Sustainability Personal Statement

Sustainability degrees are springing up in a number of fields – engineering, social sciences and the humanities – to cater to the growing number of professions which crave sustainability at its core.

Sustainability from a strategic business perspective is the potential for the long-term well-being of the natural environment, including all biological entities, as mutually beneficial interactions among nature and individuals, organizations, and business strategies. (O.C Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2015). Business sustainably 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. (Business sustainability definition from financial times lexicon, no date). This essay will discuss the idea of sustainability being an important element within a businesses and its core strategies and the importance of it within different businesses. Secondly, this study will look at how different stakeholders are affected and influenced by sustainability as this could be seen as a catalyst to improving the environment as a whole and. Then this study will look at how businesses not focusing

Developing countries face many issues that developed countries don’t have to worry about. From structural problems within the government, to issues with feeding their citizens these countries struggle with what appears to be basic survival issues. In comparison to developed countries, citizens of developing countries life expectancy is shorter, This doesn’t mean that they lack the resources needed to succeed, a majority of these countries just lack the ability to manage their resources efficiently. Corruption, exploitation and lack of a stable economy prevent these developing countries from transitioning from developing to a developed nation .

Nonetheless the projects were considerably fun and intriguing. I am interested in researching sustainability because I not only have experience but admiration for sustainability in general. I enjoy gaining new perspectives and new ways to organize infrastructure. In particular I want to research sustainable communities who meet energy demands and food security with the use of sustainable practices. I would like to examine how the results of sustainability in these communities reshape equality, environmental health, and human

In the world today, there is a gap between science and policymaking and civil society. Different perspectives and, different in a way, “languages” have prevented solving dilemmas that transcend these boundaries like global warming. Throughout high school and college, I have attempted to bridge this divide and combine both science and policymaking lenses in order to use my skills and knowledge in each area to have an impact on the world. This is the reason I have chosen to major in environmental science and political science. I fundamentally believe that an interdisciplinary approach is the only way that we can handle these multilayered and complex problems that pose the greatest risk to society.

This story focuses on 5 moments that shaped global agriculture and how these moments build up to form computers that are used by farmers today. Barndt (2002) moments are; The scientific moment and colonialism (16th & 17th). During this time, Descartes (b. 1596) & Bacon (b.1561) argued that “nature was separate from culture and spirit, which was separate from matter was to be concurred and subdued.” They suggested that it was okay to destroy nature because humans were gods to this planet and can do whatever they want. But Sharma & Springer (1989), Shiva (b.1952), challenged Descartes (b.1596) & Bacons (b.1561) theories claiming that this land that we occupy and are destroying is not ours and we are all visitors, therefore exploring it serves more of a crime than a good.

Robbins Elementary, an urban school located in a large city in Texas, has defied the odds by attaining and sustaining high academic success rates for an approximate twenty-year time period. As Okilwa and Barnett (2017) noted, Robbins Elementary had grown to become homogeneous in race (majority Hispanic) and economic status (increased economically disadvantaged status). According to the article (Okilwa & Barnett, 2017), 2013 census data revealed that 50% of families in Robbins Elementary attendance zone earned less than $35,000 annually, with a median income of $35,282. Assumptions regarding high-need schools would, undoubtedly, portray Robbins Elementary as a school that would struggle academically with high teacher and principal

Coming into this class I believed sustainability needed to be taught as a mandatory way of life, relying on personal change in order to lessen our environmental footprint. Although my knowledge of sustainability has grown, this new information has only reaffirmed my initial beliefs of what sustainability is. Sustainability is a necessary practice that will only become more important as the population rises. With an increasing population, we face a growing strain on our natural resources. The major point that has changed since my first position paper, was my exclusion of the government and corporate role in the struggle for sustainability and global equality. Immoral corporate control of natural resources, such as water, is a vital factor

For my “Change the World” project, I volunteered my time with the SPFGA (Sherwood Park Fish and Game Association). My family and I have been long-time members at the outdoor range owned by the association, and many of my best memories were made there. They are a volunteer run organization dedicated to providing safe and protected environment for appreciation of the outdoors. This is an organization I’m dedicated to and interested in helping because I strongly support education and respectful appreciation when it comes to nature, and the SPFGA is a community full of like-minded people.

The first challenge in this essay is to shift the way people think about some of the biggest environmental problems that are affecting humanity in a global level, rather to see them as independent and isolated problems to view them as a whole, as a part of a system and as a consequence of other different problems that are being faced in other parts of the world.

This environmental and social context has always encouraged me to better myself, the members of my family, and the rest of the society that dwells in there. Obtaining my undergraduate degree in Microbiology and my master’s degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics allowed me to work for nearly eight years in public goals oriented to sustainability in the Amazon Region. In my professional experience I noticed that we are losing the fight against environmental degradation, despite the efforts of Colombian institutions inspired by the Rio de Janeiro Convention. My experiences in life, along with my academic and professional background, have enlightened my pathway to earn a PhD degree and become a pioneer for women in the Colombian Amazon region to reach a doctoral degree.

In an era of constant change, the idea that the world is going downhill is frequently stated, but that remark becomes invalid and a new view is formed when the current facts are considered. The main categories that support this statement are peace, economic growth, and the new generation of people. The rising statistics can bring hope and lead forward a contemporary outlook on the world. The current popular view has negatively impacted today’s society; however, that stance is skewed from the truth. A truth that reveals how the world is improving in ways that are rarely discussed.

The concept of ‘sustainable development’ is one that has faced heated debates for decades now. A seemingly harmless concept, it raises a lot of questions as to what it really entails and how exactly it can be achieved. But with more than 1.3 billion people living in abject poverty (less than $1.25 a day), and with a reported 22,000 children dying every day as a result of poverty (UNICEF), the debate for Sustainable Development becomes interesting as it questions the extremity of economic growth policies, in the war against poverty. Many note economic growth and development as the only tool for poverty alleviation. Roemer and Gugerty, for example, report that GDP growth of 10% per year is associated with income growth of 10% for the poorest 40% of the population. However, others question the extent to which economic growth should be put above other socio-economic factors. Lele points out that the focus on economic growth has led to important ecological and social sustainability, taking the backseat. He argues that due to strong emphasis on economic growth, not enough attention is paid to social equity, and economic stability within the development discourse.

Sustainability is a topic that has become very important in recent years. Sustainability is defined as, “the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely.” ("Finding and Resolving the Root Causes of the Sustainability Problem", 2014)

This essay will review two significant environmental experiences I have encountered exploring the influences of these my life and how these have altered my view on what is environmental sustainability. An examination into these two experiences will follow into reviewing my perspectives on environmental sustainability and how these two experiences influenced this. To conclude a discussion on my role as a teacher and how this will impact myself when in the classroom.