Resources | Center for Sustainable Business

83% of people want to take action on climate change in their jobs
54% of employees believe that climate change is a fundamental threat that will have catastrophic consequences for our economies and societies
45% of respondents are ready to go even further and become pioneers of climate action within their teams and functions

At the Center for Sustainable Business, we believe everyone has the potential to be a sustainability generalist. Investing in the future means investing in free resources, education, and opportunities designed to equip every employee with the fundamental principles of sustainability.

Regardless of your primary field of expertise (e.g. fine arts, finance, manufacturing etc.), entry-level employees and high-level executives alike benefit from exposure to the principle of sustainability ownership. Our free resources below are designed for all sorts of professionals and businesses. View our business-specific categories below.

Tailored Sustainability Resources

Students

Students can learn more about Pitt's culture of sustainability and innovation through the resources contained in the Student Green Guide.

Become an everyday climate hero by installing the Ecosia Web Browser, the search engine that fights climate change through reforestation.

Explore careers in sustainability by checking out the Environmental Defense Fund's collection of planet-saving careers and view the open positions within our network.

If you're just learning how to shop and cook for yourself, calculate your impact on the environment and how much money you can save with It's Fresh's Food Waste Calculator.

The Micro-Credential in Sustainable Business guides students on how companies manage their social (people), environmental (planet), and financial (profits) risks, obligations, and opportunities to positively impact both stakeholders and financial well-being. Those who have previously completed a Bachelor's degree as well as current Pitt graduate students are eligible to apply. This track replaces the Katz Sustainability Certificate which was retired in Spring 2023.

PHD Coursework:
BUSADM 3030 Research in Sustainability: Managing the Triple Bottom Line is a doctoral seminar will focus on theories, concepts and methodologies that we can use to understand the role of the firm in 21st century society and develop strategies for long run sustainability. The course will be interdisciplinary, drawing on literatures in strategy, marketing, organizational behavior, operations, and finance as well as methods spanning lab experiments to structural equation models to understand the conditions under which creating social and environmental value can drive business value.

The following courses at the University of Pittsburgh currently include sustainability content: Courses with Sustainability Content

Professionals

The Employee Green Guide can be the first step for faculty and staff to contribute to the culture of sustainability being built on campus.

Answer questions about your lifestyle and receive personalized tips on how to make smarter climate choices with this Lifestyle Calculator by Doconomy.

Did you know that your retirement plan might be helping to fuel the climate crisis? View this step-by-step guide to help you get started adding fossil-free options to your 401(k) and view your retirement plan score here to also assess for deforestation, gender equality, gun, prison, tobacco, and weapon risks.

Looking to take things a step further? Calculate your ecological footprint & impact and get a personal action plan with Bioregional's One Planet Living calculator.

Small Businesses

If you're looking to take the first step in your small business climate journey, use this free template for tracking emissions by CauseLab (found at the bottom of this page), or these free resources by the globally recognized Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) Climate Hub.

Try EPA's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator to better understand your business's emissions and energy data in terms you can easily understand.

You can also help your company reflect the sustainability you want to see for the environment by earning the climate-neutral certification.

Use IT Glue's waste calculator, which will help you determine the costs you create from time wasted and process inefficiency in your business.

Use this calculator to figure out the volume of waste that your building will generate. See how reducing waste generation, increasing waste diversion, and using volume reduction equipment can reduce storage requirements, by Zero Waste Design Guidelines.

Large Businesses

Calculate your potential food waste savings with Leanpath's Food Waste Prevention Solutions calculator for all of your on-site employees, buildings, and branches.

If your company issues standard electronics like phones and laptops to its employees, use this recycling calculator to find the exact benefits of recycling various electronic devices.

Additionally, the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool is a free and easy-to-use tool that allows benchmarking, assessment, and reductions in embodied carbon focused on the upfront supply chain emissions of construction materials, which you may find helpful.

Sustaining Sustainability Podcast

This podcast series explores sustainability lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Through short interviews with industry managers, academic experts, government officials, and civil society leaders, we explore various societal challenges magnified by the COVID-19 crisis. Each episode focuses on a specific topic and builds toward a call to action as we ask our guests to:

Identify the problem
Contextualize the issue by framing it with respect to the pandemic
Pinpoint key items we must address to avoid this in the future
Explain what business leaders can do to help, and (5) End with actionable takeaways for individuals

With an international reach and a global perspective, our series draws on the expertise of individuals based around the world. We'll learn from each other as we share perspectives and gain insights into how this crisis is unfolding in different settings. Join us to learn more about what you can do to make our world more equitable and sustainable in this unprecedented time.

Free Resources for All

Explore The Circular Design Glossary: The Circular Design Glossary aims to demystify the circular economy and design. By featuring tangible, inspiring circular-design applications from sofas to tables to lighting, the glossary illustrates real-life solutions to today’s problematic linear ‘take-make-waste’ way of living. Looking to go deeper? Check out this team that aims to demystify the circular economy and design.
Create a Climate School account: Understand the science behind sustainability, take action in your day-to-day job, and explore online resources by the Climate School by creating an account. These tools are great for everyone, especially those pursuing careers in Procurement, Finance, IT, HR, and Legal functions.
Create Custom Maps with MapBuilder: Create the custom maps that you need by combining the World Resource Institute's robust datasets, free layers available through ArcGIS Online, and your own uploaded data. Easily embed your MapBuilder map into your own website, share the link with colleagues and peers or use integrated social media tools for sharing.

Pitt Sustainability

Office of Sustainability: At Pitt “sustainability” means balancing equity, environment, and economics so current and future generations can thrive. With this in mind, Pitt actively pursues sustainability efforts and initiatives across disciplines, domains, and scales—including pursuing carbon neutrality by 2037. Join the Office of Sustainability as it challenges the status quo to create sustainable solutions, actions, strategies, and opportunities for students, faculty, staff, our campuses, and Western Pennsylvania.
Pitt Climate Action Plan: The Pitt Climate Action Plan (PittCAP) details the University's strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2037, the 250th anniversary of its founding. Developed through the Carbon Commitment Committee of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Sustainability, PittCAP builds on the goals of the Pitt Sustainability Plan while setting a realistic approach on the carbon opportunities and challenges in front of our campus, community, and world.
Pitt Sustainability Plan: Pitt has been actively involved in sustainability initiatives and practices on campus for many years and is earning a strong reputation nationally for its emerging culture of sustainability. Learn more about Pitt's Sustainability Plan.