Social Responsibility

JJT 2 Task 1
Stephanie Preece 12/2/2012

What is Corporate Social Responsibility?

According to the text, Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, and Public Policy, corporate social responsibility (CSR) means that a corporation should act in a way that enhances society and its inhabitants and be held accountable for any of its actions that affect people, their communities, and their environment. Social responsibility and ethical behavior is not only the concern of management, but also that of every employee and staff member within an organization.

Mountain Community College (MCC) is an independently accredited, comprehensive community college established in 1971 in southern West Virginia. The college currently has four campus locations throughout the area, where it continues to provide the highest quality programs and services to meet the educational and training needs of the communities it serves. In this report, I will analyze the environmental and social responsibility policies of Southern Community College and recommend any necessary alterations or considerations that may exist.

A.1 Environmental Considerations and Recommendations

Mountain Community College is dedicated to providing faculty, staff, students and visitors with a safe and healthy working environment. This task is regulated by the Safety Committee and the Director of Campus Operations for each campus location, and is overseen by the President of the College and the Board of Governors. Currently, all campus operations are monitored to ensure they comply with appropriate standards and safety practices as well as with state and federal regulations. The Safety Committee develops policies and procedures, provides safety training, conducts facility inspections, and provides services to control potentially harmful situations.

Currently, MCC participates in quarterly campus-wide staff meetings in order to communicate policy, safety, and other environmental information to individuals on a regular basis. These meetings reach individuals in administration, faculty, and other facility staff positions. However, these communications do not extend to students, parents, alumni, or the general public. The school also takes the necessary steps to ensure that the proper handling and disposal of hazardous materials is conducted consistently.

Although the college takes some steps to control the potential hazards and to remain compliant with regulations, there are some areas that seem to be lacking. For example, no written policy exists that

contains information on public health and environmental control. Additionally, contracts from outside organizations, facility users, and other contractors do not require verification of their compliance with environmental regulations. There is also no program in place to review the schools energy consumption or operation in order to determine areas where adjustments can be made to reduce costs and environmental impact.

Recommendations
According to the EPA, some reasons cited by colleges and universities as drivers to improve compliance, environmental performance, and sustainability include: reputation, better management, cost reduction, community relations, and support of educational excellence. After an examination of the current policies and procedures regarding environmental responsibility at Mountain Community College, I have developed several recommendations that can be used to improve the environmental impact and make the college a better steward.

1. Implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) An Environmental Management System provides a framework for understanding an organizations environmental footprint, complying with federal regulations, and implementing proactive pollution prevention and sustainability strategies. (EPA, 2007.) An EMS is not simply a checklist or a one-time project to monitor compliance. Instead, it is a continuous cycle of steps and practices that help an organization achieve and maintain a sustainable and environmentally friendly culture. The EPA provides a diagram listing the basic steps of an EMS/Sustainability Roadmap. These steps are outlined below.

ARTICULATE the vision (compliance, environment, sustainability) IDENTIFY and gather data on how operations affect the environment UNDERSTAND what legal and other requirements apply PRIORITIZE what to work on ESTABLISH your measures SET GOALS to be met MANAGE your most significant issues DOCUMENT what you are doing TRACK progress CHECK if your system is working LEARN from your efforts IMPROVE

When implementing an Environmental Management System in the college, an appropriate point of reference is the EPAs Plan-Do-Check-Act model. This model breaks down the cyclical nature of the EMS process and offers descriptors of the steps to be taken. An example diagram is provided below.

Because this process is new to the college, my suggestion would be to research guides available via the EPA and other organizations, including those with a fully functioning EMS system in place. This would allow MCC to observe best practices and benchmarks and avoid some pitfalls that may occur from a hasty start. Additionally, I would advise the organization to start small, and focus on a limited number of items in the beginning to get a better feel for the process.

2. Provide Information to a Wider Audience Currently, the college holds quarterly staff meetings to deliver information on safety, policy updates, and environmental regulation compliance. However, these meetings are not available to students, parents, alumni, or the general public. Because these individuals take part in the education process and participate in the compliance process at the school, I recommend developing a means to communication this information to these groups. A written policy for safety, environmental responsibility, and compliance should be created and made available for public view either posted on site and/or via the organization website. A link to the EPA website can also be provided on the website

to allow individuals to view state and federal regulations regarding environmental protection and their rights and responsibilities. By providing this information to groups other than staff, administration, and faculty, more groups will become aware of the attempts of MCC to be a better environmental steward. Therefore, students, alumni, and other public individuals can take steps to reduce their energy consumption and practice safety standards in line with the policies of the college.

