...Current Business Practices Audit Kimberly Johnson, Richard Siemienczuk, Karen Graham, and Chad Smestad MGT/360 December 3, 2012 Vicki Bauer Current Business Practices Audit The learning team conducted an audit of Riordan Manufacturing’s current business practices at its processing plants located in California, Georgia, Michigan, and China. The business sustainability worksheets used to complete the evaluation aided the team in locating common areas of non-sustainable practices relating to land, water, and air pollution. The three non-sustainable practices evaluated further are solid waste, and hazardous waste causing land pollution, hazardous waste causing water pollution, and gaseous waste causing air pollution. These areas are the most harmful to the immediate population, which includes the plant workers and the communities. Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste Causing Land Pollution One of the non-sustainable practices is adding to land pollution. Currently, off-spec materials are sent to the landfill (Apollo, 2012). In addition to this, scrap plastic managed as waste goes to the landfill (Apollo). The biggest problem is that plastic is not biodegradable. When plastic and off-spec products are sent to the landfill, breakdown occurs but at minimal rates and these take longer to biodegrade over time. To remain compliant with government regulations, Riordan Manufacturing is required to identify hazardous waste generated each month if it exceeds 2,200 pounds (Apollo...
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...Wasted Water Water is the most important resource to human life and without it we would perish very quickly. “We could survive for several weeks without food, but for only a few days without freshwater” (Miller & Spoolman, 2013, p.238). Water also plays a key role in shaping the earth’s surface, controlling the climate and helping to remove and dilute some of the pollutants that exist (Miller & Spoolman, 2013). If that is the case, why do we take such huge advantage of this valuable resource? One reason I believe we do is there is a belief that exists in all of us that water is abundant and will always be here. There is some truth to that by the amount of water that is here on earth but this is deceiving because that is sea water and the salt levels in sea water is too high for us to consume or use in our homes and lives like we do now. But regardless of how important this source is, we continue to waste it and at a good rate. “According to water resource expert Mohamed El-Ashry of World Resources institute, about 66% of the freshwater used in the world and about 50% of the freshwater used in the United States is unnecessarily wasted” (Miller & Spoolman, 2013, p. 251). He goes on to state that if we can reduce our waste to 15%, that would be enough to meet the water needs of the world for the foreseeable future (Miller & Spoolman, 2013). I chose critical thinking question number four at the end of chapter 11 which asks to calculate how many liters and gallons of water are...
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...When our non renewable sources start becoming harder to obtain, the price to use them goes up. The majority of the energy we use comes from non renewable sources. Energy is wasted daily basis. Leaving lights on during the day, leaving televisions on when no one is watching it, having multiple electronics plugged in to the wall instead of a surge protector, leaving the air conditioner running when no one is home, and doing laundry all throughout the day instead of doing it when the rates of electricity is lower are all ways that energy is wasted. A good way to stop the wasting of energy is to avoid those mentioned activities. These are just small things people can change in order to conserve energy, and if everyone would do it, it could make a big difference. The issue of energy conservation has both living and non living contributing factors. The biggest living contributing factor to the wasting of energy is humans. Humans are wasteful, and take our non renewable sources for granted, because they do not understand that they can be depleted, and most people just do not care and are ignorant about the wasting of the non renewable sources. At the rate that the population is increasingly getting larger, what little non renewable sources we have left are being wasted and may...
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...The Challenges Facing Electric Utilities The electric utility industry is extremely important in the United States. In recent years, there have been many changes to this industry which has led to some interesting challenges. Some of these challenges include, “…new technologies, tighter environmental regulations, regulatory pressures and changing customer preferences” (Oskvig). These challenges are something that need to be overcome due to the urgency of their nature. A key challenge that needs to be addressed is the issue of energy that has been wasted due to lost electricity. The industry of electric utility needs to attempt to deal with the issue of lost energy. There is a huge amount, totaling to, “…a whopping $40 billion [that] is wasted in lost electricity, natural gas and water resources in the U.S. alone” (Pyper). Even though this amount includes natural gas and water resources, one can still see the great affect that this waste has on the electric utility industry. In order to fix this issue, there needs to be a better, more effective way for people to save this energy that is being wasted. Scientists must be able to develop a more reliable method for storing electric energy in order to be more efficient. With the saved energy, we will be able to become much more efficient and effective in electrical usage. All-in-all, the electric utility industry has a few issues that it needs to address in order to become as efficient as possible. Whether it be new technology...
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...a step back and evaluate which plastic products are necessities and which are not in order to help save the environment. Ways to reduce the amount of plastic in society is needed to reduce the amount of harm to the environment because the plastics that are being used are taking over landfills, getting into the water supply, and causing a lot of harm to the ecosystem (Ginis. 2008). Turning away from plastic completely may not be possible, but usage can be reduced and the amount used in daily lives can be altered. On a global scale human dependence on plastic is entirely too high which means that on average the amount of plastic each person uses and wastes is too high as well. Over one hundred million tons of plastic is produced annually and out of all that plastic over fourteen million tons end up in the oceans harming and killing marine life (Raja 2011). It is hard to imagine one hundred million tons of plastic, but cars, cell phones, and computers that are purchased are made of a large amount of plastic. It’s not likely that those large plastic objects will end up floating in the ocean; however, there are also numerous small objects that are overlooked, such as water bottles and food wrappings made...
