Evening Presentation
Drinks Reception 5:30pm 
Presentation 6:00pm
Close 7:00pm

Business leaders are increasingly tasked with developing new products, services and business models that minimize environmental impact while driving economic growth. In Can Business Save the Earth? Michael Lenox and Aaron Chatterji explain how the private sector can help. While many believe that markets will inevitably demand sustainable practices and force them to emerge, the authors see it differently. Based on more than a decade of research and work with companies, they argue that a bright green future is only possible with dramatic innovation across multiple sectors at the same time. During this presentation, Michael Lenox posits the larger question of how far well-coordinated efforts can take us in addressing the current environmental crisis and the extent to which each sector can serve as a driver of green growth.

Prof. Michael Lenox is the Tayloe Murphy Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He is also the school’s Senior Associate Dean and Chief Strategy Officer. Prof. Lenox was previously Associate Dean of Innovation Programs. He helped found and served as the inaugural President of the multi-university Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability. Prior to joining Darden in 2008, Prof. Lenox was with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and founder of Duke’s Corporate Sustainability Initiative. Prof. Lenox has a long-standing interest in the interface between business strategy and public policy as it relates to the natural environment. Recent work explores firm strategies and non-traditional public policies that have the potential to drive “green” innovation and entrepreneurship. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.