How is Blogging Different from Journalism?

“…when a blogger tracks down sources, does investigative reporting, and presents the facts clearly and fairly, that is journalism” (Friedman). In journalism, there is a process of checking for sources and multiple editors look over the writing for grammar and biased opinions, etc. Many of these writers have gone to school and have a degree related to journalism.

Through the internet, on the other hand, blogging has become a place where just about anyone could express their opinions. Anyone meaning those without degrees in journalism. Blogs have been associated with pure opinions. It can be said that it is less rigorous in source searching, reporting, and presenting facts. Blogs can be spontaneous. A blogger who witnessed an incident can post it right away before the journalists can because they have to go through editing and researching process. For example, Jack Tapper is ABC’s whitehouse correspondent. He publishes fresh stories on his blog “prior to hitting it on TV, and frequently breaks news that never airs on TV” (Friedman).

However, the term sensational journalism pushes journalism beyond mere unbiased and factual presentation of information. Some journalists and journals express opinions in more colored lens. Some of the examples include “Huffingpost, The Daily Beast, Politico, FiveThirtyEight, Gizmodo, and  TheNextWeb” (Friedman). To these sites, Friedman from The Next Web comments, “I’m glad that some of my former colleagues are over there and that they’re getting paid to write, but I don’t consider it journalism” (Friedman).

Good bloggers and posts, however, may be just as good as the journalists and articles. “Good reporting is good reporting no matter if it can be found on a piece or on a computer screen or a TV on a stone tablet. Good  reporting includes well-resourced, reliable material presented in a captivating way. Many blogs seek to include this type of content, as do many websites” (Friedman). Biased journal articles and good blogs, thus, blur the line between journalism and blogging.

Friedman, Jacob. (2010). “Blogging vs. Journalism: The Ongoing Debate.” The Next Web. Retrieved from http://thenextweb.com/us/2010/08/18/blogging-vs-journalism-the-ongoing-debate/

Hope this goes up!

Trump has won the election. I wanted to see how this would affect me and our society. Also, how would this affect sustainability? So I searched several articles on Trump’s agendas. These are the things he promised at the campaign, so we will have to see whether he fulfills them. Even if he does not, we could still have a general sense of his opinions that could influence future policies.

• Build a wall bordering Mexico
• Suspend immigration by refugees from Syria
• Withdraw from NATO
• End Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
• Shift the focus from not only deporting criminal immigrants but also law-abiding undocumented immigrants
• Nominate a new Supreme Court justice
• Withdraw from NATO and American military protection of Korea and Japan
• Hostile policies toward Muslim world
• Loosen the energy regulations such as emission levels
• Withdraw from World Trade Organization
• Tax cut on high earners
• Revamp Medicare and Social Security
• Increase defense spending
• More to come…

I think Trump’s extreme agenda can be summarized as this: “America First.” Each of these policies have tremendous ramifications not only to our country but also other countries as well.

Now, what does his policies mean to business and sustainability in general? The most obvious and noticeable change can result from loosening of the environment regulations. Companies like Volkswagen are paying billions of money for disobeying the car emission level set by the U.S government (“Pollution is Expensive…and Short Lived”). U.S just made significant gains with China who “agreed to major deal with the U.S on climate emissions…” (Sarlin). Will China still consider this deal seriously with our new leader? Will businesses such as Volkswagen continue to be on their toes to keep our environment a sustainable place? (“Pollution is Expensive… and Short-Lived“) With our president audaciously calling environmental scientists’ claims a “hoax,” the businesses may not respect and will not remain compliant to our environment laws.

“America First” mentality is not sustainability. “Only me” type of thinking and actions would not be beneficial to United States on the long run. Here is a great example of this (Excerpt from “Pollution is Expensive …and Short-Lived”):

In 2002, both Pepsi and Coca Cola plants were operating in Kerala, India when the residents accused them of drawing too much water from the public water source (Savitz). Although it was proven that neither Pepsi nor Coca Cola was using the public water, Pepsi, in response to the protest, helped develop wells in Kerala. Later on, anti-US sentiments in India drove Pepsi and Coca Cola to close their plants. However, only Pepsi’s plant was allowed to resume operating after the local villagers protected the business. Companies bent on supporting the sustainable environment for the local stakeholders outlast those who do not.