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...Environmental Impact of Raising Animals for Food Sue Saffel Everest Institute The current methods of raising livestock are harmful. These methods use too much land, water, and feed that are greatly wasted and polluted, and become a threat to public health. Even though they live and end their lives as victims, the animals themselves end up being part of the problems. Many people, especially Americans, are killing themselves by the forkful. The cost of raising animals for food is passed on to the consumer in more ways than most would imagine. Raising cattle, for example, incurs more than just the expenses for feed, water, and medical care. Someone has to pay for the purchase of new land when the existing acreage is degraded and no longer able to grow any plant life. When the water supply becomes so polluted that it cannot be used, even for irrigation, someone has to pay the cost of obtaining a new source. When we go to the grocery store and check the cost of a certain cut of meat, a low price makes us think that our food comes cheap, but these prices don’t show the expense of cleaning up farm pollution or the immense government subsidies to agriculture. In 1996 the United States government spent $68 billion on agriculture, which translated to $259 per consumer and even more per taxpayer (Environmental Health Perspectives May, 2002). Of all the arable land in use, two-thirds is devoted to growing feed for livestock, while only eight percent is used to grow...
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...every day from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce. About 95 percent of the food we throw away ends up in the landfills or combustion facilities. In 2014, we disposed of more than 38 million tons of food waste. Once in landfills, food breaks down to produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change. "When we waste food, we waste all of the resources it takes to bring it to our plates—from money to farmland, energy and water," said Dana Gunders. Food waste is not a new problem, and our habits are only getting worse. We have the power to feed the hungry but we decide to throw our food out. Food waste is also bad for our community. Americans throw out $165 billion worth of food each year. Reducing our food waste will not only save money because we'll buy less food to waste, but it will also help the community. But as big as the problem is, you can do something about it....
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...raiding Allgyer’s Acres Farm in Kinzer, Pa. In the article Algyer is targeted for being "engaged in milking cows and packaging, labeling, selling and distributing unpasteurized cow milk across state lines." We understand the duties of the FDA; however, the constitution gives us certain freedoms to choose the things we want to partake in. For the thousands of consumers that enjoy milk provided by Allgyer and similar producers, their wishes should not be infringed upon due to undocumented, unproven beliefs from the FDA and CDC about...
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...viewpoints by citing Moor Zak's “Defying the Nalgene.” -Claim: The public should reduce the usage of bottled water, because the plastic bottles are not environmentally friendly, they are also expensive to produce, transport and recycle as well as unhealthy to consume. Body Paragraph 1: Polluting the environment - evidence provided by the editorial “In Paradise of Tap Water” Body Paragraph 2: Hight costs - evidence provided by the editorial “In Paradise of Tap Water” Body Paragraph 3: Health issues - evidence provided by the editorial “In Paradise of Tap Water” Body Paragraph 4: Suggested alternatives - evidence provided by personal experience and believes. Conclusion: Kristina Yanakieva EN 102 Prof. 09/10/2013 Buy it! It will make you feel good. Nowadays, it is amazing how the public is so easily manipulated to buy different kinds of products. Various marketing strategies are being successfully used to talk consumers into purchasing a great number of products, which they think they need, when they actually do not. A typical example is buying bottled water instead of simply consuming tap or fountain water. It is true that great majority of the population is indeed in favor of consuming bottled water, because as Zak Moore, the author of “Defying the Nalgene.” states “if plastic were that valuable then it would not be used to hold water and would cost more money”. But at the same time, the manufacturing and disposal of all those plastic bottles...
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...The United States Military has often been described as a highly-complex and interwovenseries of commands, both issued and carried out. Machines as complex as our organization, the US Army, have a lot of moving parts. If any of these gears fails to perform as they have been designated and entrusted to, the machine begins to break down.Punctuality and accountability are two major ways the Army in general and the 2nd Cavalry Squadron in particular, keep those parts moving smoothly and effectively. Without either, the entire system would quickly fall apart, leading to any number of complications that would hinder the units ability to meet its goals quickly, effectively and efficiently. With this essay, I will explain the importance of timeliness as it relates to the military, as well as describethe problems that would come from ignoring it. Soldiers of every rank and specialty have many responsibilities, and many others depend on their actions being carried out successfully. If a soldier does not follow extremely important, life-or-death orders, this will result in extremely unfortunate, life-or-death consequences. However, failure to obey small, seemingly simple directions, such as keeping an appointment, can also turn into an unpredictable mess. Military readiness and the 21st century Army can be defined by its own organizational ability to project firepower and defend and preserve life. Punctuality and accountability directly contribute to this mission by ensuring that every gear...
