This first session we will set the stage for the remainder of the course. The following is from here: (http://gradschool.marlboro.edu/academics/mba/ ) ​​"Sustainability is increasingly used as a unifying concept to help us grasp such varied topics as global warming, fossil fuel prices and scarcity, trends in wealth and income levels and distribution, diversity, renewable energy education and social justice. It is increasingly cited as cities, towns, and regions in advanced industrial nations ponder their futures in a competitive, uncertain world. A companion concept that came into use in the late 1990s is the “triple bottom line.” It suggests that balanced social, environmental, and economic performance by companies contributes to the sustainable development of the communities and regions where they operate, and is of strategic importance to their long-term performance. Now, especially in view of concerns about global warming and peak oil, some argue that evolving public policies and social movements will accelerate requirements that companies and other organizations operate in more sustainable ways."