Pepsi could not have foreseen that the local villagers would help them stay in business in Kerala. Whether Pepsi knew about local villager’s aid, Pepsi chose to help the stakeholders in need. As a result, Pepsi was allowed to stay. We cannot foresee what types of economic, political, physical, psychological, emotional or even spiritual danger America may face in the near future. We also cannot foresee how other countries can actually end up helping United States, like the way Kerala villagers did.

In other words, sustainability is about teamwork. Sustainable efforts are typically achieved by many working together for a common cause. When America needs help, who do they turn to? America may be a superpower among the nations now, but who knows what will become of its power several years later or a decade later? Many big projects cannot be completed alone, and Trump’s “all alone”approach will not strengthen America on the long run.

Sarlin, B. (2016). “Donald Trump Wins Presidency: Here’s How He Might Govern.” New York Times. Accessed 9 November 2016. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-election-day/donald-trump-wins-presidency-heres-how-he-might-govern-n678911

Savitz, A. The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run companies Are Achieving Economic Success–and How You Can Too. San Francisco: A Wiley Brand, 2014.

I calculated how much my carbon footprint would be using YouSustain’s Carbon Footprint Calculator.

How much is 18.10 tons of carbon? YouSustain website shows me the following:

Although my carbon footprint is lower than the country average, I still have a long way to go to reach the world’s target. Much of my carbon footprint comes from driving. I commute to work for five days a week, and I drive 22 miles one way, a total of 50 miles a day. Driving was the only option because I work at an area very far from the public transportation. Car insurance, gas price, and car payments take up a bulk of my paycheck as well. I sit in the traffic for about two hours of my life while pondering could this be different? Maybe I can apply to a job closer to where I live?

I wrote the following for my class’ discussion board assignment, but I was compelled to add this entry to my blog because it supports my point in my next blog entry regarding Trump’s election to president.

Volkswagen is an example of a company that has been challenged in terms of sustainability. It was discovered that Volkswagen had been cheating cars’ nitrogen oxide emission tests by placing a software that hide the emission. Volkswagen cars’ emission level, when measured without the software, was 40 times higher than that of U.S emission limit set under the Clean Air Act (Tabuchi and Ewing). In the past three to five years, Volkswagen created 11 million of their cars with this deceiving software, including Audi A3 and Porche (Gates, Ewing, Russell, and Watkins).

Volkswagen decided to pay a lot of money in response to this, and that is probably all they could do for now. Finding the Sweet Spot should be their next agenda, however. Volkswagen has decided to pay as much as $15 billion to settle this claim: “…diesel emissions cheating scandal, in what would be one of the largest consumer class-action settlements ever in United States” (Tabuchi and Ewing). This involves 475,000 Volkswagen vehicles in United States. The money will cover “buying back the affected cars at their pre-scandal values, and additional cash compensation for the owners…” (Tabuchi and Ewing). The Sweet Spot, according to Savitz, is the area that encompasses both business interests and environmental interests (Savitz). At this time, they are spending all of their energy and money fixing the mistake of pursuing business interest only. We may have to wait and see whether they would actively find the Sweet Spot after this crisis has passed.

To simply put, pollution is an expensive venture. Andrew Savitz says in his book, “A business that occupies the Sustainability Sweet Spot…should have real long-term advantages over its rivals.” This really was the case for Volkswagen. Volkswagen probably wanted to produce cars that have great performance, which would increase customer demand. This is a prime example of a company only pursuing the business interest. They may have enjoyed a short-term advantage in sales, but on the long run, they now need to spend $15 billion to undo the damage. The consequence did not end there; their stocks dropped from $38 to $27, and their net income turned into net loss of $6.3 billion in the year 2015 (Gates, Ewing, Russell, and Watkins). Had they pursued the Sweet Spot, they might be doing better on the long run.

One example of a sustainable company outlasting others is Pepsi in Kerala, India. In 2002, both Pepsi and Coca Cola plants were operating in Kerala, India when the residents accused them of drawing too much water from the public water source (Savitz). Although it was proven that neither Pepsi nor Coca Cola was using the public water, Pepsi, in response to the protest, helped develop wells in Kerala. Later on, anti-US sentiments in India drove Pepsi and Coca Cola to close their plants. However, only Pepsi’s plant was allowed to resume operating after the local villagers protected the business. Companies bent on supporting the sustainable environment for the local stakeholders outlast those who do not.

