Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • May 2021
  • Teaching Plan
  • HBS Case Collection

Middlebury College: Energy2028

By: Brian Trelstad and Michael Norris
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:13
ShareBar

Abstract

Teaching Plan for HBS Case No. 320-029. In 2018, Middlebury College’s board of trustees is considering a proposal called Energy2028 that would push the small, liberal arts and sciences college in Vermont to become a net zero carbon emitter, decrease energy usage by 25%, divest fossil fuels from its endowment, and build new educational programming focused on energy and climate change. Building the Energy2028 proposal was a multistakeholder process that was guided by the college’s president, Laurie Patton. Patton and her team brought together student activists, faculty experts, board members, and financial experts to craft a proposal that was bold, yet achievable. Perhaps the most surprising element was the divestment pledge. Just five years earlier, the board had faced a similar decision on divestment and chose not to act. Had Patton done enough to convince the board to change their minds and support the complete package of Energy2028?

Keywords

Divestment; Energy; Higher Education; Energy Conservation; Climate Change

Citation

Trelstad, Brian, and Michael Norris. "Middlebury College: Energy2028." Harvard Business School Teaching Plan 321-144, May 2021.

About The Author

Brian L. Trelstad

General Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • May 2025
    • Faculty Research

    Upstream USA

    By: Brian Trelstad and Alexis Lefort
    • May 2025 (Revised June 2025)
    • Faculty Research

    Social Enterprise in Latin America

    By: Brian L. Trelstad and Karina Souza
    • April 2025
    • Faculty Research

    So You Want to Change the World?: A Personal Reflection on Systems Change

    By: Brian Trelstad
More from the Authors
  • Upstream USA By: Brian Trelstad and Alexis Lefort
  • Social Enterprise in Latin America By: Brian L. Trelstad and Karina Souza
  • So You Want to Change the World?: A Personal Reflection on Systems Change By: Brian Trelstad
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.