Week 9
The focus of this week’s lectures was Corporate Social Responsibility. Three important main themes taken from this topic are commitment to serve the community, the employees, and the shareholders. A publically owned company would have obligations to serve these three areas, and to the world in general if the product has an impact on the world. For many companies, this is out of balance, as there is a heavier emphasis on shareholders because they want to make a profit. Another main aspect discussed was social capital. I think this is one of the most important areas of a company, as a responsibility to give back to the community and interact in positive, innovative ways.
In previous blogs, I have mentioned the company, Union Gas Ltd., that my father works for, and that I worked for during the summer last year for four months. I think this company is a great example of corporate social responsibility, and their community involvement in just four months was very surprising and inspiring. There were always projects the staff committees were taking part in, and I had the chance to volunteer in a few and get involved. The first was just a couple hours one day after work planting a garden in a local community. It was located in behind a school for disabled children, and the garden included a few small trees, shrubbery, flowers, and a stone bench. The area had been set up and all the planting materials ready for us. It was a fun way to get involved and very rewarding to give something back to the community, even if it was just a small garden.
The second volunteer project I was involved with was at a community center on the Chippewa Reserve, a First Nations reserve just outside of our city. They have a school and community center on the reserve, and a big group of Union Gas employees signed up to help paint the inside and doorways of the community center. Getting there, we had a tour and learned a bit about the reserve. Union Gas has helped them tremendously over the years, and you can really feel how much they appreciate it, as the socioeconomic conditions were not as high compared to those of some communities and schools in the city. To celebrate the 100th year of the company this summer, there was a big meeting and celebration. A few people from a non-profit Canadian tree planting organization were there to thank and accept a large donation they had received from Union Gas. After that they donated a tree to the office and it was planted out front on the lawn. I learned a lot about just how important community involvement is, and how even the smallest projects can help those in need, and maintain bonds between a company and the people around it.
Week 8
In this week’s lecture, the TFEU Article 191 focus on policy was outlined, presenting points on environmental quality, human health, and natural resources. When researching law and policy, I remembered a video I once watched in a lecture for an environmental science class on water and the environment. The video involved a case study in Colombia, following a struggling family who lost access to the pipe running through their village containing the only drinking water supply. Although the father worked, he could still not afford clean drinking water while supporting his family. Taking drastic measures, the cameras followed the man and a few others late at night, where they had to illegally tap into the water system pipe so he could run drinking water to his house.
The Coca-Cola Company has undergone many investigations and accusations of abusing human rights (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/jul/24/marketingandpr.colombia). This article from 2003, Coca-Cola boycott launched after killings at Colombian plants, discusses a lawsuit the company was facing, and allegations against Coca-Cola bottlers in the Colombian plant. The boycott campaign was launched in other countries such as the UK, United States, Germany, Italy, and Australia. In the past there were multiple killings and threats towards Colombian
union members. Coca-Cola has also had many other issues with different countries such as India. This research paper, Evidence of The Coca Cola Company’s Human Rights Abuses and Environmental Violations by students from St. Joseph’s University,(http://org.ntnu.no/attac/dokumentene/cocacola/cokeinfopacket.pdf) outlines various places all over the world that have suffered impacts and ramifications from the cola company. In India, water shortages were a significant problem, and were said to have also suffered chemical contamination in the water. The government agency, The Central Ground Water Board, noted Coca-Cola to blame for lowering the water table as a result of mining, as well as cause “ecological imbalances.” Many of the plants in India have been shut down over the years, leaving the communities with contaminated groundwater.
I think it is extremely inhumane to tap into a poor country’s aquifers and take the only source of drinking water in remote areas, just to use as the base of their product. How can we have come so far in this world through innovation and technology, yet some are living in the 21st century without the basic human right to clean drinking water. If you spend all your time getting the basic needs for your family you never have time to further better yourself, and every day is survival mode. How is it justified that you cannot even drink the water from the country you live in, and it be denied to those in desperate need. It makes me feel very fortunate to be able to have such a basic necessity as water. Besides in glaciers and icebergs, the Great Lakes, in Canada and partially the United States, hold the largest amount of available freshwater. Moving into the future, Canada is getting more and more attention with the abundance and access to fresh water. If many countries are already corrupt with water policies, it is going to be a scary day when sources start running dry.
Week 7
Learning about the details of economics in this week’s lecture was something I had a minor understanding for in the past. The relationship between economic growth and environmental quality is something I have tried to learn about further. Ecotourism is an issue that is on the rise, becoming more and more popular for today’s travellers. One of the reasons I chose to come on exchange was the growing interest, and chance, to travel to different parts of the world. Now having more experience in traveling and being a tourist, ecotourism is definitely a possible career direction. Ecotourism can have many positive and negative effects.
The obvious positive is the sheer income generated to a city and country, which can further increase their GDP. This can also create more jobs for people, and help the growth of the job market, especially in developing countries. Sometimes it can also benefit the environment as well, when natural parks or phenomena are protected as part of the tourist destination, and kept from being destroyed. There can also be negative factors of increased tourist development if it gets to a large scale, causing land and forest degradation for new resorts, houses, etc. Pollution can also cause significant damage from increased motor transport, on land and water. The local population’s culture can also be lost if places are popular tourists destinations that want to cater to the needs and customs of the tourists.