Gates, G., Ewing, J., Russell, K., & Watkins, D. (2016). “Explaining Volkswagen’s Emissions   

Scandal.” The New York Times. Accessed 7 September. 2016,

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/business/international/vw-diesel-emissions-scand

al-explained.html

Savitz, A. The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run companies Are Achieving Economic

Success–and How You Can Too. San Francisco: A Wiley Brand, 2014.

Tabuchi, H., Ewing, J. (2016). “Volkswagen to Pay $14.7 Billion to Settle Diesel Claims in U.S.”

The New York Times. Accessed 7 September. 2016,

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/28/business/volkswagen-settlement-diesel-scandal.html?

action=click&contentCollection=International%20Business&region=Footer&module=What

sNext&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&moduleDetail=undefined&pgtype=Mul

timedia

Progressive companies are beginning to understand that sustainability is the future of all businesses. Thus, they have begun sustainability initiatives to address societal and environmental issues: Microsoft is investing in computer education to ensure that our next generation is tech-savvy. General Mills is encouraging parents to become better parents and are withholding artificial flavors and colors from their cereal products. CVS stopped selling tobacco. Despite their efforts, consumer attitude may be hindering many companies from not only continuing sustainability practices but even starting them.

Andrew Savitz discusses in his book, Triple Bottom Line, a few challenges companies face when pursuing sustainability. One of those challenges is consumer attitude. Many would not be willing to spend extra money just because a product was produced in a sustainable way. They would rather buy a cheaper product that performs similarly. To this, many companies may respond and say, “I’ll go green when my customers demand it” (Savitz). What can the companies do in response to consumers’ reluctance to sustainability?

Many companies are now using social media as a strategy to increase sustainability among their target consumers and to influence their consumption behavior. Using social media, they want to educate and motivate consumers to be more sustainable. Social Media Sustainability Index ranks the quality of businesses’ communication of their sustainability practices to the public via social media. This is based on the idea that businesses who are genuinely practicing sustainability will also make sure to let others know about it (Yeomans).

Social Media Sustainability Index ranked GE (General Electric) as the number one social media sustainability company of the year 2016. GE created Emoji Periodic Table of Experiments that looks like chemistry periodic table with emoji icons instead of chemistry elements. Once clicked, these icons can show array of “video, celebrity guest…a wealth of links and resources including lesson plans…” This is such a wonderful idea because “emojis are now a central part of communication, especially for Millennials, and they work especially well in social media and mobile” (Yeomans).

Sainsbury’s is another great company using social media to engage sustainability among the Millennials. They made short, animated videos with the core message of “Waste Less and Save More.” These videos are perfect “to get the attention of that short-attention Facebook community” (Yeomans).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj2VdaumA8o

Article, “Rethinking Consumption: Consumers and the Future of Sustainability,” summarizes the BBMG, GlobeScan, and SustainAbility’s study on consumer behavior. The study showed that social media is a great strategy to influence consumer behavior because “barely one in ten consumers rely on company advertisements or website content…” (Bemporad). This shows social media may be more effective in reaching the consumers than company’s traditional communication.

There is much potential for social media to make a difference in consumers’ sustainability practices. Some companies such as GE and Salisbury’s are already taking actions. I hope that more consumers will also understand the benefits of sustainability in providing a better world for our future generations through social media. This way, more businesses would be prompted to be more sustainable.

Bemporad, R, Hebard, A and Bressler, D. Rethinking Consumption: Consumers And The

Future Of Sustainability. 1st ed. Brooklyn: BBMG, Globescan, SustainAbility, 2012. Web.

26 Oct. 2016.

http://www.globescan.com/component/edocman/?view=document&id=46&Itemid=591

Hart, S. “Creating a Culture of Sustainability.” Youtube, uploaded by Denison Consulting, 06

July, 2011. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEHCJKeNnA8

Savitz, A. The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run companies Are Achieving Economic

Success–and How You Can Too. San Francisco: A Wiley Brand, 2014.

Yeomans, M. “The 6th Annual Social Media Sustainability Index.” Sustainly. Blackboard.

Accessed 14 September, 2016.  

https://bbhosted.cuny.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_1

310213_1&content_id=_25788278_1

Robert Waldinger is a fourth director of a study that started in 1930s. They selected American men from different socioeconomic groups and followed them for 75 years. This was the conclusion of the study: “good relationships keep us happier and healthier.”

