Be Inspirational

Being part of this responsibility pact is not about sitting back and being quiet about what you believe.  You need to step out there and deliver your points, and hopefully inspire some like-minded souls to travel down a similar path of social responsibility.  I am still on my journey of working towards being inspirational in terms of the responsibility pledge. However, I am glad to have found inspiration to blog about it from one fellow colleague of mine, a blogger named Caterina Solang.

We speak different languages, we have different backgrounds, we don't even write about the same topics.  The only similarity between us is that we are both inspired by HER passion for blogging.  Yes, you read correctly - she has the ability to inspire herself through passion as well.

After talking with her for a few hours I was starting to feel more and more enthusiasm for blogging - even though I had never even tried before.  Just the way she goes about her blogging and talks about it to different people sparks intense interest in each of us willing to lend an ear.  I was so interested into why she was tremendously excited all the time about the blogging world that I even decided it was a good idea to join myself - and I am very thankful for that.  She has inspired me and I am sure many others while she was simply just being herself and doing what she loves.

We need more people to inspire in the world, and more people who we can look up to.  That is why I have compiled a list of how to be  inspirational - especially when spreading the message of being socially responsible and green.  The more people who have this spark ignited within them will cause a greater trend of positive change.  So, without further adieu:

How to Be Inspirational

Follow your own path.

1. Be yourself - the thing that truly inspires people is the fact that we notice that you are actually a real person.  The fact that "it" really can be done!  Its very motivating to know that others who have gone before you have succeeded.
2. Speak up - Although you might be doing everything right, you aren't being heard.  Unless you speak up about what you are doing and why it is worthwhile no one will have the opportunity to be inspired by your story.
3. Do the right thing - This doesn't mean do what people tell you is right, but instead do what you know is right.  Change is almost always greeted with opposition - so don't be afraid to face the critics.

Overall, although the main aim is to inspire others to follow your new responsible lead - the main thing I want from this small list is that you all learn to be inspired by yourself.  Just as Caterina has been able to keep up her amazing blog not for others nor for praise, but for her true love of literature; I hope that you can inspire yourself to keep on being green and socially responsible no matter the criticism or difficulty.  Take your own path - and see how far it goes, and if all else fails you can still look back and inspire yourself to continue and who knows who will want to tag along on the way.

But..WHY?

Beep...Beep...Beep...beepbeep...beepbeep...beepbeep...beepbeepbeep...beepbeepbeep........

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

You might laugh, but just last month that right there was the theme song of my life.  The alarm clock would run for a good hour before I could will myself out of bed.  It got to the point that I could recognize the time based on the increments the alarms would speed up.  I had no reason to leave my warm comfortable bed in the morning until my roommate started poking me to see if I was still alive because after an hour she too couldn't stand the screeching of the clock.  What little motivation I had to wake up went into pressing the glorious snooze button that gave me an extra five minutes of peace.

This all stopped when I picked up a very interesting book.  Simon Sinek opened my eyes to a whole new way of going about business with "Start With Why"- but I wanted to take it one step further and apply it to my daily life.  I could consider myself a personal business, in fact we function in very similar ways.  We could all think of our names as our personal brand and with that in mind we would need to create our own brand mission statement.  Why do people love apple? Because they are selling the unique individual mindset.  If you wanted the same results just apply it to your personal brand and people would want not necessarily your product but possibly your attention.

That is when it all changed for me - I created my own personal mission statement.  If I were to function strategically like a company I would need to have a good mission to base my decisions on.  As I am very interested in social and environmental responsibility I decided to create one that encompassed these beliefs. "I bring people together to make them realize we are all part of a greater whole - and we need to work together to make a difference".  Simple enough right? NO. 

I found that the common phrase, "actions speak louder than words" to be missing a critical element.  Actions do speak louder, however words are the sturdy base that give power to your actions.  This new "WHY" I had given myself set me up for success.  I knew why I was doing the things I was doing each day.  I knew why I was getting up each morning.  I knew what I was striving for.  This is powerful when you get up and start going.

That was the day I decided to create my blog.  I was tired of being tired, and wanted to put my "WHY" into action.  It gave me the reasons to go out and do what I wanted, and left no excuses to stay wrapped up in the sheets for a dull and boring day.

I hope that my personal brand of "Rachel" can be perpetually changed by a single WHY.  I hope we all can make a big impact with this simple change - we owe it to ourselves.

