Sustainble writing programs are cropping up

For some, the easy part of sustainable business is coming up with revolutionary ideas. For others, turning those radical ideas into real products is a snap. Telling the story of their businesses and products is not what they’re cut out for however, so they hire marketing firms and communications professionals. Writers working in “green” industries—and the journalists who cover them—are realizing that writing about sustainable business means a whole lot more than describing a product’s “green” attributes.

Two new programs at West Coast institutions aim to fill this niche. In May, Bainbridge Island, Wash.-based Bainbridge Graduate Institute announced a new graduate-level Certificate in Writing About Innovation and Sustainability that will start in the fall. Also planned for next fall is a similar program at Stanford University’s School of Earth Sciences.

The 21-credit program at BGI will offer prospective students interested in science writing programs a unique opportunity to tackle similar coursework viewed through the “lens of sustainability,” according to the program’s professor Deborah Illman.

Jim Stretch, BGI’s dean of continuing education, says the program aims to graduate students who “not only speak the language of sustainability. They’re thinking more systematically.”

The program focuses on communicating with general audiences about new technologies for socially responsible and environmentally sustainable practices as a reporter or a communications professional. Classes include News and Feature Writing, Story Illustration and Creative Non-fiction. There are about 30 spots open in the program. Stretch says the school has received a lot of interest in the month since the program was announced.

Stanford’s program comes with a similar mandate to provide students with the skills needed for the effective research, analysis and written communication to the public of environmental and sustainability issues. It is in the very first stages of being designed, according to a spokesperson for the university, so details about it are not yet available. Currently, they are accepting applications for lecturers.

Editor's note: Sustainable Industries is collaborating with the BGI program to offer internships and other professional education.