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Teaching Material

Green Banking Case: Connecticut Green Bank

Target GroupExecutive Education, MasterResource TypeCase StudyDomainCorporate Sustainability Performance Evaluation, Sustainability in Banks, Sustainable Financial EconomyDuration2h to ≤ 4hAuthorVero Bourg-Meyer, Stuart DeCew, Ben Bovarnick, Chris Woodington, Ellen Abramowitz, Karthik Soora, Leah Yablonka, Scott Schwartz, Sydney Hanson, Thuy Phung, Vincent Tenorio, Richard Kauffman, Jacob Thomas, Todd Cort, and Daniel Esty
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A hand holding multiple credit cards on a wooden background, emphasizing payment and finance themes.

Summary

This Yale case study examines the Connecticut Green Bank, winner of Harvard’s prestigious Ash Award for policy innovation, which used financial structuring to attract private capital for clean energy projects. The case explores challenges when legislators swept $16.3 million from the Bank’s budget, forcing management to reconsider funding models while maintaining their mission of accelerating clean energy investment, creating jobs, promoting energy security, and addressing climate change. Key dilemmas include balancing profitable operations with serving distressed communities, setting sustainable interest rates, and maintaining inclusive prosperity goals while achieving financial sustainability.

Relevant SDGs

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How to use

Use in public policy, sustainable finance, or energy economics courses. Assign for case study analysis on green finance models. Apply in discussions of public-private partnerships. Use for policy innovation studies or nonprofit management courses. Suitable for MBA programs examining mission-driven organizations, stakeholder management, and financial sustainability challenges in environmental sectors.

Teaching format tip

Case Study

Assign students specific analytical roles before presenting the case. Use structured questioning protocols to guide examination of stakeholder perspectives, decision points, and systemic factors. Have students work in small groups to develop competing recommendations, then debate solutions using evidence from the case. Conclude with reflection on reasoning processes and assumptions that influenced their analysis.

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  • Resources
    Subject area
    • General KnowledgeThis section provides general frameworks and concepts related to sustainability that can be used in any discipline and across industries.
    • Specific KnowledgeThis section provides sustainability related content that would enable students following a business or management degree or course to be better equipped to face sustainability related challenges.
      • Economics
      • Management
      • Finance, banking, insurance
      • Marketing and advertising
    Competence area
    • Problem-solving
    • Critical thinking
    • Self-awareness
    • Collaboration
    • Normative awareness
    • Anticipatory thinking
    • Systems thinking
    • Strategy
    Learning approach
    • Cognitive learning
    • Socio-emotional learning
    • Behavioural learning
    • Subject area
      • General KnowledgeGeneral knowledge represents foundational understanding across multiple disciplines needed for sustainable development. It creates an integrated mindset that connects basic and advanced topics across various knowledge domains.
      • Economics
      • Management
      • Finance, banking, insurance
      • Marketing and advertising
    • Skill area
      • Problem-solving
      • Critical thinking
      • Self-awareness
      • Collaboration
      • Normative awareness
      • Anticipatory thinking
      • Systems thinking
      • Strategy
    • Learning approach
      • Cognitive learning
      • Socio-emotional learning
      • Behavioural learning
  • Communities
  • Education for sustainability
  • About us
  • Resources
    Subject area
    • General KnowledgeThis section provides general frameworks and concepts related to sustainability that can be used in any discipline and across industries.
    • Specific KnowledgeThis section provides sustainability related content that would enable students following a business or management degree or course to be better equipped to face sustainability related challenges.
      • Economics
      • Management
      • Finance, banking, insurance
      • Marketing and advertising
    Competence area
    • Problem-solving
    • Critical thinking
    • Self-awareness
    • Collaboration
    • Normative awareness
    • Anticipatory thinking
    • Systems thinking
    • Strategy
    Learning approach
    • Cognitive learning
    • Socio-emotional learning
    • Behavioural learning
    • Subject area
      • General KnowledgeGeneral knowledge represents foundational understanding across multiple disciplines needed for sustainable development. It creates an integrated mindset that connects basic and advanced topics across various knowledge domains.
      • Economics
      • Management
      • Finance, banking, insurance
      • Marketing and advertising
    • Skill area
      • Problem-solving
      • Critical thinking
      • Self-awareness
      • Collaboration
      • Normative awareness
      • Anticipatory thinking
      • Systems thinking
      • Strategy
    • Learning approach
      • Cognitive learning
      • Socio-emotional learning
      • Behavioural learning
  • Communities
  • Education for sustainability
  • About us
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