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
Climate Investing & Entrepreneurship Panel
Tangen Hall
Valuations Workshop for Impact Investing (Part 1)
JMHH F85
Low-Carbon Investing Panel Discussion
SHDH 1206
Valuations Workshop for Impact Investing (Part 2)
JMHH F85
Previous Event Highlights
When AI Meets Insurance: Regulation, Accountability, Climate, and Affordability
Home insurance premiums are surging, insurers are retreating from high-risk markets, and AI is reshaping how risk gets priced, often in ways that are hard to see and harder to challenge. What does responsible AI look like in insurance? Who holds it accountable? And as climate losses mount, who can still afford to be covered and how do we solve the affordability crisis? Learn from the Responsible AI & Analytics for Insurance Workshop hosted by the Wharton School and UNSW Business School.
Demystifying Program-Related Investing: Live on LinkedIn
Many foundations assume program-related investments (PRIs) are too complex, risky, or time-consuming — but the truth is more nuanced. This one-hour interactive discussion designed for foundations, donors, and advisorsexplored what it really takes to make PRIs work and why they may be more accessible than many funders assume.
2025 Wharton Climate Prof
At the 2025 Wharton Climate Prof event, faculty members had just five minutes to present their latest research at the intersection of business and climate change. But that’s all the time they needed to show the impact that their work is making on the world. Inspired by “Iron Chef” and Wharton’s own “Iron Prof,” the fast-paced event took place on October 16th during Penn’s Climate Week and drew an audience of more than 100 students, alumni, and staff eager to explore the latest in climate research.
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.”
2025 Migration and Organizations Conference
The ninth annual conference, held in May at Columbia University, attracted nearly 150 attendees from around the world – experts from across disciplines who are advancing research and understanding of what migration means to economies. The topics ranged from immigrants’ influence on entrepreneurship and innovation, to firm performance and competitive advantage, to labor market integration. The event culminated with a symposium designed especially for doctoral students.
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.
New Research in Real Estate and Finance
In a 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.