Best Online Courses in Sustainability Studies 2019

Agribusiness is in great need of innovation from technology. Whilst this is a poor state to be in, for entrepreneurs and enterprising companies it offers a great deal of opportunity in helping the sector to catch up. Academic institutions are left behind in their teaching, whilst expert professionals can be a shining light for people looking to enter the space.

Are you looking to better understand the opportunities available? Could you create an innovative, profitable business or product that also benefits the sector? If so, this course will give you everything you need to develop an idea and take it to market.

This certificate is tailored for professionals and graduates in the food and agribusiness sector. Through coaching and support, we are able to accept learners of varying experience and education on to the course.... [-]

Sourcing and logistics in a sustainable way aren’t easy, but it is right. Failing to do so will leave a business struggling, even if it appears to be doing well in the short-term. Finding a course dedicated to helping sourcing and logistics professionals would have previously been a difficult task.

Are you concerned that you’re adding too much risk in your sourcing just for short-term financial gain? Have you developed the wrong strategies or you’re struggling to find necessary improvements? If so, this course is perfect for and even includes expert one-to-one coaching to help you identify problems and quickly develop new strategies.

This certificate is tailored for professionals and graduates in the food and agribusiness sector. Through coaching and support, we are able to accept learners of varying experience and education on to the course.... [-]

Global experts advise that in order to stir humanity towards sustainability, we need to re-design everything, from our homes to our food, energy, transport and economic systems. This transformation needs to occur on a grand scale and take into consideration people, planet and livelihoods to arrive at a holistic balance as we humbly endeavour to redesign human presence on Earth.

So, what does it mean to re-design everything?

Rooted in Gaia Education’s international experience in community design education and sustainable systems thinking over more than ten years, we offer you this short course that highlights what is possible, what is being done, and what remains to be done, to transform society, while addressing the most pressing issues of our times. Designing for Sustainability invites a cross-generational process of critical thinking, the exploration of innovative solutions and social entrepreneurship, and is inspired by what Thich Nhat Hanh has called ‘interbeing’ – the connection we share with all living things.... [-]

Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, increases social equity and an environment that allows the world to thrive. Development is not possible without energy and sustainable development is not possible without sustainable energy.

This online programme will give a comprehensive overview of renewable energy as a means to enable sustainable development at a global scale. It will present the case for how renewable energies represent both an environmental necessity and an economic opportunity.

The programme supports the UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4ALL), which aims to provide universal access to modern energy services, and double the worldwide rate of improvement in energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. Energy underpins all of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which this course is also closely aligned with.... [-]

We need to learn to question our basic assumptions and learn to ask deeper questions that help us to transcend and include multiple perspectives if we hope to steer humanity towards an uncertain future with wisdom, foresight, and precaution.

The Worldview dimension invites you to become more conscious of how your own worldview and value system affect your perceived needs and the way you might propose and design solutions in any given situation.

This dimension can be taken as a stand-alone programme or as the starting point for our 10-month online Design For Sustainability course. The cost of this dimension is £350 GBP. The course, which includes an orientation period, lasts for eight weeks. We suggest you dedicate a minimum of 10 hours a week to the course, in order to receive maximum benefit from it.... [-]

Never has there been a better time and a more urgent need to create a more resilient and participatory future by turning our attention to the redesign of our economic systems. If you feel stuck or uncertain about what you can do and want to take part in this redesign, our e-learning programme is for you.

An increasing amount of people know that our current economic system is no longer sustainable, yet awareness of viable alternatives is spreading slowly. Our aim is to give you a better understanding of those alternatives and the true meaning of economy and wealth. Participants will learn about existing systems and tools that are useful and will explore what it might take to re-design those that have proven dysfunctional.... [-]

Do you want to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem?

Do you want to learn to create elegant solutions carefully adapted to the biocultural uniqueness of place?

If you do, then becoming an ecological designer is for you.

The Ecological dimension of Gaia Education’s online course will give you the skills to become an ecological designer and create self-regenerating sustainable settlements.

World leaders have set the target of achieving three extraordinary things in the next 15 years:

The 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development could get these things done. In all countries. For all people.... [-]

Are you looking to consciously reinvent cooperative and harmonious ways of living and working together?

If so, how do we design for group development, leadership, conflict resolution, decision-making, creativity, social justice, and communication?

Join Gaia Education’s Social Design for Sustainability course and learn practical effective ways to create the change we all seek. Our distinct programme is your chance to learn about the different ways to participate in this (r)evolutionary shift in paradigms.

