Sustainability Management School
Sustainability Management School (SUMAS) is the first ever business school to launch high-level academic education in Sustainability and Management. We provide management school online in various programs.
SUMAS launched its new campus on 1st December 2019 in Milan, a city known for its top quality universities, fashion and culture. The campus is located at the innovation and cultural center BASE Milan, centrally located in the fashion, art and design district of Milan. The SUMAS campus at BASE Milan will offer the same internationally recognised (ACBSP) undergraduate and graduate programs as SUMAS Switzerland, with the addition of first hand local fashion and design market experience. Here are just some of the reasons you should consider studying at the new campus: 1.Milan is transitioning into a green city! Italy is setting an example for other countries by introducing academic sustainability modules and making it mandatory for climate change to be studied in high school curriculums. Milan, according to a 2019 article in Forbes, is “‘going green’ in a major way to fight against climate change and improve the quality of life of its 1.4 million citizens. Local authorities have announced plans to plant 3 million trees by 2030.” Over the past few years Milan has already made great strides in incorporating greenery into the city. One such example is the Bosco Verticale, a pair of residential towers in the Porta Nuova district of Milan which have utilised thousands of trees and plants grown on the outside. Milan’s commitment to “going green” makes it the perfect city to study sustainability. 2.The Fashion capital of the world! Considering Milan’s status as a fashion capital of the world, the campus is especially suited for those with interest / seeking a career in sustainable fashion. Milan holds an annual fashion week, design week and, of late, there has been more and more of a focus on sustainable fashion. During the 2019 Milan Fashion Week, a Green Carpet Fashion Awards was held organised by Eco-Age, an international sustainability fashion consultancy. According to Lifestyle Inquirer, the event was “an Oscars-style awards ceremony for sustainable fashion,” with awards received by the likes of Valentino and Stella McCartney. The concept behind the awards: to focus on “swapping climate-destroying luxuries for ecologically-friendly fashion.” 3.Experience a campus that is a hub for activity! The SUMAS campus at Base Milan is set to be a prominent hub for activity, ensuring all of your student needs are met, while having access to a number of facilities, events and cultural insights. The campus includes:
The campus is home to MUDEC (museum of cultural arts) and Google with regular activities and seminars taking place every week related to sustainability and other cultural topics such as fashion, music and art! The Base Milan campus also provides access to many important networking initiatives and invaluable practical experiences. In fact, brands that have recently taken part in events at BASE Milan include Montcler, Gucci and Timberland. 4.Milan is one of the best student cities in the world! Aside from the delicious food (think authentic pasta and pizza) and lively nightlife, there is a reason why Milan was voted one of the best student cities in the world. Milan’s vibrant scene is not only a hub for fashion but for finance, research, media and the arts. It is home to some of the top universities in the world which means that at any given time, the city is bustling with students from Italy and abroad. Being a hub for so many industries also gives local and international students access to incredible training, internship and job opportunities. 5.Explore all of Europe! With its central location in the heart of Europe, Milan is the perfect starting block to explore surrounding cities and countries with most European capitals accessible within a two hour flight! Milan is close to superb beaches and not far from stunning mountains for the avid skier and snowboarder! Milan is also located a quick train ride away from Switzerland, the home of cheese, chocolates and where the second SUMAS campus is located. According to SUMAS founder and president Dr. Ivana Modena, the Milan campus will not only “provide students global transfer opportunities between Switzerland and Italy during their studies” it will also “create the perfect environment for international students to work together, share ideas, and complete practical projects related to fashion, art, design, business and sustainability.” For questions and more information contact: Vincent Wood, Student Recruitment Manager - [email protected]
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“The hotel industry must reduce its carbon emissions by 66% by 2030 and 90% by 2050.” This was the finding of a study commissioned by the International Tourism Partnership in 2017. The study highlights the urgent need for the hotel industry to drastically reduce carbon emissions in order to align with science-based targets to keep global heating below the 2 ̊C threshold and avoid run-away climate change. Historically, the hospitality sector has had a substantial environmental footprint not only through its energy and carbon impact but also through water consumption, as well as the use of consumable and durable goods and hazardous waste creation. According to Dana Communications “Hotels consume energy for HVAC operations, lighting, fuel and other power needs. Water is used for bathrooms, F&B [food and beverage], and laundry, as well as other general operations (irrigation, cleaning and maintenance). Waste is generated by the disposal of paper, batteries, bulbs, furniture, equipment, appliances and more.” As such, there is an evident and increasingly urgent need for sustainable hospitality practices. What is Sustainable Hospitality? According to André Harms, sustainability consultant, founder of Ecolution Consulting and recent SUMAS guest lecturer: “Sustainable hospitality means rethinking hospitality as a sustainable practice. It means that every aspect of the hospitality industry is considered through the lens of sustainability. From design to construction/refurbishment to operation both internally in terms of consumption and behavior as well as externally in terms of procurement communications and commitments, etc.” Harms were the lead sustainability consultant for one of the greenest hotels in the world: Hotel Verde based in Cape Town, South Africa. The hotel is the first hotel in the world to have been certified by the United States Green Building Council with a Double LEED platinum certification for both design + construction and operation. “Hotel Verde has a vast array of passive, technical and operational interventions which make it more sustainable,” says Harms. These include:
