BAINBRIDGE ISLAND,WA,. - June 16, 2008 - Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) announces its 4th graduation on Sunday, June 22nd, at Kiana Lodge. Founded in 2002, BGI pioneered the MBA in Sustainable Business, where social responsibility and environmental sustainability issues are incorporated into every course.

This year's graduating class is composed of 77 graduates that include 48 MBAs in Sustainable Business, 24 Certificates in Sustainable Business, and 5 Certificates in Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship, as compared with the first graduating class in 2004 with 3 graduates and the second graduating class in 2005 with 12 graduates."The growth of BGI is not only a testament to the quality and dedication of our faculty & staff, but it is also a reflection of the growing commitment of the business community to addressing the serious sustainability challenges our civilization faces,"commented President and founder Gifford Pinchot.

Van Jones, co-founder of the Ella Baker Center and founder and President of Green for All, based in Oakland, California, is presenting the commencement address.Jones is a tireless advocate who champions "green-collar jobs and opportunities" for disadvantaged people. The mission of Green for All is to help build an inclusive, green economy - strong enough to lift millions of people out of poverty. Jones is committed to creating "green pathways out of poverty," while greatly expanding the coalition fighting global warming.Van has worked to combine solutions to America's two biggest problems: social inequality and environmental destruction. Under the slogan "green-collar jobs, not jails," he is calling for green economic development in urban America. As an advocate for the toughest urban constituencies and causes, he has won many honors. These include the 1998 Reebok International Human Rights Award, the international Ashok Fellowship, selection as a World Economic Forum "Young Global Leader," and the Rockefeller Foundation "Next Generation Leadership" Fellowship. A 1993 Yale Law graduate, he is proud to champion some of the most hopeful solutions to America's toughest challenges.

About BGI
BGI was founded in 2002 by Elizabeth and Gifford Pinchot, Jill Bamburg, and Dr.Sherman Severin to help people with global values become good at business.Combining their collective expertise in business innovation and business education, they designed BGI to offer world-class sustainable innovation and management training.In five short years, BGI has grown from 10 students in 2002 to an expected enrollment of over 200 students in 2008, and has achieved national recognition and awards.The school combines a distance learning component with residential classroom intensives one long weekend per month at IslandWood, a 255-acre outdoor environmental education center.

The school's mission, 'To prepare students from diverse backgrounds to build enterprises that are financially successful, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable,'is achieved through a pioneering graduate curriculum for sustainable business education that infuses social and environmental responsibility into every course "“ not just electives. BGI trains students with the leading sustainability case studies, best practices, models, and business management tools. With this knowledge, graduates will be well equipped to successfully lead a large corporation, small business, or non-profit organization toward sustainability as a core strategy, or launch their own sustainable entrepreneurial ventures. BGI offers an MBA is Sustainable Business and Certificates in Sustainable Business, Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship, and Writing about Innovation and Sustainability. In all programs, students work with distinguished faculty from top business schools to master proven sustainability practices.

Bainbridge Graduate Institute

Bainbridge Graduate Institute

BGI was born when co-Founder and President, Gifford Pinchot, a renowned business consultant, realized the nation's graduate business schools were churning out one-dimensional MBA graduates with solid short-term profit-maximization skills, but lacking a deep understanding of how to integrate social and environmental issues into business decisions.

The Institute's pioneering MBA and certificate programs prepare a diverse group of leaders to build enterprises that are economically successful, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. The innovative curriculum preserves the rigor of a traditional MBA program, while infusing sustainability - including both environmental and social responsibility - throughout every course.

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