Sustainability in Business – Top 3 Approaches

It was last Wednesday night, and I was sitting in my MBA class, tapping a Great Basin Co-Op pen on the desk to the beat of “Billy Jean” while listening to our three panel speakers. All older, Caucasian gentleman who recounted their tales on the road to economic greatness. They gave the class nuggets of wisdom from the perspective of formidable and wealthy businessmen; follow what makes you happy, know your niche in the World, and truly listen to what your customer wants. Two of the speakers gained fortune working within the oil industry, and one in the field of architecture. As our professor opened the last half hour of class to discussion, I waited my turn patiently to ask about how public interest in sustainability endeavors has affected each industry. The topic of sustainability is always an interesting one to bring up in a classic Economic class, and on this particular night, each panelist response represented an archetypal approach when handling sustainability in business.

The first and most excited panelist to weigh in was the architect, who beamed about his upcoming development project in Reno utilizing cutting-edge water saving methods. He has seen added value when incorporating sustainability into his newest business endeavors. Over time, he has opened his business to incorporating more and more sustainable practices as his clients have become increasingly interested in these measures. We often see agile businesses popular with the millennial generation able to keep pace with our wants and needs, especially as sustainability concerns have been on the rise. Businesses that accept environmental responsibility are more often than not able to successfully turn that into economic rewards. Our architect here illustrates the first archetypal approach to sustainability in business, which is characterized by the ability to continually adapt and evolve to new truths in our ever-changing World.

The second gentleman to take a bite out of the question was one who popped in briefly before the architect. He called me a “sweet girl”, and said I should assert myself more as he could not hear my question. Following listening to the other panelists response, he began to speak towards economic sustainability instead of environmental sustainability, further dismissing the initial question posed. Finally he ended his statement with an unapologetic shrug saying, “I’ve never written a piece of legislation that did not pollute the Earth, so I have nothing more to contribute in my response.” He was defensive in his unwillingness to explore the idea of sustainability, unapologetic about his business decisions, and dismissive. Thus, giving us the second approach to sustainability in business. We have often heard this reaction show up when parents and grandparents say, “Well, that is an issue for your generation to solve” or when environmental advocates are referred to, flippantly, as granola crunching hippies.

The final panel response was rounded out by a former employee of BP, who acknowledged the value of environmental viability, spoke about the importance of remediation efforts, and ended by saying that he honestly felt bad about the effect the oil industry has had on the environment. Rather than being completely dismissive or completely gung ho about the topic, this particular panelist landed right in the middle. A complete business overhaul in the oil industry would mean the extinction of the oil industry, however, he recognized efforts made on their part to lessen the environmental blow.

Businesses are ultimately made up of people who have different ideas, beliefs, and actions that combine to create a corporate culture. It is important to explore different approaches to sustainability on the individual level as a pathway to discovering more about environmental action as a whole functioning from within a single business. If we can recognize these reactions, we can firstly create the awareness necessary in order to unpack and understand each approach. Perhaps there is value in understanding the reasoning behind why each person reacted the way they did in order to best grow thriving environmental business practices.

By Alisha Cahlan of Reno Sustainability Center

For more info you can go to their website: https://renosustainabilitycenter.squarespace.com/

Or Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Renosustainabilitycenter 

Green Apple Day of Service is an opportunity for teachers and students to bring awareness to others about sustainable projects you’re teaching in the classroom by showcasing your event on USGBC’s Center for Green Schools mygreenapple.org website. 

Share what you’re doing in the classroom and see what others are doing all over the world.  You can take it a step further; power it with volunteers or like-minded NGOs who participate in community-based efforts and promote it by using media partners.

Register now until September 24, 2016.  For project ideas see mygreenapple.org  

We can continue to transform our schools into a healthy, safe, cost efficient and productive learning place with every project you pursue. 

Nevada Department of Wildlife

Oxbow Nature Study Area

Invites you to a

Community Trout Release

What:    The Nevada Department of Wildlife has been working with more than 140 schools throughout the state as part of our Trout in the Classroom program.  Now that all of the locally participating school have raised and released their own trout, we will release the remaining fingerling trout that have been reared at the Oxbow Nature Study Area.  Help us release these trout into the Truckee River and participate in some watershed education activities along the riverside trail.  

When:    Saturday, April 9th, 2016. Two releases and associated activities will be facilitated at the Oxbow Nature Study Area at 10:00 am and 2:00pm. The visitor center will also be open from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Where:    Oxbow Nature Study Area, 3100 Dickerson Rd. Reno, NV

Why:    You see the Truckee River run through the middle of Reno, learn more about the creatures that live under the water.

Who:    Dr. Tricia Dutcher, Wildlife Educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife and Jessica Heitt, Urban Wildlife Coordinator.