3. Develop a Strong Recycling Initiative to Reduce Waste Mountain Community College can improve its sustainability and reduce its environmental imprint by implementing a campus-wide recycling program to reduce the amount of waste produced and collected. Campus organizations, including student groups such as the Student Government Organization, can lead educational events to raise awareness of the need for increased recycling and the program itself. The recycling initiative may involve placing clearly marked recycling bins in strategic areas throughout the college, and providing regular pickup of their contents. Additionally, MCC can participate in the college recycling promotion sponsored by RecycleMania. This program is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities. (Recycle Mania, 2012.) This program ranks participants recycling efforts and provides national recognition and an award for the winning schools.

A.2 Ethical Leadership Considerations and Recommendations

Many individuals assume that acting ethically also means acting lawfully; however this is not always the case. Ethics is a conception of right and wrong conduct. (Lawrence, A., 2011.) The principles of ethics act as guides to an individuals moral behavior. Business ethics, in particular, involves applying ethical principles to business decisions. Managers and leaders within an organization should strive to perform their duties ethically. A set of guidelines exists to help managers make decisions on the job that may involve ethical situations. They are termed ethical reasoning. (Lawrence, A., 2011.) A graphical representation of the four methods of ethical reasoning is shown below.

Recommendations
In order to implement the recommendations in Section A.1 efficiently, managers at Mountain Community College will need to take a critical leadership role. These steps may assist them in gaining support for policy changes and new programs which will improve the sustainability of the organization.

1. Task Force and Committee Formation In order to begin the process of reducing the schools environmental imprint, management must take steps to research the effectiveness of current procedures and potential changes. A task force or committee should be formed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of current policies and procedures. Problems should be identified and strategies for addressing these issues should be developed. Environmental Management Systems should be researched and pursued. Guides are available from the EPA, with specific emphasis on college and university practices. Managers must be committed to the success of the program and work to garner support from faculty, staff, administration, and the general public.

2. Promote Sustainability Initiatives Managers can generate enthusiasm and support among participating groups and the public by promoting their sustainability efforts to all campuses, the media, and surrounding communities. This promotion may also reach state and federal policymakers as well as potential funding sources for future initiatives. Managers can also collaborate with other colleges and organizations that have successful sustainability programs in place. This will allow MCC to draw on the expertise of these organizations and access support and networking opportunities.

3. Include Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility in Strategic Planning As a part of the ongoing strategic planning process of Mountain Community College, managers should work to integrate goals for sustainability. These goals can focus on areas of improvement within the current policy and procedure structure, as well as future methods of social responsibility and education such as green curriculum and community partnerships. As a reference, I have included a sample list of strategic sustainability goals utilized by Kankakee Community College. These are as follows:

1. Achieve carbon neutrality for the KCC Campus by involving faculty, staff, and students in creating and
maintaining a campus culture that embodies the ideals of sustainability.

2. Expand KCCs curriculum to support sustainability and the growing renewable energy industry, and share that
curriculum with educational institutions. 3. Create models that illustrate sustainability and share these models with the local community as well as educational institutions. 4. Create partnerships between KCC and other community organizations to promote and nurture sustainability beyond the college campus.

These sample goals can be used as a starting point for the development of strategic goals for sustainability and environmental responsibility that are appropriate for Mountain Community College.

A.3 Sustainability Considerations and Recommendations

In business today, there is a need to find balance between the economic decisions made to maintain profitability and the environmental considerations that exist in the industry. This concept of balance is termed sustainable development, with refers to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Lawrence, A., 2011.) Currently, Mountain Community College utilizes a recycling program for used electronic equipment and similar items. However, this method alone will not produce a significant impact on the sustainability of the institution or its environment. The college has not implemented any additional methods of increasing the sustainability of the institution. After an analysis of the current practices at MCC, as well as researching benchmarks and available solutions, I have developed several recommendations for improving the sustainability initiatives at MCC. They are detailed below.

1. Develop a Strong Recycling Initiative to Reduce Waste As mentioned previously in this report, Mountain Community College can improve its sustainability and reduce its environmental imprint by implementing a campus-wide recycling program to reduce the amount of waste produced and collected. The recycling initiative may involve placing clearly marked recycling bins in strategic areas throughout the college, and providing regular pickup of their contents. Campus organizations, including student groups such as the Student Government Organization, can lead educational events to raise awareness of the need for increased recycling and the program itself.

2. Implement the STARS Program for Sustainability Measures The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. (AASHE, 2012.)

The STARS Program was developed by the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). As detailed on their program website, the STARS Program assists educational institutions in their sustainability efforts by: Providing a framework for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education. Enabling meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community. Creating incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability. Facilitating information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance. Building a stronger, more diverse campus sustainability community.