Interns: the ethical debate

"I'd like a latte with extra foam non-fat organic milk with brown sugar, please." The lady standing in line behind rolls her eyes as she heard 5 more of these complicated orders rattled off by this young girl.  This girl however was not drinking any of these coffees - she was an intern and this was her daily "lesson" about the job she was working in for the summer, for free.

This is the typical stereo type of what being an intern is all about. But in actuality is this what really happens?  In my experience - NO.

Taking in an intern can be one of the most ethical business practices in my opinion.  This is because as a young student trying to get an edge on a very competitive workforce, internships are the only way that can actually give me real experience.  This should be taken with a grain of salt however, I only say this with internships aimed at teaching rather than profiting from cheap labor in mind.

Following I will expose the pro's and con's of taking on an intern and then how you can make a difference in someone's life if you do choose to help them out with a mentor mentee relationship.  The days of coffee orders and photocopying are soon to be over.

Pros:

1. You are giving a young student or someone looking to work in the sector an opportunity of a lifetime.  "Experience" is the hardest thing to earn and a prerequisite to most jobs for graduating college students.
2. You have the opportunity to hire this intern after graduation - making an easy transition to your team.
3. Your company can learn from the new interns fresh mindset and can advance through these observations.  A new intern asks very good questions because they can truly see from an outsiders view what is working and what needs changing because they haven't gotten used to any of the operations yet.
4. An intern can be innovative and handle new projects that otherwise normal employees wouldn't have the time to handle.  It is a win-win, good experience for the intern and a great advantage for the company.

Cons:

1. If you aren't actually teaching the interns something, you are pretty much exploiting them for free/cheap labor.
2. If you are doing such things then you are robbing a potential candidate of an actual job position not just an internship.
3. Interns take time to train and explain the "why's" of your company.  If you don't have the time be careful of taking on an intern.
4. Interns can become a liability if not properly trained.  As they have little to no previous industry experience letting them on their own can possibly wreak havoc as they little to no industry common sense.  How was I supposed to know that you don't give free drinks to a customer that complains?

Overall, the pros and cons of taking on an intern are very subjective.  Based off of the companies actions alone it could be one of the most ethical or unethical choices the company could make. This alone could make or break their efforts of becoming socially responsible.  I have the bias of currently being an intern so I would suggest to anyone thinking of taking one of us onto your team to do the right thing and give us a priceless experience - we will thank you for it later.  We are the future of the work force - shouldn't we have the best chance of doing it right?

P.S. To all the companies who have given me the opportunity to learn and thrive in my chosen industry, thank you for all the time you have spent with me teaching me the tricks of the trade.  I know it will pay off in the future!

10 Topics You Must Cover on Your Responsibility Pledge

These days I find that most people are setting goals to achieve personal success.  Goal setting is a great tool to use, when used properly.  However, most people are setting more than one goal at once or even 100 mini goals at once.  The problem with this is that you typically start to fall through on your plans and eventually burn out.

To aid in your goal making process and to make your plan stick I advise using a pledge to yourself.  This isn't just something you say to yourself, or think everyday.  This is a physical paper in which you list exactly what your goal means and then you sign it so that you can see exactly what you stand for.  This becomes even more powerful when you sign one with a group of people because when you make your goals public, you tend to stick with them longer.

In the green club at my school, we are beginning to implement a Green Pledge for our school where we encourage our students to sign a certificate stating exactly how they will help the environment and others around them - hopefully this will keep the recycling high and the waste low!

Without further adieu:

Responsibility Catalyst's Pledge:

Protecting our Beautiful Earth One Step At A Time

1.  Waste - Waste is the number one factor you can control.  This goes beyond just plastic bags but into food waste, water waste, electricity waste, etc.  This is one of the most important factors for your pledge as this will get results quickly for everyone to see and be motivated to continue not to waste.

2. Water Conservation - This is one of the fastest ways we waste.  On average 2.2 gallons of water per minute out of the shower means that by the end of the morning you are already using about 22 gallons if you are taking 10 minute shower.  Turn the water off when not in use, the amount you save can be drinking water for weeks.

3. Electricity Conservation - 10 watts here, 60 watts there.  One can save electricity in such simple ways that it makes no sense NOT to participate.  Flip the switch when you leave a room, unplug unused appliances, and ensure your machines are energy efficient.

4. Fuel Use- Most of us need to travel in some form to get to work.  Be conscientious of your modes of transportation and the amount of fuel they burn.  The benefit of public transportation is that the 7mile/gallon busses are being shared by 30+ people.  Make the responsible choice, and if you must use a personal car - drive it as little possible, and as efficiently as possible.

