Identify an environmental disaster caused by a business, briefly describe the disaster, and discuss some of the immediate and long term effects to the environment. In light of the cited disaster, discuss the ethical concerns that the situation raises in your opinion.

Business leaders must balance the concerns and needs of differing groups of individuals. For instance, the business leader may be pressured by those with environmental concerns to implement sustainable practices. At the same time, investors may reject such plans because of the cost of sustainable improvements.

When making a decision involving environmental issues, how should the business leader approach each group? What should he or she say to those with environmental concerns related to financial concerns? What should he or she say to the investors about environmental responsibility? How can the business leader balance the interests of these groups?

One of the goals for our class this week is learn about the major elements of an Environmental Management System (EMS). An EMS, according to the EPA, is "a set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency".

After selecting one of the following companies, locate any sustainability information they have available on their corporate website (search for "[Company name] sustainability initiatives or programs") and review the information available. Also see if any independent reports exist that either confirm the company's website or conflict with it. In some cases, you may not find any additional information.

Depending on the nature and industry of a business, different sustainability strategies will have more applicability for a specific context. Even business in the same industry may benefit from different strategies depending on the culture and practices of the company. For this exercise, consider the following waste management technologies:

Waste reduction Reuse of material On-site recycling
Off-site recycling On-site treatment or incineration Off-site treatment or incineration Land disposal
Choose one or two strategies that you believe would be most appropriate for your business. Describe why you think your selected practices are most appropriate and discuss how they should be implemented. Also, describe how they might affect your current business practices if implemented.

You are asked by a company to develop a plan for improving the company's current sustainable business practices. The company has a manufacturing division, a sales division, and an administrative/finance division. Provide a brief explanation of how you might go about the task of developing a plan.

Below I provide some questions to get you started. You do not have to address all the questions below, they are only provided to get you started. I am not asking what specific strategies you would use, but how would you go about developing the plan.

How will you assess the company's current position?
Will you create teams from different divisions?
Will you include employees from all levels of the organization?
Will you offer improvements for the company in general or you would provide improvements by department or both?
Will you use focus groups or brainstorming sessions or a suggestion box?
How will you motivate participation?

Often times, those seeking to implement sustainable initiatives face internal and external barriers to the plan. Considering either your current employer or a past employer, identify three to five barriers that you might face if you were to implement a company-wide sustainability plan. After you have identified the barriers, discuss a few strategies for overcoming these barriers.

A sustainable business plan may include a number of different types of initiatives:

Elimination of non-sustainable materials in manufacturing process

Choose two or three of the above initiatives and identify a specific practice (solar panels, paperless office, etc.) to accomplish the initiative. Then identify a couple of ways that you might measure and monitor the success of your chosen practice.

For a company to create a culture of sustainability, leaders must possess key abilities and qualities to effectively reach this objective. From what you have studied and learned during this class what two abilities or qualities do you think are most important and why? Provide specific details as to how these abilities or qualities relate to creating a culture of sustainability.

If you were asked tomorrow into a meeting with senior management and asked to outline a three or four or five step plan to develop a culture of sustainability at your company, what would you recommend? Provide a brief list of steps and an explanation for why each step is important.