What have I learned from my Green Business class? There are so many things that come to mind, I don’t know where to start. I haven’t been to school in over 5 years so I thought that taking online classes would be challenging. What I learned about myself is that I am extremely organized and determined to do well. I learned that I have the will power to dedicate time to my education which is something I never thought about in the past. These are personal strengths I never knew existed or maybe I did but never really paid any attention to. I learned how to interact with other people in a virtual classroom environment and there was no discomfiture. I am usually extremely shy and never really get to know a person until several months later. I really enjoyed working alongside my colleagues and it felt so natural and comfortable for me. I learned so many things about environmental sustainability. It’s amazing how one class can have an impact on me for the rest of my life. I never knew how passionate I was about the topic until I explored it while taking this class. I put many practices into play at home and at work as well. I am currently working on creating a Sustainability Network Chapter at my job. I want to educate people in Panama because I know they could make a difference if they only knew the impact they are causing to their environment. One thing that I have gained from this class is my personal sustainability promise. I promised to plant fruits and vegetables at our beach house. My family and I did this together and I hope it is something that we can look back on and feel proud about. It is something that will be passed down to our son with hopes that one day he will continue what we started.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Real Food...
I saw this video and thought you all might enjoy it the same way I did. It was very informative and interesting. It's food for thought!
REAL FOOD
REAL FOOD
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
A Greener Way to Get Fit and Stay Fit!!!
Tired of spending hours trying to fight traffic just to go to the gym? Instead of emitting toxic fumes on your way to workout why not just work out from home? It's environmentally safer, it's fun, and it's FREE!!! Checkout this awesome website I found with really cool workout videos!!!
http://www.bodyrock.tv/
http://www.bodyrock.tv/
Monday, September 19, 2011
Is HR and Sustainability Implied or Applied (At Your Current Employer)??? THINK ABOUT IT...
There are three main pillars of sustainability. Work-life-balance which includes growing importance of professional career as well as growing importance of private and family life. Individual responsibility which consists of increased autonomy and self determination in questions of professional development. Lastly, employability which focuses on continuous development and professional agility rather than specific activity.1 I would agree completely with this theory. This theory is something that I practice on a daily basis because I was introduced to this particular concept by my current employer, Hewlett Packard. Close on the heels of the maturing discipline of business ethics, the related areas of corporate social responsibility and sustainability are emerging as business imperatives.2
Whether looking at hiring, developing, planning for succession and long-term workforce sustainability, or even scheduling a contingent workforce at a retail store, the ability to understand where the organization is going, and defining the competencies (i.e. skills, knowledge and/or behaviors) required to get there will be critical. Only by having this clear picture will leaders be able to ensure that their talent initiatives are designed to produce the talent required to move the business forward.3
HR’s efforts to develop sustainable business practices such as equitable employment practices can have the positive effect of improving employee morale, increasing employee engagement and productivity, and improving retention by making the organization an employer of choice. Being an ethical, socially responsible company can attract investors, customers and top talent—and help ward off government regulators and environmental and labor activists.4 In a broad sense, a sustainable corporation can be described as one that achieves economic profit, maintains environmental quality and contributes to increased social equity.5
Sources:
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
My Personal Sustainability Practice way to Happiness...
I encourage everyone reading this to take this survey and see what you score...
www.thehappinesscenter.com/survey/survey.php
www.thehappinesscenter.com/survey/survey.php
I wasn’t surprised when I saw my survey results. I was actually somewhat disappointed in myself. I should be very happy; I have everything I’ve ever wanted. I have a great, loving, supportive boyfriend. We have a beautiful, funny, precocious, healthy 2 year old. I currently work at my dream job where there is a great work-life balance. We are financially stable. Yet my score says my life is not going in a direction I would like it to go. Why is that? I need guidance in learning how to find happiness? I thought happiness was a state of mind. I didn’t know I had to be taught how to be happy. I must be missing something. ..
It took me a couple of days to reflect on the question, “identify a single area you feel both enhances your life and is in some way connected to our world and nature”. There is a single area I feel would enhance my life, my family’s lives, and is connected to the world and nature and that is by growing our own crops. What better way to spend time together, give back to the environment, and eat healthier than living off the land. We can’t grow everything but it’s a start. It would be relatively easy for us to plant fruits which are abundant and produce very well with Panama’s weather such as bananas, mangos, lemons, soursop, tomatoes, etc. This would be a personal sustainability practice (PSP). It would improve my life and the lives of my family in a small but significant way. This is something that can be done on a weekly basis. My family and I can go to our land which is about an hour and a half away from where we reside in the city to tend to the crops and during the week we can pay the men who take care of the property to keep an eye on it. I believe this would create a sense of satisfaction because we would eat what we harvest and we would be doing it together which would instill these traits into our son’s character. I will post updates on the progress along with some pictures. What is your PSP?
Friday, September 2, 2011
Too Close for Comfort
Panama is one of the fastest growing International destinations for foreign residents, snow birds, active retirees, and real estate investors. What concerns me is how much the real estate is booming in Panama and what are we doing to conserve our ecosystem. The economy is growing and the construction sector is the main engine of growth. Glimmering office towers and glamorous apartment blocks are sprouting out of the poverty stricken, filthy slums that sit along the Pacific coastline. Property investors are snatching up newly built apartments (pre-construction) because it’s lower in cost. Panama City's waterfront is starting to resemble the skyline of New York with a flare of South Beach. The new facilities are being built for the hundreds of new companies that are expected to arrive in Panama to participate in the mega construction project and the new trade opportunities that lie ahead. Many global companies are expressing interest in Panama.
What about sustainability? What happened to going green? The Panama Green Building Council is part of the World Green Building Council, a global union of national councils around the world to become the largest international organization influencing the market for green building. Panama GBC’s mission is to promote sustainability in the way communities are conceived, and buildings designed, built and operated.
Panama needs more green buildings. We need sustainable luxury communities, designed to integrate the comforts of modern life with nature’s luxuries. I was very concerned when I first moved to Panama almost 4 years ago with all of the construction going on. Now that I am aware of what Panama has to offer I feel confident that we are on the right track to living more environmentally sustainable lives. Using sustainability to make money favors both supply and demand as well as the ecological necessities.
Sources-
Sustainability Handbook : The Complete Management Guide to Achieving Social Economic and Environmental Responsibility
Blackburn, William R.
Blackburn, William R.
Reflective Essay
I feel a little disappointed to tell you the truth about what my coworkers responded. Granted, I will give them the benefit of the doubt; they are both new to the company and have worked for Hewlett Packard for less than a year. My coworkers are still learning the company, learning the business, and learning their roles. It could be a challenge for some to learn about what Hewlett Packard is doing for the environment when they’re so focused on work. I believe the culture in Panama is live for today and let others deal with the side effects tomorrow. I’ve been in Panama almost 4 years and slowly the paradigm is starting to shift. Panamanians are becoming more educated on environmental sustainability through their multinational employers. Hewlett Packard has invested time, money, and resources into creating eco-friendly awareness worldwide. Our Intranet has a plethora of information regarding environmental sustainability. Hewlett Packard offers virtual classes (web based trainings) on topics like Environmental Marketing, How to be a Good Green Advocate, Energy and Sustainability Management, and Competitive Landscape just to name a few. HP is a great example of how one company can make a huge difference and impact around the world. Hewlett Packard was ranked number two in the Green Rankings top 500 list. I feel proud to work for a company that I know is making a real effort to give back and be more ecologically sustainable. I wish we would have been ranked number one but that just makes me want to work that much harder in order to reach that goal.
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