1. People who are more socially connected are healthier, happier, and live longer than those who are isolated.
2. The quality of relationship is what counts, not quantity.
3. Good relationships even protect our brains.

My Business Sustainability class professor shared this video with the class saying that it is unrelated to the course, but I think otherwise. If good relationship could keep us from nursing homes and reliance on pills and slow brain deterioration and aging, how is it not sustainability?

I thought back to my own lifestyle and relationships. I was brought up both by my family and by this culture to equate task-oriented productivity with success. My diligence in completing every day task did help me excel in school and work. However, according to this study, those cannot enhance my happiness and health as effectively as secure relationships could. With some more reflection, I realized that during the toughest times of my life, my loved ones’ encouragement and support insulated me from stress and despair. This made this reassess my priorities.

I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my spouse tonight.

After learning that standby energies could consume up to 75% of a devise’s active energy, I decided to take action to save money on my utility bills. Below is a visual representation of the lost energy when devise is in standby. It is also called ‘Phantom Energy.’

My family and I are in the process of moving to a new rented house, and it is a perfect opportunity for a brand new start of our energy usage. We are cleaning out the new place, and strategically placing power strips with switches before we move all the furniture seems like a good idea.  We usually plug in multiple devises in one power strip, and simply switching the strip off could cut off standby energy consumption (Chu).

I saw my parents as main threats to my successfully running the Operation SAVE ELECTRICITY because they would not listen to me and leave the devises plugged in no matter how many times I tell them to unplug them. After all, I am in charge of paying the electric bill, so they cannot care less about saving money in electricity. As a potential solution, I found this product on Amazon:  Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switch. This lets one to cut off electricity from distance using a remote. I will install these in my parents’ room, kitchen, and bathroom and press the “off” button on regular basis. I will see how this goes.

Chu, John. (2012). “3 Easty Tips to Reduce Your Standby Power Loads.” Energy.Gov. Accessed 12 October. 2016, http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/3-easy-tips-reduce-your-standby-power-loads

There are several facts I have learned from the Sustainability Guru game. This determines the level of one’s knowledge in sustainability.

• Composting: “making a heap of wet organic matter known as green waste (leaves, food waste) and waiting for the materials to break down into humus after a period of weeks or months.” (Wikipedia)
• Coffee maker uses more energy than refrigerator given the same duration of time used
• CF bulbs use less energy and lasts longer than incandescent light bulbs. It should be disposed of properly because it contains mercury.
• Consuming bottled water in U.S is extremely wasteful.
• Switchgrass gives us higher energy compared to the energy put into producing it than soy and corn.
• Solar panels can convert about 12% to 20% of sun’s energy for use.
• Most electric devices consume 75% of when they are off. They should be connected to a power bar and switched off when they are not in use. Definitely investing in those power bars!

This is the level I’ve reached:

I am just one level above Newbie. I still  have a lot to learn!

Germany is known as one of the world’s leading countries in environmental sustainability. German federal government has been working hard to eliminate the use of coal altogether and encourage the use of wind and sun among their industrial companies (Porter). However, their coal companies are still reluctant to comply with the coal reduction policy. In reaction, the German federal government resorted to giving companies monetary incentives for compliance instead of fining them.

As a leader of green efforts, Germany sets example of green practices for many countries. What they did with the coal company, however, does not seem to sufficiently address the coal dependence problem. Although overall coal dependence seems to be decreasing in Germany and United States, other developing countries such as China and India’s level of coal consumption is in fact increasing as shown below:

What should the other countries do? Should other governments bribe companies so they can comply with the carbon dioxide emission regulation? This does not seem to be the best answer since money is very scarce in all governments. This is a tough act to follow. While companies such as Heinz, Pantagonia, and Pepsi are making significant gains in sustainability, the countries in the world are still facing coal dependence challenges today.

Porter, E. (2016) “The Challenge of Cutting Coal Dependence.” The New York Times. Accessed 27, September. 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/31/business/economy/the-challenge-of-cutting-coal-dependence.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSustainable%20Business&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection&_r=0

I just watched Professor Michael Porter’s lecture on Shared Value on Youtube. It was mind-blowing! Just amazing stuff!

