The IE Sustainability Office and Campus Life department were delighted to welcome all of you to the first-ever edition of Sustainability Week, which took place November 23rd-27th! Over the course of the week and spanning across all different types of event formats (on-campus activities, online conferences, hybrid sessions, and more), we addressed how to redesign a more inclusive world. We leveraged our collective ingenuity and put forth ideas to forge a future with a common purpose!

Check out the video to see how the week went HERE.

Agreement signed with C40 Cities

The IE School of Architecture and Design is the first academic institution in the world to establish an agreement with C40 Cities. This commitment is reinforced by the Academic Manifesto for a Green and Just Future. The manifesto was officially released on Friday, December 11th at a virtual meeting entitled Zero Carbon organized by Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, in partnership with C40 and other climate leading global organizations in celebration of the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Find out more HERE and learn more about the Manifesto HERE.

Building a stronger business with ESG

Environmental, Social, and Governance commitments aren’t just a modern business obligation, they’re also an opportunity. IE Business School has designed a program to show students how to rethink organizational strategies for sustainability through meaningful change. A hands-on learning experience where you will engage with other business leaders, top faculty, and renowned panelists in applied debate and workshops. Learn more HERE.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21): Art & Social Responsibility

How to Tread Lightly. st_age expanded is an exhibition that reframes the challenges raised by the Covid-19 crisis in terms of supporting artistic practice. It not only asks how commissioning can be developed in a more caring and meaningful manner, but demonstrates how it can adapt to emerging scenarios. Students had the opportunity to take part in a private visit of the exhibition on December 1st, both in-person at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, and online. With a welcome from Carlos Urroz, Director of TBA21, and a private visit with the curator, Soledad Gutiérrez, the hybrid event, organized by the Arts & Humanities Division, was a “bonus track” celebration of Sustainability Week. The exhibition is a physical-world extension of the artists’ projects currently being presented during Season 1 of st_age, an online commissions initiative launched in September 2020. To check out the st_age website, click HERE, and to find more information about the ongoing exhibition, which will continue until January 17, 2021 please click HERE

Alumni Taking the Lead: Verónica Pascual, IE Business School

Executive Master in Positive Leadership and Strategy and AMP: Advanced Management Program.

“The ‘robotics and women’ pairing is less and less surprising,” says Verónica Pascual, CEO of ASTI, one of the most powerful robotics companies in Europe. “There are more and more women in different fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).” Nevertheless, she cautions that there are still not enough of them. One of the main goals of the ASTI Talent & Technology Foundation is to change that and increase the number of women in technology through an exclusive program for girls between 14 and 15, called STEM Talent Girl. The mission of this program is to educate, inspire, and empower girls and adolescents, who are mentored by women through professional activities in the fields of science and technology. Click HERE to read more.

Don’t forget to take part in the IE Sustainability Bingo!

Mark out what you do to make your life, and by extension our world, more sustainable, click HERE to download the PDF with links!

Research for Sustainable Impact Awards

Research is a critical element of IE’s purpose of fostering positive change through education, research, and innovation. IE being a world-class University, our contribution to this positive change must consider knowledge generation as a lever for sustainable impact. This includes academic research and applied research. IE’s Sustainability Office, in collaboration with IE’s Research Office, is launching the Sustainable Impact Awards to foster and celebrate the efforts of our faculty and underpin the facilitators and outcomes of sustainability in people and the planet. The awards will go to academic and applied research produced by IE faculty that foster sustainable impact.

Second Edition of the ‘Digital Transformation for Inclusive Business Development’ Project

On December 1st, the Center for Social Innovation & Sustainability at IE announced the Second Edition of the ‘Digital Transformation for Inclusive Business Development’ project, thanks to IE Foundation and the support of J.P. Morgan, Orange España and the City Council of Madrid.The press conference was hosted by the City of Madrid and the Deputy Major, Begoña Villacís Sánchez, with the objective of helping Small Business Owners in Madrid to sell online, strengthening their revenue streams as they struggle to remain in business during the COVID crisis. Click HERE to see the video and HERE to read more.

Exploring “Partnership Building” with Red Innova

The Center for Social Innovation & Sustainability at IE continues to explore “Partnership Building” with Red Innova. A private global community of social innovators, Red Innova is affiliated with the Fundación MAPFRE Awards for Social Innovation, boosted by IE. As a community that thrives on the exchange of expert knowledge and peer support, the objective is to have social impact projects flourish worldwide. Every season, a new program of activities is designed for the Red Innova community, centered around different themes that are relevant to their needs as startups and scaleups. This spring and summer, amidst the major challenges that were faced globally, the team was in touch with members across Latin America and Europe. In these calls, many members mentioned their desire to build strategic partnerships to scale their impact. Learn more about the upcoming Fall activities HERE.

An Instagram Filter Driving Us Towards the UN 2030 Agenda

While many are now becoming more conscious about global challenges, few know what they can do to resolve them concretely. So why not create a game about simple actions that can promote more sustainable behaviours? The Environmental Sustainability Students Committee, together with IE Campus Life and the IE Learning Innovation Lab, are proud to announce the launch of the SDG Challenges Instagram Filter, an advocacy tool to spread awareness of the SDGs to younger generations. Download it now, and take on the challenge!

Women on Boards Leads to Greater Sustainability

Why would female directors be more likely to promote the use of renewable energy than their male peers? What evidence is there that women care more about ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) than men? Marc Goergen, Finance Professor at IE Business School, answers these questions and elaborates on why women are key in the move towards a more sustainable society. Click HERE to read the article.

IE Knowledge Shares Best Sustainability Picks

As part of Sustainability Week, IE Knowledge shared with us the best sustainability-related readings recommended by our professors. If you didn’t get to take a look, be sure to stock up on these books for the winter break. Click HERE and happy reading!

The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: Responding to Converging Crises

The Lancet Countdown is an international collaboration established to provide an independent, global monitoring system dedicated to tracking the emerging health profile of the changing climate.The 2020 report presents 43 indicators across five sections: climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerabilities; adaptation, planning, and resilience for health; mitigation actions and health co-benefits; economics and finance; and public and political engagement. This report represents the findings and consensus of the 35 leading academic institutions and UN agencies that make up The Lancet Countdown, and draws on the expertise of climate scientists, geographers, engineers, experts in energy, food, and transport, economists, social, and political scientists, data scientists, public health professionals, and doctors. Click HERE to access the report.

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