Graduation Dates: June 2012
Degree(s): M.A. International Policy Studies—Energy, Environment and Natural Resources;
Dual B.A. Honors Psychology and History (Claremont McKenna College)
During his time with WRI, Jon performed financial analysis using Bloomberg and Excel to make the case that companies broadly known as "sustainable" finance their capital-intensive projects at a lower cost of equity than their industry peers. WRI will use his analysis to develop a methodology to make a financial case for adjusting the weighted average cost of capital to favor "sustainable" projects based on a variety of metrics. The ultimate goal of this research is to encourage corporate CFOs to value sustainability when deciding where to allocate capital, so environmental concerns are integrated into the way a company does business, rather than their entering the corporate strategy dialog as an afterthought.
Jon also authored a training curriculum to accompany the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard for greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories. WRI conducted multiple launch events to accompany the release of the protocol on October 4, 2011. Corporate sustainability coordinators, policymakers, GHG accounting experts, and other interested parties attended the day-long workshop that he designed to convey a comprehensive understanding of the scope 3 GHG accounting procedures. The training will be used widely as WRI promulgates the standard going forward.
"I learned how to conduct a corporate GHG inventory, how to use the Bloomberg terminal with some proficiency, presentation skills in PPT and Prezi, and a lot about office social dynamics."
Jon Strahl
"Jon was given a tremendous amount of work this summer, and while he was overstretched, he was able to deliver important results during the internship."
Alexander Perera, Cynthia Cummis
World Resources Institute