12 SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy – Great Rift Valley Lodge

Group reflection

Our journey into the world of sustainable business practices began with the creation of an AIM2Flourish story centered on the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort in Naivasha, Kenya. This essay encapsulates our collective reflections, exploring the “what, so what, and now what” aspects of the experience, delving into the connections between the story, our academic knowledge, and the potential impact on our future actions.

In crafting our AIM2Flourish story, we focused on the innovative steps taken by the Great Rift Valley Lodge, particularly in aligning with SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy. Through solar panels, biogas, elimination of plastic bottles, and source-based recycling, the hotel exemplified a holistic approach to environmental responsibility. Our engagement with Yonathan, the financial manager, illuminated the motivations and economic implications behind these choices. It was not merely a cost-driven decision; there was a genuine commitment to improving the environment. The journey into the AIM2Flourish project brought forth a blend of emotions – from admiration for the hotel’s initiatives to a realization of the economic challenges associated with sustainable practices. The initial investment in solar panels and biogas came with a hefty price tag, but it was heartening to learn about the long-term benefits and the hotel’s dedication to a sustainable future.

The AIM2Flourish project acted as a bridge between classroom teachings and real-world applications of sustainable business practices. The story resonated with concepts from our university courses, acting as a practical extension of our academic learnings. In particular, the topics that we were already familiar with were those related to sustainability, the triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and return on investment (ROI). Thanks to this project, those concepts explored in our previous sustainability and business courses came alive as we witnessed a real-world application of these principles. The AIM2Flourish initiative demonstrated that sustainable practices are not just theoretical ideals but also tangible strategies that businesses can adopt, even in challenging economic climates. The hotel’s emphasis on renewable energy and environmental stewardship reaffirmed the importance of businesses going beyond profit-driven motives. Surprisingly, the story challenged some of our preconceived notions. The economic challenges faced by the hotel highlighted the uphill battle businesses endure to transition to sustainable practices. It was a reality check – a reminder that the path to sustainability is not always smooth, but the long-term benefits are worth the initial struggles.

Our collective engagement with the AIM2Flourish project strengthened our team dynamics. Each team member brought a unique perspective, and through collaborative discussions, we navigated through the intricacies of the story. While we encountered challenges, such as coordinating tasks across different time zones, the project reinforced the value of effective communication and mutual support within a team. For example, we made use of World Time Buddy, a website that helps manage different time zones. This was an irreplaceable tool that we constantly used to schedule our meetings, especially during Daylight Savings since it created some confusion. In addition, we opted to use WhatsApp to regularly communicate via text through a group chat we created, and then held the weekly meetings through Google Meet. We first considered zoom, but that did not work for us as it was not as easy for everyone to access it. Through communication, however, we quickly resorted to Google Meet as the alternative, where the rest of our meetings were held seamlessly. When it came to getting the work done, we considered that in order to be as efficient as possible, the best way was to divide each other into groups. Specifically, Evans was in charge of organizing the interview, whereas Andrea and Lucia were the leaders on the story, and lastly, Ethan and Kyle created the Canva poster. To face all these challenges, we found some really useful websites that helped us overcome several problems. First of all, the great Rift Valley Lodge’s website was a great help in order to get some information to prepare for the interview and to get a basic foundation on the hotel’s business structure. Secondly, to increase our knowledge about the SDGs and thus prepare more specific interview questions, the United Nations’ website provided us with a great amount of information about each Sustainable Development Goal and their targets and indicators. Undoubtedly, the Aim2Flourish website was essential because it helped inspire us when writing the story and it gave us key examples of what we needed to focus on and recreate. Moreover, Canva was a very important tool when it came to crafting the poster, we thought that it gave us all the ability to work at the same time and make our own contributions, forming a more personal poster.

In conclusion, our AIM2Flourish journey with the Great Rift Valley Lodge was more than just the task of documenting a business story. It became an exploration of the intricate relationship between business and social good, as well as an opportunity for self-growth among all our team members. The hotel’s commitment to affordable and clean energy showcased the potential for businesses to be catalysts for positive change. This experience leaves a permanent mark on our understanding of business and sustainability, influencing the way we envision our roles as future business leaders. As we move forward, the AIM2Flourish project stands as a testament to the transformative power of businesses when they embrace the principles of sustainability and social responsibility. The journey has equipped us with a deeper appreciation for the complexities of sustainable practices and the imperative for businesses to be agents of positive change in the world, as well as a network of team members with whom we will maintain long-lasting friendships.

