Building a climate-friendly future with Rotman Commerce Sustainable Business
Founded in 2021, Rotman Commerce Sustainable Business (RCSB) was built from a growing desire among students to explore how sustainability meaningfully connects to business across industries and disciplines.
What began as a small community of curious students has grown into an official RC Student Group that fosters open dialogue and helps students explore new academic and career possibilities within the realms of climate risk, social impact and long-term sustainable thinking.
Ali Berkel (BCom ‘26), President, RCSB“We aim to create a welcoming space where curiosity is encouraged and students can explore how sustainability can shape their learning, choices and future careers.”
Building valuable resources for students
RCSB created a Pathways to Impact & Sustainability guide to support students in navigating the many ways sustainability can be integrated into their Rotman Commerce experience. Drawing on their own experiences, the team researched courses, minors and emerging paths and consulted faculty and alumni to ensure the information reflected real industry expectations.
The resulting comprehensive roadmap empowers students to incorporate sustainability into their degree and career goals, whether they’re seeking to explore a single elective, aiming for grad school or building a path to a sustainability-focused career (of which the guide lists many).
Discovering new possibilities
Many students begin their RC journey unsure how sustainability fits into fields such as finance and consulting or assume that making real change requires a background in environmental science. However, by offering events and learning opportunities – such as panels, workshops and conversations with industry professionals – RCSB aims to dispel these misconceptions and show that knowledge of sustainability can be transformative to a successful business career.
By exposing students to diverse areas, from climate consulting to impact investing, RCSB broadens their understanding of what purposeful business looks like, encouraging them to see sustainability as a valuable and transferable skill.
Teya Knightingale (BCom ‘26), Vice President, RCSB“Gaining knowledge and skills in this field is invaluable for pursuing any career path. This is a great way to stand out as a student and job applicant.”
Impact in action
RCSB’s impact is visible from students who have engaged with its events and community. In fact, many discover new fields they had never encountered before.
Teya Knightingale (BCom ‘26), Vice President, RCSB“After the panel, I spoke with attendees about their future career aspirations, and one student mentioned that they want to pursue impact investing — they had just learned about it!”
Moments like this highlight the importance of creating more opportunities for students to be exposed to new ideas outside of the classroom.
Beyond sparking new interests, RCSB also fosters a strong sense of community. Students regularly share course advice, career insights and encouragement with one another, helping gain the confidence to pursue sustainability-aligned paths that feel meaningful to them.
Teya Knightingale (BCom ‘26), Vice President, RCSB“Students older than me have provided course and career advice (which I have absolutely used!), and professionals at our events have given me great excitement for the opportunities that exist.”
What’s next for RCSB?
RCSB just wrapped its flagship annual case competition with Riverside Foods that brings students together to tackle real-world sustainability challenges. They also plan to continue building partnerships with other RC student clubs, ensuring that sustainability ideas and solutions trickle through to other areas of business and student life.
Beyond their events and partnerships, RCSB’s core mission remains clear: to create a welcoming space where students feel supported in exploring meaningful, purpose-driven pathways in sustainability. With each new initiative, RCSB hopes to continue building a community of meaningful changemakers at Rotman Commerce.
By Cammyn Lim (BCom ‘26) | April 22, 2026
