EGRMGMT 590.08: SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS FOR GREEN ENERGY TRANSITION(S)
Please be advised: the information contained on this page is a general overview of the course. As course information is subject to change from one semester to another, please check DukeHub for the most accurate and up-to-date information about EGRMGMT courses.
At a Glance
- Instructor(s): Guerry Grune
- Semester(s) typically taught: Fall
- Units: 3.0
- Grading scale: Graded (A-F)
- Required or elective for MEM degree? Elective
- If elective, applicable elective track(s): Product Management
- Recommended previous courses: NA
Course Description/Synopsis (from DukeHub)
This hands-on course teaches how to design, evaluate, and launch green, sustainable products that succeed through the energy transition. Students learn Design for Environment (DfE) principles, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) aligned with ISO 14000, ESG-driven product strategy, and activity-based costing, including how carbon credits and valuation shape business cases. Working in teams, students apply professional tools (e.g., openLCA, Sustainable Minds/LCAPIX, Umberto) to model energy and environmental impacts, perform prior-art/IP mapping to de-risk innovation, and translate findings into marketable, compliant product concepts. Weekly sessions combine targeted readings, cases, guest experts from industry, and simulation labs. The course culminates in a capstone paper and presentation that quantify energy use, waste, and profitability for a selected technology or product, preparing students to brief executives and investors, and compete in relevant innovation challenges. Open to students with or without prior experience in energy or sustainability; ideal for aspiring product leaders, engineers, and strategists who want to turn environmental policy and standards into viable products and ventures. (Meets in person on Thursdays across the semester; distance participation used only as necessary.)
Course Syllabus
A Word From the Faculty/TA
- As someone who took this course and now helps teach it, I can say it changed how I think and build. You won’t just learn sustainability buzzwords, you’ll practice turning policy and standards into real, defensible products. Week by week, you’ll apply Design for Environment (DfE), Life Cycle Assessment aligned with ISO 14000, and activity-based costing to quantify energy use, waste, and unit economics. You’ll work with professional tools, openLCA, Sustainable Minds and now the flagship software: LCA PIX, Umberto, and IP search platforms like PatBase, SciFinder, and Clarivate, to run two LCA simulations, map prior art, and pressure-test your design choices.What helped me grow most was the rhythm of the course: focused readings, guest experts from industry, hands-on labs, and structured team work where leadership rotates each week. The milestone drafts and mock presentations push you to communicate clearly and defend assumptions with data. By the final paper and talk, you’ll have a credible narrative, energy, waste, profitability, backed by models and citations that could stand up in a boardroom or a competition.If you’re curious, collaborative, and ready to think critically across engineering, markets, and policy, this class will meet you where you are and level you up. I’m here to help you navigate the tools, sharpen your analysis, and translate your project into an actionable, investor-ready story. Looking forward to working with you this semester!
– Khushi Rohra (khushi.rohra@duke.edu)
Teaching Assistant (Fall 2025)
Student Testimonials (from Course Evaluations)
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Previous Semester(s) Course Evaluations
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