Basically, Shared Value indicates the overlapping area between business opportunities and social needs. This is similar to Andrew Savitz’s Sweet Spot idea, but shared value is profit-driven method that addresses social problem directly. Sweet Spot is thinking about how can an existing business model address social needs in a way that benefits the company as well? In the Sweet Spot idea, the profit is secondary or the profit comes eventually. In Shared Value, companies build their business model around the social need in order to make a profit.

Shared Value is literally a merge between nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Traditionally, nonprofits looked to businesses for funding so nonprofits can go out and address the social needs such as hunger and diseases in behalf of the businesses. However, nonprofits were limited to the amount of funding businesses gave them. The businesses could not keep giving money because there were not enough money to go around. So how about making money while helping others? Businesses themselves can offer solution to societal problems while making money.

The purpose of the company is now not just about making money but also about helping others ! The Shared Value now switches companies’ traditional views on rich population as their main customers to six billion people in the world who are not rich but can still offer something in exchange for a product or service. Six billion in sheer number can yield much profit even if a product or service were to be sold for a penny.

Heinz is already practicing this Shared Value. Five million children from 15 developing countries have anemia due to lack of iron in their nutrition (Klein). Thus, Heinz created a pouch containing vitamin powder that can be mixed with food or drink. This only costs little more than two pennies (Klein)! Yet, their customers are now five million children in the world!

I also saw businesses as money-making machine at the expense of the poor people. After learning about Shared Value, I now have hope for the businesses. I would actually want to work for them to help them solve societal issues while getting paid. This is a perfect chance to say killing two birds with one stone.

http://www.heinz.com/sustainability/communities/heinz-micronutrient-campaign.aspx

http://www.forbes.com/sites/csr/2011/06/14/three-great-examples-of-shared-value-in-action/#4b3eb2051ba6

 

From Chapter 4 of Triple Bottom Line by Andrew Savitz, I read the following that will change my shopping habit for good: “I’ll go green when my customers demand it.” To tell the truth, I did not care much about sustainability until I took this class. Although I may not see the impact directly, wastes and pollution produced in vast amounts by large companies would later impact my next generation. Moreover, clean air, water, food, and environment are critical to my overall health. I have been that cheap customer who would pick cheaper products over green products that are sometimes priced higher. Because of customers like me, the companies are hesitant to invest in systematic changes that would transform them into totally sustainable companies. After realizing the importance of sustainability, I would like to pay extra money to support the sustainable companies. The Social Media Sustainability Index is very informative because it shows which companies are practicing sustainability. When I go to supermarkets and shop online, I am going to keep these names in mind and support their products. 

The challenge I took on is exercising at least three times a week. In fact, I have been doing this for about a year now. There is a gym next to my work, and I have been trying to go at least 3 times a week. I have done sit ups, tread mill, and pull ups. Not only did I lose weight, I have gained muscles. I found the following benefits to working out:

1. Faster digestion & metabolism
2. Clothes fit better
3. More energy from the muscles that were formed
4. Increased immunity- less likely to get sick

Because clothes fit better, I do not have to keep buying larger and larger sized clothes as I get older. This saves me money. I recently went to a church picnic, and we played a number of physically-challenging games. I contributed a  lot to my team because I was a fast runner and I did not get tired easily-all thanks to working out. I feel healthier now than ever. I really believe that if I keep this up, I could prevent very serious diseases or illnesses such as diabetes, heart diseases, etc.

 

I watched a Youtube video titled, “What is Sustainability.” This video was provided by our professor on the Blackboard site. In reaction to the government creating a hoard of environment protection laws such as Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, the majority of businesses protested that their businesses would now need to spend more money keeping these laws except this one: M3.

M3 not only wanted to comply with these laws but also go beyond them, and a man named Joseph Ling had a lot to do with the company’s decision. Joseph Ling’s logic that convinced the entire 3M company to go green was fascinating:

Waste=  $ lost

&

Waste= Cannot be sold

Conclusion: Reducing waste increases profit

Here are other fascinating things about 3M. Most would try to deal with wastes once they are created. But 3M wanted to prevent wastes. It is definitely a proactive approach rather than reactive. They were practicing Stuart Hart’s  beyond greening way ahead of the time. Beyond greening means “a complete turnaround from the traditional ways of greening and doing sustainability in a “new capitalism” that is eco-effective (30 Stuart).”

