerating the Sustainable Energy Transition: Walmart's Role as Energy Consumer"
Miranda Ballentine- Director of Sustainability, Walmart
Walmart is the world’s largest company, with sales totaling over $400 trillion last year. Their massive scale and global influence through a network of nearly 100,000 suppliers gives Walmart a uniquely powerful position in the global economy. With Walmart’s stated commitment to renewable energy, Walmart also plays a central role in the evolution of our energy systems.
In this seminar, Walmart’s Director of Sustainability Miranda Ballentine will describe Walmart’s efforts to change the way they provide energy to a global enterprise.
Please join us for a fascinating discussion of Walmart’s market power, and its impact on the global power market.
2010-11 Seminars
Oct. 6, 2010
"Energy Efficiency in Action"
Nov. 17, 2010
"Investing in Low Carbon Energy"
Feb. 16, 2011
"Stakeholder Engagement and Sustainability Reporting in Practice"
Feb. 23, 2011
"Enabling Energy Entrepreneurship"
Mar. 23, 2011
"Smart Grid"
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