The mission of The ESD Institute is to advance through excellence and cooperation the successful implementation of innovation by connecting creativity and independent thought with concrete, meaningful action. To meet the opportunities and challenges of today and tomorrow, The ESD Institute shall, with integrity, promote unity, focus and choice to foster the communication and credibility necessary for the formation and effective implementation of technical and business initiatives addressing private and public policy issues.

The ESD Institute follows a process model similar to the one employed by the National Academies in Washington, D.C. Once an Institute initiative is identified, we request comment from distinguished professionals and organizations from the private and public sectors in advance of an Institute Symposium offered by separate invitation. A formal presentation and/or report often results from the work of the Symposium. The Institute's goal is to provide a meaningful and effective contribution geared toward the application of new ideas that can then be considered and implemented by policymakers.

To accomplish this, the structure of the Institute focuses on the root causes of issues from both a technical and business perspective. The Institute is currently pursuing three technical initiatives relating to the Clean^3™ in the fields of water, transportation and energy and two business initiatives relating to the Michigan Green Enterprise Zone and Best Practices for Innovation Attributes.

Outreach awareness efforts by The ESD Institute have included key entities in both the public and private sectors, including General Motors, Wayne County, the City of Detroit, State Bar of Michigan, AFL-CIO, Renaissance Detroit and One D, to name just a few.