Free public program and Open House

Background: In the summer last year, the river’s flow got down to 10 cfs in some spots. That means the water level was low, the temperature was high, the oxygen levels were low, and the trout were struggling.  The Nevada department of Wildlife have a Rest Your River campaign where we asked anglers to not fish after 11 am to allow the fish that were struggling with the high temperatures to not be further stressed by fishing activities. But now with our winter weather helping out, the flow is up to 1,000 cfs in spots. The temperature is back down to 40 degrees F, and the trout are happily spawning.  In addition, NDOW has been stocking the river with trout we have raised in a hatchery. At Oxbow, we have been releasing rainbow trout with the schools that have been raising them in fish tanks in their classrooms, and we are inviting the community to come out for our last release on Saturday, April 9th. We will do a release at 10 am and 2 pm.  During each of those releases, participants will get their very own trout to be released into the river and participate in aquatic education activities that explore our watershed and trout habitat.  Feel Free to come out and check out the event.

Fifth grade students from Natchez Elementary School soak in the facts about trash while watching KTMB’s Waste Warriors video.

KTMB’s Warriors Youth Education Series has now been made available online for educators in North
ern Nevada to use in their
classrooms. The Warriors curricula is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Nevada Academic Content Standards.

The series includes three educational units; Waste, Weed and Watershed Warriors. Each unit introduces students to environmental problems common to all urban communities, and empowers them with the knowledge they need to take simple steps toward positive change.

Waste Warriors introduces students grades 3-5 to the waste stream, and shows how they can affect their community by reducing their waste to the landfill, battle litter and illegal dumping, and make informed choices about what they buy and the waste their purchases create.

Weed Warriors, designed in partnership with Sierra Nevada Journeys (SNJ) and The Nevada Department of Agriculture, introduces students grades 4 – 6 to the problems of invasive weeds, and shows how they can affect their community by identifying and reporting noxious weeds, reducing their spread, and making informed choices about what plants belong in their yard.

Watershed Warriors, also designed in partnership with SNJ, introduces students grades 3 – 5 to the Truckee River Watershed, shows how it is different from other systems in the country, and the reasons why river stewardship is paramount to the community.

Each unit includes:

• A dynamic video and engaging lesson plans
• Curriculum free for teachers to download
• Pre and Post student assessments
• Completely designed lessons free for teachers to use before and after the program
• Alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
• Program fees are based on a sliding scale to meet the needs of all schools.

KTMB educators are also available to visit schools and present on Warriors Education lessons. To request a presentation, visit ktmb.org/warriors-request/.  To download the curriculum or to learn more about the Warriors Education Series, visit ktmb.org/education/.
“What I’m doing to be a Waste Warrior is using the three R’s! I’ve been using them by recycling a lot now, reusing steel water bottles at school and in sports, and ever since your presentation, my trash has really reduced!” – Sepulveda Elementary School Student

ACE is thrilled to announce that our very own alumna, Celeste Tinajero of Sparks, Nevada, has won a 2015 Brower Youth Award.

The Brower Youth Awards are given annually by the Earth Island Institute’s New Leaders Initiative to six young environmental activists from North America, ages 13 to 22, for their outstanding efforts to promote ecological sustainability and social justice.

Celeste, now 20 and a high school graduate, has worked closely with ACE over the past five years since her sophomore year at Reed High School. That year, following an ACE Assembly at the school, students formed the Eco Warriors, the school’s first ever green club.

Celeste’s older brother, Hector, was one of the founding members of the Eco Warriors. Celeste attended her first club meeting as a favor to her brother, but soon became engrossed in their work, rising to club president in her junior and senior years.

The Eco Warriors are now recognized as the most active club at Reed High and as a model for other green clubs in the Washoe County School District. In their first year, they won first prize in the GREENevada Student Sustainability Summit, bringing in $12,000 to green their school’s bathrooms.GREENevada is a coalition of organizations (including ACE) that works to foster sustainability through environmental education in northern Nevada.

With the grant money, the Eco Warriors renovated the school bathrooms. The club installed low-flow faucets and toilets, auto-sensor lights, and air hand dryers, which cut down waste and conserved water, energy, and money. The following year, the Eco Warriors raised money to install a water bottle refilling station in their school, despite the difficulties and cost of removing asbestos from the school walls. To date, the hydration station has saved an estimated 37,000 single-use water bottles from being used. Celeste championed both these projects, as well as several more, to fruition.

After graduation, Celeste attended Truckee Meadows Community College where she studied education and environmental science, while working to educate local elementary students about renewable energy at fellow GREENevada member, Black Rock Solar.

Celeste is currently serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, another GREENevada member, where she develops curriculum and teaches on water and waste conservation.

I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Celeste myself for five years. She is at once one of the most passionate and optimistic people I know, but she also brings the drive and perseverance to see her dreams through. She has already accomplished so much in her school and her community, and is so deserving of this Brower Youth Award. Personally, I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.

Celeste, along with five other young environmental leaders, will be honored at the 16th Annual Brower Youth Awards on October 20 in San Francisco. ACE will be there to cheer her on!