Understanding Sustainability: Financial and Environmental, with Tom Eggert
Tom Eggert taught the first class on sustainability at UW in 1994 and has been on it ever since. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Latvia, and founded the nonprofit WorldWise Microfinance. Tom helps us unpack the many benefits of building a business from a foundation of sustainability.
Tom has been at the forefront of business and sustainability for the last thirty years, both teaching classes in sustainability at the University of Wisconsin and founding and serving as the Executive Director of the WI Sustainable Business Council. Tom was an early voice for sustainability on campus, and participated in the creation of the Office of Sustainability and the School of Business' certificate in sustainability. He has written and spoken extensively on the changing role of business in society, socially responsible investing, divestment, and on how the private sector can lead in responding to generational challenges such as climate change. Growing out of his interest in sustainability, Tom founded the non-profit “WorldWise Microfinance”, where he currently serves as the President. The non-profit provides access to capital, to individuals (primarily women), who aspire to lift their families out of poverty by starting and running a small business. It is active in the Philippines, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda.