Madhavi Venkatesan is an American economist and environmental activist.
Madhavi Venkatesan | |
|---|---|
 Venkatesan at a UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) in 2017 | |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Vanderbilt University (BA, MS, PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Economics |
| Institutions | Northeastern University Bridgewater State University |
| Main interests | Sustainability |
Biography edit
Venkatesan received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Economics from Vanderbilt University.[1] Following a post-doctoral appointment in Economics and African-American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, she entered the private sector as a finance professional. Starting at Edward Jones as a market strategy analyst, she went on to hold senior level positions in investor relations for three Fortune 250 companies in the insurance sector (Unum Group, AIG, and the Hartford Financial Services Group).[1] In 2014, she re-entered academic employment with an appointment in the Department of Economics at Bridgewater State University.[1] In 2017, she joined the faculty of the Department of Economics at Northeastern University.[2]
Venkatesan traveled to the Philippines in 2018 as the Fulbright-SyCip Distinguished Lecturer, where her invited presentations focused on the economics of climate change.[3] In 2019 she published her fourth text, SDG8 - Sustainable Economic Growth and Decent Work for All.[4]
As of April 2021, Venkatesan serves as the editor in chief of Sustainability and Climate Change.[5]
Research edit
Venkatesan's academic interests include the integration of sustainability into the economics curriculum.[6] [7] [8] She has been active in promoting education and stakeholder engagement to incorporate ethics into the existing economic framework[9][10] and her written work has largely focused on these topics as a catalyst to promoting sustainability. Venkatesan has also contributed to the literature on the relationship between culture, sustainability and economics, addressing the relationship between economic systems and cultural convergence.[11] [12] She is an advocate for changing the quantitative focus of present economic goals (e.g., GDP, income) to qualitative attributes of well-being that acknowledge and incorporate the interconnectivity, known and unknown, in human decision-making. [13]
Sustainable Practices edit
In 2016, Venkatesan established Sustainable Practices,[14] [15] a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission "to facilitate a culture of sustainability as defined by reducing the human-made impact to the planet and its ecosystems" within Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and serves as the organization's executive director.[16] In 2019, Sustainable Practices initiated the Municipal Plastic Bottle Ban campaign. The organization followed with the Commercial Single-use Plastic Water Bottle Ban in 2020.[17] In 2023, Sustainable Practices initiated an additional campaign, Plastic Reduction. The initiative specifically targets and eliminates the retail use of single-use takeout plastic. [18][19] The Municipal Plastic Bottle Ban has been in effect in all 15 Cape Cod towns since 2021, the Commercial Single-use Plastic Water Bottle Ban and Plastic Reduction remain as ongoing campaigns. [20][21]
On January 1, 2024, Sustainable Practices was recognized by the Governor of Massachusetts with a citation addressing the organization's contribution to plastic reduction within the Commonwealth. [22] On February 29, 2024 USA Today named Madhavi Venkatesan "Woman of the Year" for Massachusetts due to her work as founder and executive director of the organization. [23]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Dr. Madhavi Venkatesan". Bridgewater State University. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ "Madhavi Venkatesan". Northeastern University.
- ^ "Economics Professor Earns Fulbright". Bridgewater State University. 28 April 2022.
- ^ "SDG8 – Sustainable Economic Growth and Decent Work for All". Northeastern University. 30 August 2019.
- ^ "Dr. Madhavi Venkatesan named Editor in Chief". Northeastern University. April 2021.
- ^ "What's the real cost of a bottle of soda (and everything else)?". Northeastern University. 19 February 2020.
- ^ Hanes, Stephanie (10 July 2023). "Plastics have shaped nearly every aspect of society. Now what?". Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ "Dr. Madhavi Venkatesan to present on economics and sustainability". Northeastern University. 17 September 2020.
- ^ "On the Value of Work with Dr. Madhavi Venkatesan". Northeastern University. 28 January 2021.
- ^ Winters, Joseph (20 October 2022). "The selective accounting behind the plastic industry's climate-friendly claims". Grist.
- ^ "Jennie C. Stephens Highlights Intersectionality Within the Climate Crisis". Northeastern University. 16 November 2020.
- ^ "SDG8 – Sustainable Economic Growth and Decent Work for All". Northeastern University. 30 August 2019.
- ^ Nguyen, Janet (15 October 2022). "Is a growing middle class the real key to economic growth?". Marketplace.
- ^ Koch, Michelle (26 November 2018). "Sustainable Practices". edible Cape Cod.
- ^ "Madhavi Venkatesan MELP '16". Vermont Law School Loquitur. 14 June 2021.
- ^ Legere, Christine (14 February 2020). "Activists turn attention to water bottle sales". Cape Cod Times.
- ^ Fraser, Doug (1 July 2021). "'People want to make an impact': Organization wins municipal bottle bans in every Cape Cod town". Cape Cod Times.
- ^ Abel, David (13 February 2023). "'A decade after Concord's landmark ban on bottled water, plastic pollution remains a scourge". Boston Globe.
- ^ Annonen, Noelle (10 February 2023). "Student Asks Town Meeting To Ban More Plastic". Falmouth Enterprise.
- ^ Hill, Jessica (13 September 2021). "'Greener alternative': Cape businesses support plastic water bottle ban, seek substitutes". Cape Cod Times.
- ^ Wood, Tim (19 January 2022). "Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles Disappear From Shelves". Cape Cod Chronicle.
- ^ Eldred, Rich (3 January 2024). "Governor Lauds Brewster-based Sustainable Practices". Cape Cod Chronicle.
- ^ Devaney, Rachel (1 March 2024). "Brewster resident named Mass. USA TODAY Woman of the Year for plastic bottle ban efforts". Cape Cod Times.