David Guernsey, former senior sustainability program manager at United Parcel Service (UPS), informed students tonight of sustainability’s importance to the corporate world at the Nessmith-Lane lecture hall at Georgia Southern University.

The main message of the presentation was that sustainability has implications not just on an environmental level, but a business level as well.

Environmental organizations have begun using evaluations and assessments to act as a check of new technology.

“Transparency acts as an accountability, with new technologies allowing for greater public knowledge,” Guernsey said.

The nature of business is change, with sustainability helping to increase the profitability of things like brand recognition and awareness.

Collaboration between business and environment will end in profit, Guernsey said.

The former “Father of Sustainability” at UPS stressed the importance of collaboration, with both increased communication with dissenting opinions as well as working with others to develop company accountability, according to the GSU news release.

“Find a mentor, build on previous success, and keep money tied in with what you’re doing,” Guernsey said.

Students filled the Nessmith-Lane lecture hall and walked away with new information in regards to sustainability.

Briyanna Kornegay, senior human information resource management major, said, “It was interesting how business management ties in with sustainability, before I thought of it in environmental terms.”