77 SACRESA in Spain

Team 96 Poster

Team Reflection

Prior to this project, we were all aware about the importance of fostering sustainability. We all agreed that it was very interesting to learn more about a company that creates business innovations that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Even though we were all aware of the UN SDGs prior to starting this project, we all agreed that interviewing a company that directly aligns with multiple of the UN SDGs gave us a much better understanding of them. After interviewing Sacresa and learning about the positive impacts of their ecological buildings, we all were pleased to discover the company’s immense commitment to SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. After taking a deeper look at SDG 11, it is clear that Sacresa’s ecological buildings definitely contribute to some of the targets listed on the UN Sustainable Development Goals Website. For example, target 11.6 states, “By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management” (United Nations, 2024). Sacresa is contributing to this specific target by creating buildings that rely on renewable energy sources as well as prioritizing environmental preservation and waste reduction during construction.

Sacresa’s ecological buildings impact various stakeholders including the business itself, society, and the environment. This directly relates to the concept of the triple bottom line which comprises three P’s: people, planet, and profit (Miller, 2020). This is a topic that most of us were familiar with. Sacresa’s ecological buildings impact society or “people” by creating residential areas that integrate green spaces and opportunities for outdoor activities to contribute to the wellbeing of tenants. Moreover, the benefits for the planet are copious. Sacresa’s ecological buildings have reduced energy consumption in residential units by 20%. Moreover, the neighborhood in which this ecological building is located is projected to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2030. Finally, in regard to profit and the benefits for the company, Sacresa’s ecological buildings are in high demand leading towards an increase in property values, thus making the company more profitable.

Our team effectively managed cross-cultural dynamics and worked extremely well together. We loved getting to hear each other’s perspectives and it was very interesting to learn about a company that for everyone, except Enrique and Marta, is located in a foreign country. Everyone was extremely willing to do their part throughout this COIL project. After our first meeting, we all felt that it would be easy to collaborate with one another. This doesn’t always happen with group projects, so we all felt very fortunate to have such a responsive and committed team. When choosing a company, we all listened and considered each other’s suggestions. We ended up choosing a company located in Spain, so Enrique and Marta took charge of conducting and translating the interview. Once the interview was conducted, André and Catheline began to write the story, which was sent to all of us to review. Finally, Keith and Harriet took initiative with making the poster. It was extremely easy to divide tasks with our group and, although we all did our own parts, we all helped each other as well. We all were responsive in our group chat and were very present in our weekly meetings.

We all agreed that this project will affect the way that we act and think in the future for many reasons. Firstly, collaborating as a team taught us how to effectively work with people in different countries with different perspectives and cultural backgrounds. This was especially eye-opening to all of us and really illuminated the fact that fostering sustainability is a group effort. Moreover, it was very interesting to learn about a company that is successful while also prioritizing sustainability. There is often a misconception that to be extremely profitable, a company cannot place sustainability as its main priority, however, by interviewing Sacresa, our group challenged this misconception. It was also amazing to be able to praise an organization that is creating innovations for good through our AIM2Flourish story and we hope that Sacresa will serve as an inspiration to other companies in the construction sector. Finally, doing this project gave us all hope for a more sustainable future. Our generation is the one that is going to have to continue to work towards accomplishing the UN SDGs, so, we are extremely glad that this project gave us the opportunity to learn more about them. As future businesspeople, we must hold ourselves accountable and make sure that we are doing everything we can to help move towards a more sustainable future. Overall, this project was very impactful for us all and we are grateful to have had the chance to participate in a project like this one.

Individual Reflections:

Cathilene:

The opportunity to participate as a member of a virtual team for this COIL activity provided new insights into experiential and participatory activities. This teamwork experience was highly enriching, promoting active and collaborative learning. One of the main challenges was the language barrier; even while using English as a common language, we adapted our communication to ensure clarity and understanding for everyone. This cultural sensitivity and the adaptation of communication style were crucial for our learning and experience in working within multicultural teams. The platform designated for posting both group and individual activities had limitations, such as a lack of clarity and immediate feedback, something that tends to be more dynamic in other digital tools with more interactive interfaces. In response, the team found alternatives to overcome these difficulties, highlighting the importance of resilience and creativity in overcoming technological barriers in virtual environments. We adapted and had a good team interaction, making our learning continuous. Finally, the experience of working across different time zones required flexibility and collaboration from everyone. The group adjusted meeting times to accommodate each member’s needs, demonstrating consideration and fostering a positive team dynamic. This adjustment was essential, as we formed a virtual team. In summary, I greatly enjoyed the experience, the learning, the connections, and the outcome of our teamwork. I thank my colleagues from Canada, Spain, and Brazil for the exchanges and harmony in creating the content together.

