Impact in Energy & Environment

Experience Stanford GSB with a focus on climate change, energy, and the environment.

The planetary scope and ubiquitous impact of the climate change challenge must be met with urgent innovation and bold leadership.

Join a Community of Passionate Environmental Leaders

Stanford GSB is home to a dedicated community of aspiring environmental leaders. Their generous advice and example of perseverance, influence, and courage will inspire you and strengthen your confidence in your ability to make a difference. To get started, student clubs are a perfect way to explore your environmental interests and build a relevant network.

Learn from the Experts

Numerous courses taught by experts in the field of climate change, energy, and the environment are available to students, both within Stanford GSB and around the university. Business and management courses develop leaders to tackle the climate crisis, while courses throughout the university provide a scientific perspective. Think about pursuing the MS Environment and Resources (E-IPER)/MBA joint degree program with Stanford School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences.

Featured Courses

  • Topics in Environment & Resources
  • Climate: Politics, Finance, and Infrastructure
  • Clean Energy Opportunities
  • Energy Markets and Policy

Faculty Insights

Make a Difference While Learning

Explore innovative financial tools to help restore forests during your summer internship, organize a climate summit to create space for meaningful dialogue, or pitch an environmental venture for investment. Our experiential learning opportunities empower you to have an impact while you are at school. We offer generous fellowships to make those experiences possible.

Sami Tellatin
MBA ’21
Impact Design Immersion Fellowship

Sami used her IDIF to explore the intersection of profitability and environmental stewardship in agriculture. The United States has lost half of its productive topsoil in the last two centuries, yet only a fraction of U.S. cropland is engaged in soil conservation efforts. The project enhanced her understanding of business-driven solutions to the erosion challenge and specifically examined farmer experiences and needs regarding the practice of cover cropping on Midwestern farms. Through this work, possible business models that meet farmer needs were explored. Sami has subsequently founded FarmRaise, a venture which seeks to restore vitality to American farms through easier access to funding.

Grinberg
MBA ’21
Impact Fund Energy and Environment Investment Director

One of the reasons Barrie came to Stanford GSB was to transition into the cleantech industry. She decided to participate in the GSB Impact Fund to network with cleantech startups, see a variety of solutions to climate change, and learn to evaluate the companies for viability. She says her experience on the Impact Fund was one of the best learning experiences she had during her MBA1 year, giving her the opportunity to apply what she learned in class to “real-life” scenarios. In particular, she says performing due diligence with her team and pitching companies to the Investment Committee gave her insight into what investors might look for in a promising company — a critical perspective for searching for a job or starting a company.

Osterman
E-IPER MS/MBA ’20
Climate, Business, and Innovation Summit

Julia co-founded the inaugural Climate, Business, and Innovation Summit because she wanted to “create a formal dialogue at Stanford GSB to engage classmates, alumni, and the broader business community on how climate change will fundamentally re-shape (and is already changing) business and our economy in the future.” She notes, “As we progress through our careers, we'll be the ones in leadership positions making decisions in a world increasingly shaped by climate change.”

morrison
MS/MBA ’21
Social Management Immersion Fund Fellowship

Through the SMIF, Morrison worked with Blue Forest Conservation as they launched the first “Forest Resilience Bond,” an innovative financial vehicle that leverages a blend of private capital to achieve landscape-scale forest restoration for wildfire mitigation and increased streamflow. He worked with Blue Forest’s CEO and potential investors to conduct due diligence on a forest management project undertaken on the Tahoe National Forest and worked with the COO and Project Development Team on project development on National Forests in Oregon and Washington.

Grow Your Understanding

Special events, conferences, and distinguished guest speakers expose Stanford GSB students to innovative ideas and broad networks at the intersection of business and the environment.

Steven Chu Presents “Energy and Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities”
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Steven Chu Presents “Energy and Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities”

Dr. Steven Chu discusses climate change, new pathways and opportunities to renewable energy, and the challenges the country faces.
Tom Steyer, MBA ‘83, Founder and President of NextGen America
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Tom Steyer, MBA ‘83, Founder and President of NextGen America

Tom Steyer, Founder and President of NextGen America, discussed climate change, why you should follow your passion, and how you can make the change you want to see in the world.
Wide shot of GSB Campus

Students, alumni, and industry leaders come together annually to explore how climate change is already shaping and will continue to transform the future of every business.

Power Your Environmental Career Right after Graduation

We will help you get in the game and take the first steps in your post-Stanford GSB environmental career. Through fellowships, awards, and loan forgiveness, students joining environmental NGOs, governmental agencies, or who are launching a high-impact venture, like one aimed at replacing single-use plastic water bottles, are able to receive financial assistance and support.

Experience the Potential of an Interdisciplinary University Network

When you join Stanford GSB you gain access to Stanford’s extensive interdisciplinary resources dedicated to fighting climate change.

A collaborative research Center, the Woods Institute produces breakthrough environmental knowledge and solutions that sustain people and planet today and for generations to come. The Institute is led by Chris Field, also co-chair of Working Group 2 of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy concentrates the talents of the university on energy research and education, from basic science and technology to policy and business.

The newest Stanford school focuses on amplifying Stanford's impact on urgent climate and sustainability challenges. It combines Stanford's existing expertise in climate and sustainability scholarship and education with a track record of moving knowledge to action. It builds on that history with a belief that by working together we can achieve more and that by working with partners in the public, private, and social sectors our faculty and students can have a greater impact.