Adventures in sustainability: Students expand their horizons in India

Contact: Amy Coughenour
March 2, 2023

KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擟ollege is not just a time to increase your knowledge and prepare for your future career, it is also a time to broaden your horizons and learn about the world.

For a group of 18 澳门六合彩官网直播 students, their recent Sustainability in India study abroad trip provided them with a unique opportunity to see how businesses can think beyond their profit margins for the greater good of their communities. 

Led by Dr. Tim Palmer, professor of management and director of the Center for Sustainable Business Practices, and Dr. Louann Bierlein Palmer, professor of educational leadership, the group was hosted by the Haworth College of Business鈥 partner school, Christ University in Bangalore, India. 

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Students and faculty on the Sustainability in India trip at Christ University in Bangalore, India

A unique feature of the trip was the 鈥淚ndian buddies鈥 program where Western students were paired with a student from Christ University. After each day鈥檚 programming was complete, the students would get together to go to dinner, shopping or just spend time talking.

Senior Jarred Stewart from Otsego, Michigan, made a special connection with his Indian buddy. 鈥淢y assigned buddy was Sherin, and I was surprised by how well we hit it off,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e spent all of our free time together during the 12 days I was there. The way that she introduced me to the culture made such an impact on me, and I鈥檓 already thinking about how I can get back to spend more time in India.鈥 

The goal for the trip was to immerse students in another culture and help them learn about business goals that go beyond the bottom line.

鈥淭he main purpose of this trip was to instill in students the idea that the sole purpose of business is not only to make a profit,鈥 says Palmer. 鈥淲hile firms must make a profit, they also provide jobs, lift communities out of poverty, increase literacy, improve public health and seek sustainable solutions.鈥 

During the two-week trip, students were able to make site visits to several Fortune 500 corporations and talk with their sustainability teams to see how they are making progress toward both corporate and countrywide initiatives. 

Alexa Hempel, a junior from Macomb, Michigan who is double majoring in environmental and sustainability studies and marketing, was struck by the efforts for social good that she witnessed. 鈥淚 was incredibly surprised to see how much both companies and the government in India are doing to support sustainability,鈥 she says. 鈥淔or one, the country banned single use plastics recently鈥攁 bold initiative with impactful results. As for the companies, it seemed that everyone we heard from had powerful protocols in place for waste management, water recycling and reduced packaging.鈥 

Besides the exposure to sustainable business practices, students were able to meet with several nonprofit groups who are making significant impacts among India鈥檚 marginalized populations. 

One of the group鈥檚 excursions was to the Parikrma Humanity Foundation, which is a school that provides education to children in slum communities, as well as holistic services to their families in nutrition, counseling and more. Students were able to meet the foundation鈥檚 founder, Shukla Bose, who left a corporate job to work with Mother Theresa and then founded Parikrma to give back to her community鈥攁 real-life example of a business leader using her skills and talents to directly impact people. 

Ashley Hare from Grand Rapids, Michigan, B.B.A.鈥22, had the unique experience of graduating while she was on the trip鈥攁 wonderful ending to her time at 澳门六合彩官网直播 Haworth, she says. 鈥淢y expectations for this trip were completely exceeded,鈥 Hare says. 鈥淭he extensive amount of information on best practices, the opportunities to meet with incredible businesses and the overall cultural experience was so much more than I ever thought possible.鈥 

Exposure to India鈥檚 culture, food and people was an especially memorable part of this adventure, as well. Hempel says, 鈥淚 loved being able to get to know the people in Bangalore, especially the students at Christ University. Getting to know these kind, amazing people really helped me experience their culture in a more meaningful way than a typical tourist.鈥 

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澳门六合彩官网直播 students experience local culture in Bangalore.

Palmer sums up the trip with this reflection, 鈥淢y hope is always that students gain a greater appreciation for the potential role of business to make society stronger. I will have succeeded when students recognize the tradeoff between profit maximization and humanity.鈥 

Students echoed Palmer鈥檚 sentiment and reflected on what this trip will mean to them throughout their lives. Hare says, 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 stopped talking about this trip since I鈥檝e been home! The entire adventure stretched me, enhanced my critical thinking skills and gave me a new appreciation for how much you can learn when you step outside your comfort zone.鈥 

Plans are in the works for additional trips to India and beyond, including a new trip to Portugal, giving 澳门六合彩官网直播 students increased opportunities to not only grow their business knowledge, but to expand their personal experiences in ways that allow them to reimagine their relationship to the world. Learn more about business-specific study abroad trips.

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