Harriet: 

This COIL project has given me the unique chance to collaborate with students from different countries (Spain and Brazil) than the one that I live in (Canada). I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such dedicated and responsive team members. Group projects always require an immense amount of collaboration and cooperation, especially when working with team members from all across the world. Despite the fact that we were dealing with multiple time zones, our team always managed to effectively communicate and determine a meeting time each week. I would say that a strength of our team was being on top of meeting times and ensuring that we met each week. Our first meeting took place on a Wednesday at 1pm (EST) and from then on, we decided that Wednesday’s around this time seemed to work best for everyone in our team. Our meetings, every single team member participated and everyone was very prepared to do their part to make this project amazing! Oftentimes, when it comes to group work, difficulties in dividing the workload may arise. This was definitely not an issue for our team during this COIL project and everyone in Team 96 was a pleasure to work with! This COIL project was unlike any project I have experienced during my post-secondary education thus far. It is so rare to be given the chance to collaborate with students from other countries, however, I cannot express how impactful it was to be able to do so. Working with students from other countries allows for the exchange of unique perspectives and ideas. Although each team member has different values, ideas, or cultures, we all came together to create this COIL project!

Keith:

The COIL activity provided me with a great experience to meet and work with 4 international students from Spain and Brazil. Throughout this experience we did run into some issues, but that was to be expected in an activity similar to this one. Firstly, we initially had problems with scheduling meeting times and there was a slight confusion with different time zones but we ended up having it all figured out by our week 2 meeting. Another problem was that there was a slight language barrier but it honestly did not affect our workflow often. Finally,  the interview was conducted in Spanish so it had to be translated for the non Spanish speaking members. Luckily Enrique and Marta did a great job with this and the translated transcript they provided was extremely helpful. Overall, the COIL activity posed some challenges for us, but we worked through them and came out with what I feel is an excellent end product.

Marta: 

Participating in this COIL activity with colleagues from Canada and Brazil has been a transformative experience. Collaborating in a virtual team allowed us to engage in experiential learning. Despite language barriers, we adapted our communication styles to ensure clarity, emphasizing cultural sensitivity in global teamwork. Our project focused on sustainable construction practices, particularly analyzing Sacresa from Spain and its innovative approaches to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This connection to a fundamental aspect of our lives—how we interact with buildings—was enlightening. We learned about low-impact materials and efficient technologies that resonate universally, whether one lives in a house or an apartment. Working across different time zones required flexibility, but our team adjusted meeting schedules to accommodate everyone, fostering a positive dynamic. We encountered challenges with the digital platform, which highlighted the need for resilience and creativity. By finding alternative methods for communication and feedback, we ensured continuous collaboration.This experience reinforced my belief that global problems necessitate collective efforts. The chance to collaborate with diverse perspectives enriched our learning and highlighted the potential for innovative solutions. I am grateful for the connections made and the insights gained through this enriching experience, and I look forward to applying what I’ve learned in future endeavors.

Enrique:

Participating in the AIM2Flourish project with a diverse team of students from various universities was both a challenging and enriching experience. Being from the University of Navarra, I felt a sense of pride in introducing our chosen company, one with personal ties to my family, and leading the interview with the project manager about the eco-friendly building project. However, working within a cross-cultural, virtual team was not without its difficulties. We had to navigate different time zones, which sometimes made scheduling meetings complicated and required a high degree of flexibility and understanding from everyone involved. Despite these hurdles, our communication grew stronger over time as we learned to adapt and support one another. I appreciated the variety of perspectives my team members brought, which enriched our discussions and ultimately improved the quality of our story. The experience taught me valuable lessons about collaboration, cultural awareness, and the importance of clear and effective communication in a global setting

André:

Worldwide problems require a global effort to be solved. Having the chance to be part of such an elusive initiative, is crucial in order to develop the sense that it is possible to get together for mankind. The opportunity to have people getting together to recognize that change is possible through real effort of taking the time to analyze what is happening, how it can be changed, and that it is actually not much further from what we are already doing. Being from Brazil and getting in touch with colleagues from 2 other countries Canada and Spain, respecting each and everyone’s routine between time zones was the first main issue, easily managed though.

What our studied company of choice, Sacresa from Spain, taught us, in terms of sustainable development, was the idea of having SDGs in one of the very bases of civilization: construction, as we are a species that live on man-made buildings. Low-impact material and efficient technologies put to use were easy for the team to get along with as a great idea. Whether one lives in a house or an apartment, works indoors or outdoors, we all are in contact with buildings. The building-making process moves along with modern civilization no matter where you live, bringing along economic and social value to the local community.  Having chosen so, we quickly moved along topics and were grateful to learn about the replicable approach being used on construction practices mentioned above. The Hines Projects, which motivated and served as an example of sustainable and invocation practice, was maybe not the starting point, but certainly a demonstration that it is possible to replicate good practices already happening.

An extensive list of practices going on throughout the world will keep on being used as a mirror to others. As it should. People have been learning from each other since we were in the dawn of civilization and many fresh starts after it. Having the chance to get along now, in this project, shows me that it will not be any different. Facing the world and suggesting it to “a big mess” is for sure not be the way to approach this, but as a group of humans, looking forward to a better and more innovative future, not scared of changing and being kind enough to each other understanding that our own lives and routines cannot beat out capabilities of having the courage use opportunities to build innovation and sustainability as problem-solving methods with already existing and new solutions, facing it as “a big chance”.

References

Miller, K. (2020, December 8). The triple bottom line: What it is & why it’s important. Business Insights Blog. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-the-triple-bottom-line

“The 17 Goals for Sustainable Development.” United Nations, United Nations, sdgs.un.org/goals. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.