Sightings | Alumni News
Nicholas School/Fuqua Alum Launches Web Site Aimed at Making Environmental Action Simple, Social and Fun p. 2
“It’s really meant to be a fun, simple and competitive way to engage in climate change,” says Karas. “Instead of getting people bummed out about climate change, we’re giving them a fun way to discover and commit to small, positive actions.”
After graduating from Duke University with joint degrees from the Nicholas School (MEM) and Fuqua (MBA) in 1997, Karas temporarily put his environmental interests on hold to take advantage of the Internet boom. In 2007, he started looking for a way to return to his environmental passion. He decided to use the power of the Internet to give people feedback about global warming, empower them to do something small, but let them see and get excited about the aggregate impact of a lot of people doing the same thing.
The long-term vision for Carbonrally is to find like-minded corporations to sponsor challenges, or even entire categories of challenges. The company launched with a small group of investors, but Karas is now raising capital to take the venture to the next level.
His Nicholas School degree has been instrumental in launching this project, Karas says. “Through the joint MEM/MBA program, we saw the kinds of bridges you could build between business and environmental issues. The combination of the Nicholas School and Fuqua also gave me a lifecycle perspective of the supply chain—the raw materials all the way to the store shelf—not just the money flow, but also the environmental burdens associated with the various stages of a product’s lifecycle.”
Each step in the lifecycle is an opportunity for a Carbonrally challenge, and for education. Through the bottled water challenge, Rallyers can learn about the CO2 emissions generated from transporting the water over highways, for example, as well as the amount of energy used to create the plastic bottles.
The site, Karas says, is aimed at giving all types of “green-leaning” people a way to participate. The “barely greens” who are just starting to learn about environmental issues can simply visit the site, or just take one challenge. The “deep greens,” like some of his fellow Nicholas School alumni, can lead a team, recruit people and suggest new challenges. “Whatever shade of green you are, we want to have something for you on this site.”
Laura Ertel is a freelance writer based in Durham, N.C.