Individual Reflections

Andrea: I think this project was overall very holistic, meaning there were various key aspects to it that made it different from any other project I have ever been a part of. For example, I had never worked on such an international collaboration before. I am truly grateful that I had this experience as it helped me grow not only as a student but also as a team member and as a person. To be honest, we faced a few hardships along the way, such as setting a date for the interview that worked for everyone, getting past the time differences, and battling everyone’s different opinions and points of view. However, the key lesson I can take away from these obstacles is the importance of open communication among the group and the need to make sacrifices sometimes. Our WhatsApp group helped us with this, as well as our weekly catch-ups through Google Meet where we could vocally express our concerns and comments along the whole process. I also wanted to mention how much I enjoyed the interview with Yonathan, the hotel’s financial manager. He was incredibly kind and supportive, and I could not have imagined a better candidate for an interview. In general, I learned a lot about sustainability from this project and how it is applied to a real-life business. While I felt I had most of the initiative and leadership when it came to doing the work, I recognize that every member was a key part of the project’s success.

Lucía: This project has been overall amazing. We have faced many difficulties as a team when setting a date for the interview, and due to the different time-zones, we had to overcome many obstacles along the way to hand all of the deliverables on time. However, every hard moment has been totally worth it. This work has made us aware of our current environmental situation. All the research that we have made so as to make our story, has made us look into each and every SDG. This way, we have learned about which sustainable goals are expected to be reached in the near future and what we could do to contribute. Having the chance to meet totally different people living so far away, sharing our thoughts, our cultures, and working all together in order to make the best work possible while learning about the Great Rift Valley Lodge, as well as getting to know the financial manager, Yonathan, has been a really nurturing experience. This activity has not only made us expand our knowledge, but it has also helped us make new friends.

Kyle: Overall, the experience throughout the global AIM2FLOURISH was super successful. What made it stand out was the opportunity to collaborate with individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds. This proved incredibly enlightening, as it allowed me to gain insights into people’s lives worldwide, knowledge that would have remained undiscovered without participating in AIM2FLOURISH. The uniqueness of this activity became apparent in the varied suggestions put forth by each group member. The cultural differences in approaching problems and situations challenged my preconceptions, as I had assumed certain ideas. The course material played a pivotal role in enriching our group dynamics, especially in understanding the corporate social responsibility (CSR) lens and innovation’s potential impact on future CSR. Our group functioned seamlessly by utilizing the WhatsApp group chat as a central platform for communication and collaboration. This streamlined our work and discussions efficiently. However, one notable challenge was navigating the complexities of time differences and finding a suitable time frame to address all the group’s needs. Despite these challenges, the overall experience is something I hold dear, and I am genuinely excited that I had the opportunity to be a part of it.

Ethan: This experience has been wonderful all together. Being able to work together with people from all over the international community on a common goal that we all support has been an accomplished experience that’s hard to draw comparisons to. Although we faced challenges, being able to overcome each and every one of them through our teamwork just added to the level of accomplishment I felt upon our completion. Not only was this a success on a personal level for me, but also academically. I feel like my work with Evans, Lucia, Kyle and Andrea helped further my understanding of CSR and how it not only applies locally to me, but on a much grander scale. Through our interview and story we conducted on the Great Rift Lodge, I was able to see first hand an example of CSR being applied in a country across the world from me. Being able to experience that helped put into perspective the importance of CSR in the international community, and gave me a new found passion for ensuring proper CSR is conducted around me.

Evans: It has been a great honour being part of the global AIM2FLOURISH community. The UN sustainable development goals are for sure ones to be well considered going into the future. They highly contribute towards a peaceful and a beautiful world to live in. I have really learnt a lot by being part of this program. My group members; Ethan, Lucia, Kyle and Andrea have been a family for the past few weeks. They have enlightened me in a lot,i.e matters of technology, investment and CSR. They have for sure been a wonderful team. Luckily all of us are proficient in English so communication was much easier. The time zone posed a great challenge to us sometimes but we handled it well. We had to sacrifice sleep in order to take part in all the group discussions. I am now well convinced that the world can be saved little by little by each individual’s efforts. Great Rift Valley Lodge is a perfect example of organisations ready to make our planet sustainable to live in. For my team members, I want to say thank you for the commitment and I would really love to work together with you guys to make the globe a beautiful home that we all dream of.