Introducing Erol
Hey Everybody! My name is Erol, I am a sophomore at Babson concentrating in Finance. I took this course to further my understanding of sustainabilitys relationship to financial and political strategies. My junior year of high school I learned about the global climate crisis and its long lasting effects. My teacher at the time, Rich Calhoun, taught me about sustainable businesses and green technology ventures he was invested in and their struggles to gain proper financing. He told me that the main problem with most sustainable ventures and climate change solutions is that they lack financial literacy and cannot gain investor confidence. So, I came to Babson with the goal of furthering my understanding of how to allocate capital to firms struggling to implement their climate change solutions or sustainable business practices.
This course directly aligns with my goal of furthering my understanding of the relationship between politics, finance, and sustainability, while tying in the curious case of Germany as a reference. In the assigned reading for the course, Why the Germans Do It Better, the importance of sustainability in Germany is shown as a cultural movement rather than a financially appealing movement. Kampfner demonstrates that predominant German firms saw the climate change movement as a means to preserve the ideal environment that is Germany, rather than extracting new growth avenues.
In our visit to Stuttgart I hope to see whether or not the actual business leaders of said firms truly believe in the 2030 sustainability goal. I am looking most forward to visiting Stuttgart and the Mercedes Museum. I have had a keen interest in Mercedes vehicles since turning 17 and have learned about the thousands of efficiencies the company has recognized within their successful S-Class models over the years. Although the exterior may appear to be unchanged, the structural and technical components beneath the hood have seen vast innovations.
One question that sparked my thinking was: How can other countries within the EU look to Germany when struggling with implementing sustainable energy systems?
-Erol