I admired Joseph Ling’s initiative and leadership influencing others to create more sustainable business. This determination and intelligence are important in making a difference, and that is certainly something I would have to learn from.

Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9-Khm_ghHA

Hart, Stuart L. Capitalism At The Crossroads. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2010. Book.

Using reusable bags challenge from Yousustain website was only 1 week long, but I realized that I have been doing it for about two weeks now. I usually pack snacks in zip loc bags and throw them out after I finish eating my snacks. After I started the reusable bag challenge, I have been not only using brown paper bags for my snacks but also reusing them. I also thought of another way to avoid using plastic bags when I go to grocery shopping: bring my own bag! I should keep a reusable bag in my car so I do not have to use plastic bags they provide at the grocery store. In fact, I saw this done in a Japanese cartoon called Shin Chan. The mother of the little boy sends him on errands with reusable bags. I thought this was such a good idea, but I have never put it to use yet.

Shin Chan on an errand to supermarket. He is holding a reusable bag, list of things to buy, and a small wallet.

After having read a few chapters and articles about how Starbucks is converting food waste into bioplastic and Hershey’s harsh treatment toward the employees, I thought sustainability typically applies to businesses and large organizations. I visited www.yousustain.com, and the website suggested several ways an individual can impact our world. I was able to sign up for several challenges. I saw very ambitious ones, but I decided to start something doable so I do not feel completely ineffective at the end. I chose the ones that I could start even in the next hour. I chose the three following challenges:

1. Use reusable bags for a week
2. Bring plate into work
3. Exercise

I have already been doing number 2 and 3. However, having committed to these challenges, I wanted to become consistent in my exercises and using reusable plates.

I stayed at a small farm in a town called Wentworth, NH in the last week of August for a brief getaway before the summer ends. There was no reception for my phone there, and I woke up to a rooster’s cock-a-doodle-doos and sheep’s bahs in the morning. I found The Lost River Gorge on TripAdvisor for a places to visit around the town. I love nature and exploring, so I decided to go. Lost River Gorge contains about a dozen caves that was formed by “forces of water, wind, weather, and time.” 300 million years ago, huge glaciers carrying rocks melted, leaving behind rocks that later formed these caves. I squeezed into nooks and cracks of these rocks and marveled at how awesome they are. Streams and collected water from the rain fell through the rocks, forming small-scale waterfalls.

I write about the Lost River Gorge because it is a good example of sustainability and preservation of our nature. When logging was becoming more popular,  Lost River Gorge’s existence was threatened. Society for the Protection of  New Hampshire Forests saw this danger and purchased the area. Now, it has turned into a tourist site, and the beauty of caves is well maintained.

Sources: http://www.lostrivergorge.com/about.php

Hello, my name is Andrew Kim. I created this blog to fulfill requirements for CUNY SPS Sustainability and Green Business course. When I first signed up for the course, I saw the word ‘green’ and thought this course would be about how businesses can stay environment friendly. I glossed over the word, ‘sustainability,’ thinking that it would hold similar meaning as ‘green.’ Going green definitely has much to do with sustainability, but that is not all sustainability is about, I realized as I was reading about Hershey in the first chapter of our textbook, Triple Bottom Line. In fact, I am still trying to fully understand what sustainability entails for businesses and also for my life. When I googled the word sustainability for business, it gave me this this piece of puzzle to helping me understand better: “Business sustainability is often defined as managing the triple bottom line – a process by which companies manage their financial, social and environmental risks, obligations and opportunities. These three impacts are sometimes referred to as profits, people and planet.” So I did not realize that there are people and profit components of the word sustainability.

I read that Hershey overlooked the ‘people’ part when the 500 foreign student workers protested about their work conditions, and there were multiple accusations regarding child labor in their cocoa farm. Hershey may have been neglecting the well being of their workers in pursuit of financial profit.

This is when I realized that sustainability also has to do with stakeholders’ happiness. Running a business is not just about maintaining good profit but also preserving the environment as well as the well being of the people. Essentially, the goal of sustainability is to sustain the world so that the next generation can sustain their lives in it. I found the following sentence in the WorldBank website: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” I only have a superficial knowledge of what sustainability for now, but as the semester progresses and I gain more information on the topic, I hope to gain more pervasive understanding of this word. I also wonder what impact this would have on my life as well and what impact I can make in the world.