As recently as a year ago, The Ohio State University was working toward putting together an Environment, Economy, Development & Sustainability Program for undergraduates. Tasked with finding a Director for this new major, the university looked to Dr. Neil Drobny, a longtime green business consultant and professor in the school’s Fisher College of Business. Now, Dr. Drobny is guiding young college students to think outside the typical sustainability box when examining options for their future careers.

“We need to incorporate a systems mindset when thinking about sustainability,†Dr. Drobny explains. “Everything is connected to everything else. Every function in the business has to work together to pull off a change in culture and a change in business practices to deliver significant value.â€

For “Green Living Guy” Seth Leitman, the green journey started as a child and blossomed during his Master’s program, where he became interested in different governments’ lack of eco-responsibility. His professional life has seen him focus on green transit, indoor air quality programs, green-building tax credits and a now series of green-minded books. Since his first appearance on Green is Good in 2011, where he promoted his first book, Leitman has penned eight more eco-focused books.

“It is more profitable than you can imagine to go green,” Leitman reveals. “That’s one of the things I always notice: the numbers. The numbers don’t lie.”

Ben & Jerry’s Global Director of Social Mission Rob Michalak met the Jerry half of the famous duo when hitchhiking in Vermont in the ’70s,  and penned the then-regional company’s original social mission statement in the late ’80s. Three decades later, Ben & Jerry’s is regularly lauded for its commitment to transparency in its business practices and its food. Each ingredient is carefully considered and put against the company’s values and criteria before ever seeing a store shelf. The end result is sustainability that you can count on.

“I can say that we’re doing more things in terms of social mission now than we really ever have in the company’s history,” Michalak proudly states. “Ben and Jerry had the vision and leadership at the time, but now we’re able to use all the resources we have, and we’re able to do a lot.”