Societal Changes in Development and Sustainability
Lisa Vaughan
PHS 100 - Environmental Studies
Professor: Dr. David Terrell
Warner Pacific College
May 19, 2010
In this paper, I will explain the need in our society to confront future
development and sustainability in the fishing and seafood industry. Included in this paper, I will explain how my dual major in Business Administration and Accounting will be affected by
environmental issues and how I will be using this course to be steward of the environment.
There has been a significant shift in focus in the business world towards sustainability. What does it mean to have sustainable development? Sustainable development is the development that satisfies our current needs without compromising the future availability of natural resources or our future quality of life (Withgott, J., & Bennan, S. 2008). Confronting development and environmental sustainability is everybody’s challenge.
As a society, it is important we make ecologically and ethically sound choices, which conserve ocean resources and provide a sustainable and healthy food source for present and future generations. Marine ecosystems are not in a steady state, but are affected by the environment, which varies on many spatial and temporal scales (Withgott, J., & Bennan, S. 2008). Fish populations respond to the variation in different ways. Changes in the ocean environment may result in changes in the distribution patterns of migratory fishes and can affect reproduction and recruitment in other species that has an impact on the fishing industry. Scientists strive to understand how these mechanisms work and to incorporate this knowledge into the management and conservation of the nation's living marine resources.
Having worked in the fishing and seafood industry these last ten years, we have made many changes to confront the needs of our society. To reflect on the development and sustainability issue my company’s sustainability mission is the Pacific Advantage. The Pacific Advantage is “to promote and support socially and ecologically responsible resource management practices worldwide with the understanding that improving the state of our shared seafood resources is our legacy.” As a company and as a society it is up to us to make a change.
The Pacific Advantage gives us the opportunity to choose to process, procure and market only verifiable legally harvested species. We have a systematic recycle program from the office to our processing facilities and participate in responsible management of resource and supporting of people and organizations that promote sustainable harvest of our natural resources. Some may speculate at what prolonged warming over the next century could bring, and our best guesses would be based on the types of variability in fish observed in the coming years.
With all the changes needed in our society to confront future development and sustainability, it feels good to be apart of a company’s commitment to stewardship of a sustainable resource and support responsible management practices backed by the most current research and science.
How my dual major in Business Administration and Accounting will be affected by environmental issues is simple, because with the improvements that have been made in renewable energy, not considering the alternatives to doing things the way they have always been done is essentially leaving money on the table. Regarding my accounting major it plays a big role in the environment too. Going green has profit considerations that we have not had to make before. Things are becoming more and more intertwined. For example, using an energy efficient filleting machine saves my company money… does it save it at the administrative level or does it save it at the product cost level. Administrative is the easiest answer, but to effectively evaluate the benefit of it through activity based costing and understand what the benefit would be if you increased production you would have to break it down to the item level.
In conclusion, how I will be using this course to be steward of the environment is through dedication. Being dedicated to practices of responsible management of the resources, as I have begun to understand that this is our legacy. Understanding the benefits of using renewable energy and being able to present the benefits in a way which gets them considered by my employer. For me personally, this will also carry into my home. Since looking at things on a grand scale puts up big numbers and is more eye-catching. It will lead me down a more energy efficient path at home to save money too. As society moves forward in the 21st Century sustainable development will increasingly be seen to be a resilience issue for protecting and enhancing our quality of life within ever decreasing environmental limits.
References
Business Dictionary. Retrieved May 11, 2010, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/natural-hazard.html
Withgott, J. , & Bennan, S. (2008). Environment: The Science Behind the Stories (3rd
ed.). New York. Pearson Benjamin Cummings. ISBN: 13: 978-0-8053-9573-0
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