S-Lab stimulates sustainability at MIT Sloan

Insights and energy from several engineering disciplines, architecture, urban planning, management, public policy and the humanities inspired the 60 students enrolled in Sloan's innovative new Laboratory for Sustainable Business (S-Lab) this year. Teams collaborating with 14 clients to craft business approaches to environmental and social issues showcased their final projects in the lobby of Building E52 on the afternoon of May 16.

Coordinator Sarah Slaughter, an expert in sustainable infrastructure and construction, said that S-Lab "was a life-changing experience for many of the students, giving them an opportunity to make real change happen ... in environmental restoration, economic development and social equity." Eight Sloan faculty co-taught the course, using case material, internship experience and integrated analytic tools and frameworks to identify business opportunities presented by the real-world challenges of sustainable energy, the impacts of globalization on social structures and the widening gap between the world's "haves" and "have-nots."