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO http://unwto.org/en) promotes responsible and sustainable worldwide tourism policies, as a part of the UN. The main goals are to decrease the negative factors of tourism, while trying to increase the socio-economic outcomes. The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is promoted to be used to aid in achieving these goals, and the most possible benefits. One specific organization the UNWTO supports that I had no knowledge of, is the World Tourism Market World Responsible Tourism Day (WTM WRTD http://www.wtmwrtd.com). At the Cape Town Conference in Responsible Tourism in Destinations, a 2002 Declaration outlined practices and standards of responsible tourism worldwide. I think it is important these issues are being addressed at high scales, and getting the attention they deserve. To avoid destruction of habitats and cultures, there needs to be a change in tourism practices, becoming more respectful and responsible of the human and natural environments effected.
Week 6
I found the lecture on food production to be very informative, and a topic I have always been particularly interested in as an environmental science student. This world runs on food, and the distribution of food production. The degradation to this Earth has been significantly increasing, and there are so many ramification of large scale food production. Not only is there mass land and forest clearing, but depleted soil conditions, erosion, and agricultural runoff. I think we also need to look specifically at ecosystems as a whole, and how the entire biodiversity can be effected by one change. Agricultural runoff has become a huge problem around the Great Lakes between Canada and the United States. On many farms, the animal waste, fertilizers and pesticides end up in nearby waterways as runoff from the farm. Since these chemicals contain so much Nitrogen and Phosphorous, there are significant additions of nutrients to the lakes. More nutrients cause effects such as eutrophication, and fish and other organisms can no longer survive in the oxygen depleted waters. Farming practices is something I strongly believe should be monitored closer and held up to standards, to try and decrease the amount of pollution it produces.
One method or agriculture that promotes growth for future sustainable practices, is planting community gardens. At home, we have learned about many emerging in big cities in the United States such as Chicago, Detroit, Oregon Boston, New York, and San Francisco. I think they are an amazing way to really involve the community in a positive agricultural setting, while decreasing their carbon footprints on food consumption. Growing up, my mother always spent any free time she could in the garden, landscaping the beds, and planting fruits and vegetables. In a city suburb it was very nice to have your own fresh fruits and veggies, always available and ripe in the summertime. One idea my family and I considered a couple summers ago was doing the 100 Mile Diet. This is when you only buy and consume products that are grown within a hundred miles of where you live, and nothing else. Sitting down one day we started to think about everything we had to give up, and the diet seemed more and more challenging. Not having simple things like sugar and coffee were a big change from our modern day conveniences. Meat and veggies were definitely the easiest part of the challenge, as there were multiple suppliers from organic farms just outside the city, available for weekly deliveries. With busy work schedules, and lack of full commitment, we never ended up doing the 100 Mile Diet Challenge, but someday I hope to complete it, perhaps with my own family.
Here is an inspiring video I found from a company providing backyard gardens to inner city residents in New York City, showing how simple it can be to utilize space and have fresh produce in your own urban backyard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDxBEUOImjI&feature=related
Week 5
This week’s lectures were all about energy. New ways of finding energy sources and harnessing the most potential is one of the key factors as we move into the future. Relating to fracking, one particular source of energy I have become very familiar with over the years is natural gas. In my hometown, my father has worked over 20 years at Union Gas Limited, a company providing natural gas to homes all over Ontario, Canada. Last summer, I spent 4 months working there and getting to know the company. I was in the Construction and Growth department, working with GIS programs on the computers to map out all the gas lines in the new online mapping systems. My dad works there in the Marketing department, running and energy efficiency program promoting and selling products such as infrared heaters, low-watt lighting, and low-flow shower heads. He deals with various companies and restaurants throughout southern Ontario, bringing in new energy-efficient practices.
Compared to fossil fuels, natural gas is a much cleaner energy source. While researching this topic, I was trying to find out more information about the state of fuel sources in Ireland. I stumbled upon an article Gas question: why give Ireland’s enormous wealth away? The Norweigan alternative, from Shell to Sea- Irish Central, by Brendan Patrick Keane. This article discusses the enormous potential of natural gas in the country, with bountiful amounts for the populations heating and energy needs. Despite this potential, the article discusses ideas from John Mullins, the head of Ireland’s energy department, on shutting off gas connections due to heating bills. In northwestern Ireland, the discovery of the Corrib Gas field, shown in the picture below, holds an astonishing fuel source of gas worth a lot of money. This article also examines the perspective of a past Chief of Rabbi of Norway. He used the “Norwegian Model” to explain how the wealth from natural resources can be reinvested to further benefit society, and in this case, the people of Ireland. I think monitoring the resource exploitation is very important, and perhaps the Norwegian Model should be considered as a direction in the undertaking of this massive deposit.
http://www.shelltosea.com/content/gas-question-why-give-irelands-enormous-wealth-away-norweigan-alternative
