The Erb Institute regularly hosts focused, high-impact conferences that involve academics, business executives, members of non-governmental organizations, and policymakers. These events are typically sponsored in collaboration with external organizations such as the World Resources Institute and the National Science Foundation. Our conferences seek to fulfill two primary objectives. First, they convene researchers and practitioners from around the world to frame sustainability challenges and inform research agendas for the future. Second, they serve as a means to educate the broader public in regards to the research activities of the institute.

Recent Conferences

Religious Perspectives on Climate Change: Turning Faith into Action, Oct 19, 2007
This one day conference will bring together representatives from a diverse array of religions to discuss how the belief systems within each tradition inform our moral responsibilities to address climate change; and to consider how those belief systems might be put into action. Go to Agenda, Web and Pod cast, and transcripts page.

Conference/ Book Project: What Do NGOs Want? May 4-5, 2007
Meeting of academics and practitioners focused on creating new insights and research directions relating to the increasingly significant, but little understood phenomenon of non-governmental organizations. NGO structures, processes, and efficacy were discussed. Slides, and Conference papers are available from the Agenda Page with video links.

Corporate Strategies that Address Climate Change, November 10, 2006
The objective of this one day conference (inspired by publication of the Pew Center Report: Getting Ahead of the Curve), was to help companies consider the range of available options for developing a climate strategy and to help financial analysts identify benchmarks for industry best practices on the issue. Company representatives provided a wealth of valuable experience and insights.
Agenda and Webcast.

Business and Climate Change: Designing Integrated Strategies, May 4-5, 2006
The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise was pleased to host a high-level exchange of views on the links between market and non-market strategy for a carbon-constrained future among senior representatives of industry, national environmental organizations, government, labor unions, trade groups, corporate executives and leading scholars. The Institute aimed to offer a unique environment of trust and collaboration in which a wide range of perspectives on business and the natural environment were be presented and treated with respect. Building on our previous forum entitled “Reframing the Climate Debate: Jobs, Trade, Security and a Revised Research Agenda,” the goal was to identify new opportunities for business leadership on climate change in both the private and public sectors. Extended Summary.

Reframing the Climate Change Debate, June 2-3, 2005
The intention of the conference is to facilitate a high-level exchange of views on climate change policy among senior representatives of national environmental organizations, labor unions, trade groups, corporate executives and leading scholars. Our goal is to broaden the debate in an effort to bridge what at times appear to be highly divergent interests. We expect the conference to result in new avenues for research, as well as having an impact on the way practitioners approach the problem of climate change. We are pleased to sponsor this event in partnership with the Center for Advancing Research and Solutions in Society (CARSS).

Mobility in a Sustainable World: A Complex Systems Approach
This conference was organized by the University of Michigan's Erb Institute and the Center for the Study of Complex Systems (CSCS). For the first time the science of complex systems was used and applied to the challenges of creating sustainable transportation models for the future.

The conference was a stepping stone for a longer longer-term partnership, entitled "Initiative on Mobility in a Sustainable World," launched by the Erb Institute, CSCS and Ford to develop a program of research and policy formation and implementation that is consistent with a sustainable future. The initiative includes graduate seminars, senior executive programs, workshops, a speaker series and faculty research projects focusing on complexity, mobility and sustainability.