The Impact, Value, and Sustainable Business Initiative hosts engagement opportunities for the Wharton community and beyond, from executive speaker series to research seminars to annual conferences. In addition, we are pleased to share impact-related events led by other groups at Penn and Wharton. Details on event hosts and sponsors can be found on each event page. Check back regularly as events will be added throughout the year.
Upcoming Events
Wharton Climate Prof
Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall 351
Zicklin Center's Normative Business Ethics Workshop #2
Jon M. Huntsman Hall Rm #641
Valuations Workshop for Impact Investing (Part 1)
Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall 1206
Valuations Workshop for Impact Investing (Part 2)
Jon M. Huntsman Hall G60
Previous Event Highlights
Careers in Impact and Sustainability Consulting
Penn and Wharton students gathered for an engaging panel on impact and sustainability consulting, featuring leading local professionals. Part of the Turner Impact Learning Experiences (TILE), the discussion highlighted panelists’ career journeys, perspectives on today’s evolving job market, and guidance for the next generation of changemakers.
Sustainable Computing: Can AI Be Energy Efficient?
The possibilities of artificial intelligence seem as infinite as its challenges. How can data centers, with their voracious power demands, be energy efficient? Who regulates these facilities and under what kinds of policies? As AI advances at breakneck speed, experts at Penn are urgently trying to answer these questions. Professors Arthur van Benthem and Benjamin C. Lee have assembled a multidisciplinary team of scientists, industry professionals, and policy leaders to explore solutions. The group met recently on campus for a two-day workshop, “AI Infrastructure: Foundations for Energy Efficiency and Scalability.”
New Research in Environmental Economics and Green Policies
In this March 2025 webinar hosted by Wharton Lifelong Learning, Professor Susanna B. Berkouwer shared their work on carbon offsets, and Professor Mirko S. Heinle shared his research on greenwashing and greenhushing. The conversation was moderated by Sarah E. Light, faculty co-director of the Wharton Climate Center.
2024 Wharton Climate Prof
The 2024 Wharton Climate Prof packed evidence-based insights into short time slots, giving faculty just five minutes to present their latest research at the intersection of business and climate change. Inspired by “Iron Chef” and Wharton’s own “Iron Prof,” the fast-paced October 16th event took place during Penn’s Climate Week and drew a full house of more than 150 students, alumni, and staff eager to explore cutting-edge climate research.
New Research in Real Estate and Finance
In a recent webinar hosted by Wharton Lifelong Learning, Wharton Climate Center affiliated faculty member Ben Keys shared his work on skyrocketing insurance premiums for climate-exposed homeowners, and Professor Christina Zhu presented findings that show retail investors using ESG news to make portfolio allocation decisions. The conversation was moderated by Arthur van Benthem, faculty co-director of the Wharton Climate Center.
2023-2024 Workshop Series on AI and Climate Change
Climate change and artificial intelligence are two of the most consequential developments confronting humanity’s future. Yet the connections between them are only starting to be understood. The AI and Climate Change workshop series features leading experts whose scholarship explores, in different ways, how AI may help enhance solutions to climate change—as well as how AI itself could be made more sustainable and energy efficient. The AI and Climate Change workshop series is organized by the Penn Program on Regulation and is co-sponsored by Penn’s Environmental Innovations Initiative, the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, the Center for Technology, Information & Competition, the Warren Center for Network and Data Sciences, and the Wharton Climate Center.
Beyond Business Discussions
October 20, 2021
4:30–5:30 p.m. EDT
Tackling the Climate Crisis
What Can Companies and Policymakers Do to Drive Impact?
How should businesses evaluate their environmental footprint? Learn about the influence of environmental criteria on a company’s energy use, waste, pollution, natural resource conservation, and treatment of animals.
November 16, 2021
4:30–5:30 p.m. EST
Redefining Corporate Governance
Establishing Essentials for the New Business Era
Board governance is one of the most challenging issues for firms to manage, and social injustice, civil unrest, and the global pandemic have only added complications. Hear experts discuss which issues to address and how investors should interpret success.
December 7, 2021
4:30–5:30 p.m. EST
Humanizing ESG
Why Diversity, Wage Inequality, and Workers’ Rights Deserve Our Attention
The COVID crisis has further emphasized the inequalities between different professions, classes, racial groups, and nationalities. Join us as we re-evaluate how the industry can minimize harm and be a positive force in addressing these challenges.