SAVE THE EARTH!

Instructions for accessing the Online Library Tutorials:

1. Go directly to the tutorial pages at http://tutorials.sjlibrary.org/

2. Pick the tutorial (Plagiarism, Library Basics, 5 Ways - see greensheet for due dates)

3. Click on First Time Students option

4. Under YOU, pick your class status (Freshman) and enter your name and other information

5. Under COURSE, select MUSE and find your professor's name on the drop-down menu.  Select your course.

6. Begin the tutorial.

4. Education and Information

Following are some examples:

• Information included on various governmental websites, such as that of the EPA. For example, the EPA’s website on sulfur dioxide explains what it is, where it comes from, why it is harmful and what the EPA is doing to reduce this pollutant. 
• Pollution or climate change “calculators” that request information from the user on miles driven per year, diet, city where you live, and other information to determine how much pollution you cause. Or, some use a “footprint” approach to let you determine how much space you need compared to how much is allocated to you as one of about 6 billion people on the planet. Some examples of these calculators can be found at:
• Redefining Progress - http://www.myfootprint.org
• Cool-It - http://www.cool-it.us/
• Flight emissions - http://www.roughguides.com/climatechange/
• British Airways – enables passengers to calculate the climate change impact of their flight and make a donation to an organization that will help offset that impact, such as by purchasing energy efficient light bulbs for a low income community.  http://www.britishairways.com/travel/climateimpact/public/en_us
• Websites of various environmental organizations and governments. Some examples include:
• Worldwatch Institute information on the items we buy - http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/44
• Sierra Club information - http://www.sierraclub.org/
• Student Environmental Action Coalition - http://www.seac.org/. Chapters exist at several universities in the U.S.  
• The State of Michigan - http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3307_3580---,00.html
• Data on environmental indicators from governments, research organizations and various government organizations, such as the OECD. Examples:
• See the OECD data included earlier in this Course Reader. Also see:
• http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/7/47/24993546.pdf
• http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/32/20/31558547.pdf
• A report of the Canadian government – http://www.environmentalindicators.com/htdocs/PDF/FullReport.pdf

Use in reducing gasoline consumption:

• Some states provide tips on how people can use less gasoline.  For example, New Hampshire has a website that reminds drivers that they can save gas by not accelerating quickly, driving slower and removing excess weight from the car.
• Another example is California ’s “Flex Your Power at the Pump” campaign to educate businesses on how to save gas and how to get them to help their customers to do the same. 

5. Personal and Corporate Values

Examples of initiatives by businesses, schools, non-profit organizations and others to adopt practices that consider the impact of actions on the environment:

• California State University greener practices policy - http://www.calstate.edu/pa/news/2005/green.shtml
• Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) – this organization advocates the management principle that improving environmental performance, health and safety measures, and promoting corporate citizenship as ways to increase shareholder value and improve financial success. It consists of 40 companies in 15 different industries.  Members include Intel, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Coca-Cola, and Federal Express   This group also has a publication that helps companies communicate the benefits of environmental management to shareholders.  http://www.gemi.org/GEMI%20Clear%20Advantage.pdf
• Efforts of individual companies to promote good environmental practices. For example, Johnson Controls has a webpage devoted to explaining its commitment to environmental stewardship.  It states: “Putting the environment first is second nature to us. It's just part of what we do on a daily basis. Saving energy has been a fundamental part of our business since 1884 when our founder, Warren S. Johnson, invented a simple thermostat. Today, we are a leading provider of facility services and building controls systems. Our products and services are designed explicitly to help customers conserve energy and protect the environment.”  The company notes that what is good for the environment is also good for the company. http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/cg-values/  
• Bristol-Meyers “pledge” to the communities it serves: “We pledge conscientious citizenship, a helping hand for worthwhile causes and constructive action that supports a clean and healthy environment. We pledge Bristol-Myers Squibb to the highest standard of moral and ethical behavior and to policies and practices that fully embody the responsibility, integrity and decency required of free enterprise if it is to merit and maintain the confidence of our society.” http://www.bms.com/aboutbms/content/data/ourple.html  
• Goldman Sachs’ Environmental Policy Framework lays out specific environmental goals and why they are important to the company and communities. The introduction to the framework states: “Goldman Sachs believes that a healthy environment is necessary for the well-being of society, our people and our business, and is the foundation for a sustainable and strong economy. http://www.gs.com/our_firm/our_culture/corporate_citizenship/environmental_policy_framework/index.html
• Entities performing “environmental audits” to gain an understanding of the harm they may be causing to the environment. Such audits may also prevent firms from violating environmental laws and find low-cost ways to comply with laws. It may also identify new practices, such as recycling or paperless offices, that can reduce overall company costs. Some jurisdictions provide immunity from prosecution or fines if a company engages in an audit and finds environmental problems that it needs to correct. For example, Michigan has a law called the Environmental Audit Privilege and Immunity Law.  

