Business & Innovation...

Last year, I served as the Sustainability Chair for the Student Government Association at my college. We came up with all sorts of really cool ideas to implement on our campus that semester, but the one I was most intrigued by was the Graduation Pledge.

The Graduation Pledge alliance states, “I _____ pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organization for which I work.”

By making the pledge, students decide for themselves what it means to be socially and environmentally conscious. It is such a great way to incorporate this idea of carrying the green torch onto wherever you land in the next 5, 10, 20, 40 years. The Graduation Pledge serves as a reminder that you made an oath to protect the earth when you left school.

Students at over a hundred schools across the country are using the Pledge to demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Liberal Arts colleges, state universities, private research universities, grad schools, high schools, and even some schools outside the U.S. (the pledge has made it all the way to Taiwan!) are just some of the institutions that have adapted the Pledge into their graduation rituals.

Each year, more than one million students enter the workforce. If even a small percentage of those students inquired about or attempted to change the ethical practices of their employers, they could potentially make a really positive and significant progression toward what we want to see out of so many corporations in and out of the United States.

The website, www.graduationpledge.com, offers a lot of information on how to go green after graduation, how to find meaningful and socially responsible jobs, and how to investigate potential employers and their code of ethics.

This is such a cool idea. I’ve become really enthusiastic about promoting The Graduation Pledge, and I’m hoping to get it implemented at my college within the next year. I encourage all of you to check out the website. It would be a difficult idea for your school administrators to deny. Good luck!