“Hotel Verde really is a prime example of what can be achieved when it comes to Sustainable Hospitality” says Harms, who lectured as part of the SUMAS Sustainable Hospitality Management programs. “As the need for more urgent sustainable action becomes increasingly prevalent, it is my hope that the best practices that have been achieved with Hotel Verde will soon become standard practice for hotels all around the world.” Sustainable Hospitality at SUMAS If you are interested in a career in sustainable hospitality, SUMAS offers a variety of programmes. Browse the programmes below or contact us today for more information. Christmas can be a magical and fun time spent with those we love. However, Christmas is often also a time of excessive consumption, over-indulgence and unnecessary waste for those in more economically privileged positions. Here are six tips to enjoy the holiday in a more sustainable way. 1.Buy less Giving gifts can be a beautiful expression of our love and gratitude for the people in our lives. However, in many instances we fill our Christmas stockings with far more than is necessary. Excessive consumption traces back to the destruction of our living systems, the exploitation of natural resources and people for profit. Buying less gifts is a great way to have a more mindful festive period. This could include implementing a limit with your family on the number of gifts you exchange. It could also include making use of the secret santa tradition. If you have children, it is a good opportunity to teach them about the importance of the holiday rather than the practice of gift giving, while teaching them to appreciate and enjoy the gifts they receive. 2.Buy ethical and local - or gift an experience. When buying gifts, look for local options that are ethically made. Local companies generally have smaller carbon footprints, whilst ethical companies sell products that are better for the environment and offer far better working environments. There is also the option to gift your loved ones an experience that you know they will love, be it a dancing lesson, beer tasting or outdoor adventure, to name a few. 3.Rethink the Christmas Tree According to an article on Metro, the “collective carbon footprint of throwing organic Christmas trees in the garbage amounts to approximately 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases each year.” Conversely, plastic trees are made from fossil fuels and are not recyclable or biodegradable. If you do have a reusable plastic tree, the most sustainable thing to do would be to keep it and reuse it as many times as possible. When it comes to replacement, Emi Murphy a tree campaigner quoted in the Guardian says that: “buying a potted tree with roots lets you grow it outside and use it again year after year, reducing its environmental impact and costing you less. A living tree will carry on absorbing carbon from the atmosphere for years to come.” There are also lots of ways to get creative and create your own version of a Christmas tree using old branches and string, stacked books or even a ladder. 4.Eliminate unnecessary waste From crackers, to Christmas hats to wrapping paper, there can be a great deal of avoidable waste around Christmas time. Many items can easily be avoided completely whilst others can be replaced with more sustainable alternatives, for example: ●Instead of non-recyclable wrapping paper, use old newspaper or recyclable brown paper to wrap your gifts ●If you are considering buying any new christmas decorations for your tree, try making your own. This could be done with salt dough, old paper or CDs ●Forage for your Christmas decorations: think pinecones, greenery, chestnuts and holy 5.Reduce your food waste and compost the rest When planning and shopping for your festive season meals, consider how to minimise food waste by coordinating your meals to include shared ingredients. That way you will use all or most of the ingredients that you have bought, instead of using them for one meal and letting the rest go to waste. The festive season can also be a time of overindulgence when it comes to eating. You can certainly still enjoy a good meal without cooking too much food. If you do cook too much, be sure to eat the leftovers or donate them to someone in need. Whatever leftovers and food scraps you do have left, be sure to separate and use for compost. If you are at a holiday resort or similar that does not have waste separation or composting facilities, be sure to leave a recommendation asking the venue to consider changing their ways. 6.Talk about the important things
The end of the year is a time for reflection and goal setting. Reflecting on our own thoughts, actions and impact on others (and the world) can be an incredibly powerful tool to shift behaviour patterns and achieve a ripple of change that starts with us. Equally, discussing important issues at the dinner table, be it climate change, anti racism or gender equality shouldn’t be avoided just to maintain the Christmas cheer. Getting together during the holidays can provide the perfect opportunity for us to do better, together! |