• Individuals taking actions to protect the environment, such as driving less, buying a hybrid vehicle, recycling, installing solar panels in their home, and using reusable shopping bags. A relatively new technique that some individuals are using to reduce the impact of their carbon dioxide emissions is to donate money to organizations such as TerraPass or DriveNeutral. These organizations use the donations to invest in renewable energy or to buy pollution credits in the marketplace so they can’t be used by businesses to pollute. Both of these companies were started by college students. (Kuruvila, 2006)

  • TerraPass – the site includes an emissions calculator for your car and then tells you how much you should donate to TerraPass to offset the CO2 emissions. http://www.terrapass.com/
  • DriveNeutral – this site also includes an emissions calculator for your car and tells you how much you should donate.  http://www.driveneutral.org/

Value approaches of businesses, governments and non-profits are often tied to promoting the company as a good citizen or helping to promote its products, justifying costs incurred to reduce waste and to be good corporate citizens. The concept of “sustainable development” is also at the heart of many of these efforts. In a 1987 report of the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (knows as the Brundtland Commission), “sustainable development” was defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (CRS 2000)  In 1993, President Clinton created the President’s Council on Sustainable Development that consisted of representative from government and business to explore ways to achieve sustainable business practices. [http://clinton4.nara.gov/PCSD/ - the site includes various reports of the council]  Similar councils exist in other parts of the world. For example, see the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.  In addition, there is a council of U.S. counties and cities known as the Joint Clearinghouse on Sustainable Communities. The purpose of this group is “to provide a forum for cities and counties to work together to develop long-term policies and programs that will lead to job growth, environmental stewardship and social equity -- the three pillars of sustainable communities.” (http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/sustainable/backgrnd.htm).  

Some companies also follow sustainability concepts and some also keep track of their energy usage. For example, see Bristol-Myers’ key sustainability indicators at http://www.bms.com/static/ehs/perfor/data/summa.html. Some companies have instituted specific actions, such as how buildings are designed and products are packaged in order to exercise “environmental stewardship.” In testimony before the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, a vice-president from Wal-Mart noted that the company aims to eventually have 100% of its energy used in stores be from renewable sources, to eliminate 25% of the solid waste from its US stores in the next three years, and in some buildings, it uses white reflective roof membranes to reduce cooling needs.  http://www.walmartfacts.com/printerfriendly.aspx?id=1760

Use in reducing gasoline consumption:

• In June 2006, Bank of America announced a program under which employees living within 90 miles of Charlotte , Boston and Los Angeles could obtain up to a $3,000 check from the company for buying a new hybrid car.  In its press release about the program, B of A stated:

“"Given the size of our commuting associate base, the hybrid program expands our commitment to the environment and helps our associates to participate in making a difference while cutting down on their commuting costs," said Anne Finucane, Bank of America Global Marketing & Corporate Affairs executive and head of the company's environmental council. "We are pleased to be one of the first corporations offering this benefit and strengthening our long-standing leadership on environmental issues."” 

The press release also notes that B of A has a voluntary commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 9% by 2009.

• Hewlett Packard includes hybrids in its fleets of employee cars as a way for the company to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (and use less gasoline). (Gilden, 2006)
• Oil company British Petroleum sustainability programs include a focus on “sustainable transport.” BP notes its responsibility to help find solutions that will lead to cleaner fuels and transport solutions. BP’s sustainability report can be found at http://www.bp.com/productlanding.do?categoryId=4520&contentId=7014704

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