Our aim is to give you a better understanding of the true meaning of social equity and participatory action and to enable participants to apply transformative tools that align us with more resilient social systems. Our relationship with others is too dear to let it default on old domineering paradigms.... [-]

Energy is often said to be the lifeblood of modern society. Multiple sea changes are currently afoot in the global economy, at the heart of which lies energy.

The goal of this free online course is to examine the numerous critical energy challenges we are facing, and the complex interaction between the economics and politics of global energy markets.

Over six weeks, we will explore: the causes and implications of low oil prices for global energy markets and geopolitics; the success of North American shale gas and the desire of other countries, particularly China, to replicate it in future; the state of US natural gas and oil production; and the impact of the shale revolution and low oil prices on OPEC and Russia.... [-]

As extreme weather events continue to hit the headlines, it is clear that environmental issues are on the rise across the globe.

Get an introduction to sustainable development, and find out what we can do to help our environment, with this online course from Deakin University.

You’ll explore the different ways in which sustainable development can be understood, and examine the true impact of human activity on our planet.

You’ll find out about recent actions that have been taken to achieve sustainable development and the solutions that we may need to implement in the future.

Is your social enterprise sustainable? Is it scalable? This course helps you evaluate your model and develop a plan to take it to the next level. Where could this course take me? This course is a must for anyone who wants to understand how to scale and sustain a social enterprise. You will learn how to evaluate and diagnose your current business model, identify your challenges, and develop strategies to grow your social enterprise, and evaluate its impact. What and how will I learn? Social Enterprise: Growing a Sustainable Business includes a mix of theory, practical information, and case studies from around the world. You will learn how to map your stakeholders, consider partnership opportunities, and manage change. You will also consider different marketing and communications strategies, how to find talent and different sources of funding and investment. By the end of the course, you will be prepared to take your social enterprise to the next level. Learn more with the Social Enterprise program This course is one of three in the Social Enterprise program prepared by Middlesex University Business School, in collaboration with researchers at the Jindal Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship and the social enterprise Living in Minca, and with funding by the British Council. The program will enable you to understand what it takes to launch and run a sustainable social enterprise. When you complete all three courses and buy a Certificate of Achievement for each, you will earn a FutureLearn Award as proof of completing... [-]

Sustainability is an embedded practice in many businesses. It recognizes the long-term benefits of acknowledging the social and environmental impacts of production and consumption. While governments encourage responsible social and environmental action, implementation is often left to individual organizations and many of these are under pressure from shareholders driven by a profit-centered return on investment (ROI) model. And so, environmental and sustainable practices often become an HR matter - it’s people that must make the difference.

This course will explore what constitutes sustainability from both ecological and business perspectives. We will investigate the emergence of sustainable approaches to human resources, known as ‘Green HR’, and identify various types of sustainability models.... [-]

Every product that we use today is the result of a supply chain - a complex series of steps that turn raw materials into the final products we use and everything related to this. Managing these supply chains have become more and more a challenge, especially with all modern technologies and today's trends. The 24-hour economy, fast delivery of goods to your home, wanting to have customized products and of course, the focus on sustainability is a few of these trends. In this course, you will learn why managing supply chains are important and challenging. It is a key activity for both large multi-national companies as well as for small businesses. We’ll find out how to design supply chains that meet future economic, environmental and social requirements, asking questions such as:... [-]

Climate change. Income inequality. Social injustice. These are just three of the big problems of our time. In Sustainable Business Strategy, you will learn how businesses can thrive and grow while simultaneously playing a major role in solving some of these big problems. You will also learn how you as an individual can make a difference.

Through interactive online case studies with leading companies such as Walmart and Unilever, you will learn why purpose-driven firms perform well, and how they can kickstart the wheel of change. You will examine different business models and gain an understanding of the broader landscape including the role of government, investors, and customers. Whether you are just getting started in your career or are already an established professional, you will walk away from Sustainable Business Strategy with the ability to:... [-]

Learn the principles, process design, and troubleshooting techniques for anaerobic wastewater treatment and get the full potentials of your anaerobic high-rate reactor.

Anaerobic wastewater treatment is the most energy-efficient technology for treating wastewater. With minimal energy requirement and the conversion of organic pollutants into energy-rich biogas, there's a double energy gain! This course addresses the fundamental principles, the microbial and physicochemical aspects, reactor technology and current and future applications.

The course presents state-of-the-art technology, focusing on sludge bed reactor systems. It also introduces the diagnostic tools used to determine the reasons for any sub-optimal performance. Sometimes anaerobic reactors suffer from sudden failures. In this course, you will learn how to perform a diagnosis on the anaerobic reactor and evaluate why failures are experienced and decide what remedial action is required to restore the full potential benefit of the anaerobic system.... [-]