5. Buying Power -  We as consumers have the ability to influence the economy by changing our spending habits.  If we all make sure to buy from sustainable companies and demand responsible practices more and more businesses will start to follow suit.

6. Community Service - We all have needed help at one point in time.  Giving back to the community is not only a thank you for everything they have given you but its also a way for you to help someone in need.  Small things make the most difference from picking up a piece of trash on the beach to tutoring kids that are struggling in school.

7. Standing for Your Beliefs - Many people have become so set in their ways they refuse to change.  Many don't understand the need to make a difference by living responsibly.  You must have the determination to do good and stand up for what you believe in and not let the naysayers get you down.

8. Tracking Progress- This gives you a sense of accomplishment and the encouragement to keep making small changes.  If you can't see that taking a 5 minute shower instead of a 10 minute shower saves you 11 gallons of water then are you really understanding your full impact?  Its important to know where you began and where you are headed.

9.  Encourage Others - Its amazing that you have taken the next steps to living responsibly, but are others around you struggling to make a change?  Encourage beginners by helping them out, or by giving them tips and tricks on how to make responsible living easier.  Its always nice to have a community to support you, so be those open arms.

10. Always Find a Way to Improve -  The most important thing to realize in life is that there will always be someone better than you and also someone worse.  Even if you have become the best at the moment, someone is just waiting to come around and take your place.  With this understanding we can change the negative thoughts into a positive statement.  There will always be something more that you can do to help the world. Smile more, help more people, recycle more - its a never ending challenge to give back to the Earth.

I Rachel here by virtually sign the Responsibility pledge on September 3rd, 2015.

If you believe in these actions then please "sign" and post them near by so that you can hold yourself accountable.  Its a promise to do better for the world - why not take the plunge? Good luck in your quest for a responsible life!

Ecofriendly Life: Beginning Baseline Measurements

The sound of crumpled up plastic brushing against the sides of the dumpster muffled out the singing birds today.  I killed the beautiful music of nature today with my weekly routine of taking out the trash.  I am living the all too familiar life of a college student too busy to care about how their choices affect the world.  It seems as if this business keeps us all trapped inside a little perfect bubble never really seeing the damaging implications of our wasteful consumerism.  As the dumpster lid slammed shut with a bang and nature returned back to normal - I vowed to myself that I will do what I can to stop disrupting its natural flow with my decisions.

Many of us have been there, living a life that we knew wasn't "green" and yet didn't really know where to start to get better.  Recycle? Take shorter showers? Replace the lightbulbs?  These are all great ideas but they all miss out on the cornerstone of the effort which is to make a difference.

How are we supposed to know how much of a difference we have made by being more environmentally friendly if we never knew how bad we were for mother earth to begin with?  This is why I decided to take my carbon footprint.

Online, there are a myriad of sites dedicated to helping you calculate your carbon foot print. I personally used the following to obtain my results:

• nature.org
• carbonfootprint.com
• footprint.wwf.org.uk
• carbonfootprint.c2es.org
• 3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/
• footprintnetwork.org

Overall, my results revealed to me exactly what I thought - I am starting off quite wasteful.  For me this is a challenge, to go from needing 3.5 Earths to maintain my lifestyle to needing less than 1.  I did notice, however, that there are discrepancies in the different tests, so from now on I will be using these 6 to track my progress as they all measure slightly different green practices.

The main thing I want to highlight about taking this baseline test is that no matter the number you should not be ashamed to publish it.  Many companies these days refuse to post their environment friendliness rating because they feel that it would be bad press.  I would like to argue the contrary - it's good press because even though you might not have the most sustainable numbers you are realizing that and are openly making a change.  This public change might even inspire others to take on the same goal of becoming more sustainable and thus as a team make the world a better place. 

Please share your numbers, I hope you enjoy seeing where you fall within the carbon footprint spectrum.  Even if you have a very high number, don't worry  - everyone needs to start somewhere.

Making CSR Personal

First, lets start off with the question what is CSR? 

Heading Down the Right Path - Responsibility

Its a word passed around in business these days that sometimes gets confused with philanthropy or sustainability.  Although these are elements of CSR, one section of the program does not define it as a whole.  CSR is the overall process ensuring that your business is running ethically and responsibly - not just focusing on one side of the coin (environment, HR practices, philanthropy).  If the general idea of CSR is mainly about responsibility, why do we leave it in the office after the day of work is done?  We pack up the papers, put it in the drawer, and as soon as we walk out it is as if all of the responsibility we try to give to our business flies out the window of our huge SUV as we start revving the engine on our way out from the parking lot.  If we are putting so much effort into our businesses CSR plan, and we understand its importance - what is stopping us from personally living responsibly?  Shouldn't we make it our personal mission to also be living ethically within our own personal brand we all call "ME".

