During the ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) Practicum project, students work as consultants on sustainability-related innovation challenges that have been proposed by host companies. One host this year is the (or GSA). The GSA’s mission is to leverage the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where we work, live, and play.
SI-MBA students including Wyatt Wasz-Piper, Kelly Mooney, and me attended the annual – the largest sustainability gathering in sports and entertainment, held in Los Angeles – as part of our Practicum work.
The Summit, held at the famed L.A. LIVE complex, brought together more than 700 stakeholders to share best practices and solutions for tackling environmental and social issues through the influence of sports. Our SI-MBA team actively participated by serving as summit volunteers, attending workshops, and networking with industry leaders. Their experience included tours of iconic sports venues, highlighting the potential for large-scale sustainability impact within these spaces.
Before attending the summit, our Practicum team spent a day exploring downtown Los Angeles, the charming Silver Lake and Echo Park neighborhoods, and the iconic Griffith Observatory. Adding to the excitement, current SI-MBA students met alumna Riley Nelson ’22, Director of Sustainability at NASCAR, who also was a mainstage speaker at the GSA Summit.
The team's final Practicum presentation on July 26 promises to showcase their learnings and proposed solutions for the Green Sports Alliance.