This program will provide significant benefits to Mountain Community College. Because MCC currently has not sustainability plan in place, great time, effort, and resources will be required to develop and implement a successful plan. However, by utilizing the resources of the STARS Program, a robust and successful framework will be provided for immediate use by MCC. This framework and plan is currently used by many educational institutions throughout the United States, resulting in successful sustainability methods and initiatives. Additionally, the STARS Program offers a streamlined reporting process to facilitate efficiency and greater instances of compliance. This program will help MCC identify strengths and weaknesses in their current sustainability efforts, as well as identify areas for improvement. The program encompasses all campus areas, including faculty, administration, maintenance, and staff. This collaborative effort offers a united culture of sustainability across the organization. The STARS Program could also be integrated into the curriculum at Mountain Community College, as other educational institutions have done.

A.4 Legal and Regulatory Considerations and Recommendations

According to the MindEdge Module, a key component of sustainable management is thinking about how company activities may impact a broad array of stakeholders, one being the government. Federal and state governments can increase or ease the regulatory burden on an organization based upon its compliance with laws and the effectiveness of its sustainability efforts. (MindEdge, 2012.) Because all Mountain Community College campuses are located in the state of West Virginia, the state laws and regulation, as well as those from the federal government and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) apply. Due to the minimal current sustainability and environmentally responsible initiatives at MCC, I suggest the formation of a committee to research and develop a plan to monitor the institutions compliance with applicable laws and regulations. This committee should include at least one member of

the legal team or a legal consultant for the college. Below, I have outlined some recommendations for ensuring successful efforts in pursuit of compliance with the legal and regulatory environment with regard to sustainability initiatives.

1. Research of Legal and Regulatory Requirements in the Education Sector As mentioned previously, I suggest the formation of a committee at MCC to research legal requirements and monitor the compliance of these rules during the development and performance of sustainability initiatives. Both state and federal government organizations currently offer guidelines and details for assisting with compliance efforts. My recommendation for the committee and for MCC is to use the following documents and resources to research the regulatory environment and gain a better understanding of its requirements. Additionally, I have recommended commonly violated regulations that should be monitored for compliance at MCC.

Campus ERC Campus ERC is the Environmental Resource Center for Higher Education. This website includes a library of resources that help support environmental performance improvement in educational institutions. These resources were developed collaboratively by organizations such as the EPA to help faculty, staff, and administrators better understand environmental regulations. The site includes documents on best practices, regulatory guides, and information regarding resource usages and wastes. (Campus ERC, 2012.) US EPA Compliance Assistance The Environmental Protection Agency currently offers a document titled the Environmental Management Guide for Colleges and Universities. This guide assists organizations tasked with adopting long-term sustainable practices, improving regulatory compliance, and helps with collaboratively sharing information and resources and mentoring on the use of EMS systems. (EPA, 2012.) The guide breaks down the implementation process into five distinct phases and outlines the regulation requirements that must be considered during each phase. This resource is of particular assistance to educational institutions, as it was developed by a US college that successfully implemented a sustainability program. 2. Compliance with the Clean Air Act (CAA) The Clean Air Act regulates air emissions from area, stationary, and mobile sources. CAA limits the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere in order to protect human health and the environment from the effects of airborne pollution. (EPA, 2012.) In the education sector, this Act is most commonly violated by the improper use of boilers in the facilities. The Clean Air Act requires several steps to maintain compliance with the use of boilers for facility heating. The requirements of the CAA with regard to boilers in the MCC facility are as follows.

Appropriate usage and monitoring reports must be submitted regularly. Conduct initial and repeat performance testing as required. Develop and follow a site-specific testing and monitoring plan. Conduct performance evaluations of your continuous monitoring systems. Assess the boiler and its energy use systems to identify cost-effective energy conservation measures.

3. Compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) protects human health and the environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal, conserves energy and natural resources, reduces the amount of waste generated, and ensures that wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner. (EPA, 2012.) This Act is a common violation among educational institutions, particularly those that include lab facilities which produce hazardous lab waste products. In order to ensure continued and future compliance with the RCRA, there are several steps that MCC can follow. Clearly label and mark accumulation containers with the words hazardous waste Provide and document regular hazardous waste training Implement a waste minimization and waste recycling program Perform regular audits and reporting of environmental compliance programs

References

Academy for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. (2012.) Sustainability, Tracking, and Reporting System (STARS). Retrieved November 30, 2012 from http://stars.aashe.org Campus ERC. (2012.) Retrieved from http://www.campuserc.org Lawrence, A. and Weber, J. (2011.) Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. MindEdge, Inc. (2012.) Measuring Sustainable Management Performance. Online Learning Module. Retrieved November 30, 2012 from http://wgu.mindedgeonline.com Recycle Mania. (2012.) Recycle Mania Tournament. Retrieved November 29, 2012 from http://www.recyclemaniacs.org United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (2012.) Laws and Regulations: Educational Services Sector. Retrieved November 28, 2012 from http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/sectors/education

* The name of the educational institution listed in this paper has been changed to protect the privacy of the organization.