I know that we as people are much smaller than a corporation, but we are the ones that can make the biggest change.  If you ask yourself why your company started using CSR practices its not because it makes more profits, but because that is what your customers demand.  If we go out living our personal lives using the same methodology as CSR we would have even more influence on the economy and the businesses around us - spurring more change than already is happening. One man is just as important as the many because one man can inspire the masses - and hopefully this time it is to do the right thing.

Most people consider themselves to be contributing members of society, but is there a more effective way to inspiring change? To become a more responsible citizen I suggest taking your drive to do the right thing and apply the CSR methods of tracking, goal setting, and achieving so as to create a new hybrid "personal social responsibility".  This way people themselves are able to track themselves doing the right thing and improving over time - just as any business would, allowing measurable results and efficiency in the process.

Although I try to do my best to help make a positive impact, I feel that by haphazardly doing it I am actually taking away from what I could truly achieve. That is why I am beginning the personal CSR journey today by starting with my baseline.  I will track my data for all of next week containing my sustainability info, social responsibility, and overall impact and then post a report. Then I will start making goals and striving to achieve even more than before.  I hope if you found this interesting you can join me on my personal CSR journey.

CSR doesn't just have to be for businesses - its a way of life.

Don't "Pay It Forward" Instead "Give a Note"

It seems nice, the idea of "paying it forward" - but the real question is what does it mean and is it effective?  This past month my social media has been buzzing with this idea of paying it forward.

In effect this is when someone does something nice for you, and then you move on and do something nice for someone else.  Typically this involves simple chores, money, or noticing someone that needs help.  I completely support this idea of helping one another - but what happens when the chain breaks?  You are obliged only to pay it forward to only one person, right?

Due to this flaw in the idea, I want to suggest something even more simple. A note.  Following, I will detail how you personally can make a huge impact in the life of another and inspire more action than the "pay it forward" movement with just a pen and paper.

The idea behind the note is that anyone is capable of participating - money is not necessary for this responsible action.  Also, it is much better than giving a positive compliment because the recipient can always keep the note to look back on rather than forgetting your words.  The idea is all about helping society - thus it should be able to be applied to everyone.  When it comes down to it, what most everyone wants is to be recognized for what they do, due to this simple human desire I can make a small initiative extremely powerful.  So, take out your pens, find someone that deserves recognition, and deliver the note to them with a smile.  Both of you will feel wonderful afterwards - even if you are strangers.

For my example, I want to talk about the note I gave to the bus driver last year.

I took this bus every day, and each day there were different drivers, some drove more often than others.  I was used to this trip so much that I never even realized how helpful the drivers were until one day I was caught off guard by how friendly one specific driver was.  Each time I entered the bus he gave a nice smile, and a warm welcome.  After a while my friends and I started calling him Super Bus Driver because every time he was driving the bus had an unusually positive atmosphere.  It was at this time I realized I needed to tell this driver how much he impacted my journeys and how he brightened my day - I wanted  him to feel recognized and good for what he does.

My Beautiful Swiss Village Next to the Bus Stop

For me it was necessary to write a note as the driver only spoke French, and my French was incomprehensible at best.  I sat down with a friend who helped me translate my message and with my best writing I scrawled out "Thank you Super Bus Driver - you make my day every time we travel! Keep up the good work".

When I handed the driver the note the very next day he took it, looked a bit confused and then walked away.  The following evening when I got on the bus home, his smile was bigger than ever.  He had read and understood my note.  We both were feeling amazing and this positivity radiated to the other customers as well.  We all got off the bus feeling better than ever.  He was happy for being recognized, and I felt good to express my gratitude, and I'm sure the rest of the customers had no idea why they were happy but they cheerfully walked home as well.

Although this is the end of my story with the bus driver, I hope to find someone else to send a nice message to in the future.  Who knows who it may be;  that is why I always carry a pen and a note. I want to be prepared to recognize someone for their great job.

I hope that all of you can have similar stories where you don't need to go and "pay it forward" with money or services but simply make someone realize their positive impact on your life.  Living in harmony with society is a very important factor when it comes to responsibility.  Understanding the nature of human wants and needs makes you realize how we are just simple creatures. How wonderful could it be if we could all just recognize each others positive qualities?

Lets start the "giving a note" initiative and make people feel wonderful, accepted, and most of all appreciated!