Chances are if you graduated from business school more than four years ago, classes related to the environment or "corporate social responsibility" were not part of the curriculum. But the notion of making business decisions that are good for the people, planet and profits has become the price of doing business in today's economy.

That's left executives scrambling to develop their own knowledge of green issues, and to assemble teams of people who have the skills, education and leadership to champion green business practices.

Outside of conventional business school programs, there are a growing number of educational opportunities for mid-career professionals to develop a proper knowledge of green business strategies and how they can be implemented as part of sound business practices. These courses are sprouting up at university extension programs and nonprofit organizations, as well as inside larger organizations where educators are feeling increasing pressure to fill the green knowledge gap.

"We have a lot of clients asking us what a sustainable workplace means," says Doug Ballon, vice president of learning and development for energy and sustainable services at Jones Lang LaSalle, a global real estate and investment management services firm.

Refreshing Your Skills

• To effectively deliver on green business goals, employees need to be educated on how to measure baselines, implement programs, and track results. Learning how to tie green business practices to bottom-line results will garner support from key stakeholders for green projects. • Universities and nonprofit environmental groups often offer green business courses, or can help companies customize in-house training to meet the needs of employees. • The needs and impact of every industry are different, and training should focus on how to deliver the best results for your business. Check for best practices, resources or training within your sector.

The company recently launched Sustainability University, a virtual training program where employees and clients are learning strategies for improving the carbon footprint and reducing energy use of new and existing real estate, studying for professional green accreditation, such as LEED and BREEAM, and gaining specific skills to drive the development, management and leasing of environmentally friendly and energy-efficient commercial buildings.

"When you look at the range of issues that encounter sustainability, it is huge," Ballon says. "And we need to be able to speak with integrity about sustainability in our industry."

The university was developed to complement the company's environmental commitment, which includes leading the transformation of the property industry to reduce the environmental impact of commercial real estate in general, and the carbon footprint of its own properties.

"My role is to provide our employees the education they need to meet these commitments," says Ballon. "A lot of people haven't figured out what they need to do yet, and there are a lot of lessons that still need to be learned."

Along with developing prep courses for managers taking LEED and other industry certification exams, Ballon is in the midst of developing several courses to educate employees and clients on energy and carbon footprint issues as they pertain to the business.

The curriculum includes training on the construction of new buildings using technologies that move toward a zero-carbon impact on the environment; lowering energy consumption in existing buildings through renovations and management improvements; and guidance on reducing carbon footprints through the ACT: A Cleaner Tomorrow internal initiative that focuses on energy conservation, water conservation, emissions reduction, solid waste reduction, recycling and recycled materials use.

"Our focus is on the business benefits of these issues and what is going to best serve the clients," he notes. "Because everyone wants to save money and there is no faster way to do that then to reduce energy use."

This focus on business issues is critical for the success of any green training program, suggests Tara Sayre, senior project manager for Pacific Life health insurance company, and an instructor in the Sustainability Leadership Certification Program at the University of California at Irvine.

The UC Irvine program offers courses on legal concerns surrounding environmental legislation and regulations, the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in business, how to implement a green strategic vision, and communication strategies for marketing green projects.

"I approach my lessons from a strategic standpoint. We talk about the people, the planet and profits, and how it all ties together," she says of her course, Intro to CSR, Sustainability and Green Business. "That's the sustainability sweet spot -- finding projects where shareholder and societal interests overlap."

She notes that in a recent class discussion a student came up with the idea to leverage his company's offshore oil rig, which includes pipelines linking it to shore, by implementing a wave energy project.

"The company already owns the rights to the land and water space, and has the conduits in place to leverage additional power," she says. This would reduce the potential upfront costs of a green energy project, while making the oil rig more environmentally friendly and reducing energy costs in the long term.

"It's that kind of thinking that drives good green business ideas," she says.

She dedicates much of her virtual class time to helping students develop a foundation of knowledge and identifying areas within their own companies where they can launch green projects that will deliver these triple-bottom line results.

Part of that skill set includes being able to communicate the business benefits of a green project and define metrics that will measure the business and environmental results of their efforts, she says. These benefits may include money saved as a result of reduced energy or water use, increased revenue streams from green branded products, or cost avoidance due to impending environmental regulations.

"Learning how to make the business case for sustainability in your industry is vital because we're operating companies, not philanthropies," she says.

Kirwan Rockefeller, head of the sustainable leadership program at UC Irvine adds that enterprise-focused business and leadership training are vital for professionals being charged with managing green programs.

"There are a lot of academic programs focused on the science and technology, but few of them look at the broader picture of what sustainability is all about," he suggests. "We need people trained to take on leadership positions so they can drive change in organizations and create business decision-making processes that keep the notion of sustainability at the forefront."

Fortunately, he says, the UC Irvine course, and many other green professional training programs, are being offered online so anyone in the country can participate. Managers can also reach out to environmental nonprofits that may offer training or seminars, and speak to local universities to encourage them to develop their own green business curricula.