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...to generate. Consequently, this actions lead to a malignancy which environment is destroyed. I learned that in the nineteenth century, River Thames had a crisis. Because of the industrial revolution, factories littered the chemical materials in the river. Also as populations in London city grew, the amount of waste it produced expanded exponentially. British government didn’t recognize how serious it is, and there were no law to permit this action. For centuries, various wastes that came from human, animal, and industrial polluted England’s most famous river. Also River Thames had long been using as a water source even the water was polluted. River Thames had directly affected resident’s life. It brought diseases that caused many people died. A lot of people left this city because of the disgusting odors and diseases. After British government knew how serious was it, United Kingdom government spent much time for regulating the environment. Jon Wynne-Tyson said “We must develop a better sense of responsibility towards our total environment …” This shows we should take care environment. However it isn’t enough,...
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...minerals are removed from seawater so that it can be used safely as drinking water both for human and animal consumption. This water can also be used for irrigation or in industries. The need for desalination? Desalination is needed where there is a shortage of natural drinking water due to a lack of water that comes about through rainfall. This is especially so in the Middle East which lies in one of the driest regions of the world. These places with low or no rainfall need to rely on other forms of water provision. It is for this reason that seawater is used to provide the water that is necessary for drinking, irrigation and industries in the Arab World, and especially so in the UAE (Al Serkal, 2007). 2.Desalination in the UAE: Methods/Processes of desalination There are many methods in which desalination can come about. One of these methods is the multistage flash (MSF) process. Despite the high cost it has a high production output. This MSF plant can also be coupled to a heat source and so produce power as well (Al-Sheyji, 1998;Hamed, 2004). The MSF process (in use for more than 40 years) because of its simplicity, reliability and huge output capacity, is used the most in the region and the UAE (Hamed, 2004). Distillation and the reverse osmosis (RO) processes are main features of the MSF method of desalination. During this process, water is distilled by flashing a portion of the water into steam. This happens in multiple stages through heat exchangers. With the...
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...AE 3B Problem Solution Essay Assignment Essay’s topic: Water scarcity is one of the key environmental issue of our time. Identify some major causes of water scarcity and describe two solutions. Water plays an important role in developing and maintaining healthy ecosystems. However, water scarcity is an increasing and widespread phenomenon in many countries in the world. Water scarcity refers to either the lack of enough water or lack of access to safe water. The shortage of water is turning out to be more pressing than prediction. This essay will identify some major causes of water scarcity and specifically focus on the solutions of enhancing water stewardship and protecting wetlands. The first major cause of water scarcity is overpopulation. The rapid growth of population has led to a massive demand of water. In the last 50 years, the human population has increased more than double. Moreover, accompanying with population growth are economic development and industrialization. Population growth also results in the need of food, home and clothing, which has added more pressure on the availability of freshwater while water supplies are limited and insufficiently managed. If the consumption rate of water has continued at unsustainable levels, by 2025, two-third of the world population may face water shortage, and ecosystem around the world will suffer even more. Water pollution is the second major cause of water scarcity. It is the result of many reasons, including pesticides...
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...James Viloria SCI/256 3/27/15 University of Phoenix Environmental Pollution America and the World need population control laws that limit population growth thus conserving and saving water and natural resources. I have read articles from numerous sources that state in the year 2050, 2.7 Billion people will have a severe water shortage problem. Meaning there want be shortage of clean water to drink and shower with. This could be a touchy subject in the United States and in many western civilized worlds where the government steps in and tells them how many kids a family can have and what not. It’s happening this very minute in countries like China and Japan. The only thing that can be done is to regulate immigration reform and restrict a foreign alien’s tenure here in the States. Cars don't always perform well on the road as they do in prototype tests. Smog inspections let motorists know when pollution control devices are malfunctioning and when fuel is being wasted. Repair programs make sure every car is doing its share of the cleanup job Nowadays with increasing the population in the entire world, need of people to transporting vehicles is increased. So, I believe that spite of importance of improving roads and high ways, developing the buses, trains or subways is more critical than ever. Improved roads leave to better fuel efficacy for vehicle, less carbon emissions, and over top performance for newer gas efficient vehicle’s. As mentioned above, with newer gas...
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...There is also a favorable reason for vegetarianism that many have not thought or heard about. Our environment is modified in many ways by livestock and other contributing factors. Surprisingly, every quarter pound of hamburger meat that someone consumes destroys 60 square feet of rainforest. Rainforest everywhere are already being demolished in the first place. The reason is because a lot of the cattle consumed in the United States have been bulked and fattened up and raised in past rainforest that was transformed to grazing grounds. In truth, more than one half of rainforest destruction has been from animal grazing. Other than the ruining of rain forest, more than 50% of all water supplies go toward livestock production. Elissar Abdul-Khalek...
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