40 SDG 14 – Life Below Water – Team 40

Team Reflection

Business as a force to create change is an idea that has been transformed for decades. Whether that business brings positive, negative or even neutral change, they exist. We think that most businesses start out trying to instill positive change and create good values for society; however there are many varying degrees of obstructions in their path. So many of the stories that we looked at were surrounding the idea of sustainability and ‘cleanliness’ in terms of environmental change surrounding the oceans. These particular businesses revolved around creating positive change towards all life below and above water. Businesses like these are making a difference not only for the environment that they change but the people that they help along the way. They provide inspiration and are a good example on how to make a difference so that we can preserve the health of our oceans and lives that depend on them.

Throughout our COIL experience we examined many inspiring businesses that are contributing greatly to making a difference towards our oceans. One such business we examined was The Plastic Flamingo. Their whole business is collecting and repurposing plastic waste that they gather from others or through their own shoreline cleanups (Chua et al., Aim2Flourish). The plastics that they collect are turned into materials that are used for housing such as planks and posts (Chua et al., Aim2Flourish). This is a very inspirational business to look up to because by solving one problem they are also solving further problems. Another inspiring business we looked at was Aduro Clean Technologies that is based in Canada. They are doing very important work as they are turning plastic waste that has no use into things that can be used for more meaningful things (Amardeil, Innovating Canada). This eliminates plastic waste which is so detrimental to the health of the oceans and animals that inhabit them. The work of both these companies has a big impact because it is not possible to fully replace plastic. This is because plastic is necessary for medical operations and for keeping our food edible (Amardeil, Innovating Canada). So both these companies are doing all that they can to make a difference.

The reason why the work of The Plastic Flamingo and Aduro Clean Technologies stands out is because they are both very authentic and there are good intentions behind their actions. They are actually practicing what they are preaching. Not a lot of companies actually do this. In the paper on accountability around sustainability by Gray (2010) there is mention that a lot of companies fake their care or involvement in sustainability strictly for their gain as it portrays a good image to others which ultimately improves their bottom line. The problem with companies doing this is that nothing around sustainability can be solved if many companies are doing this. On the other hand, the actions of The Plastic Flamingo and Aduro Clean Technologies are creating “shared value.” The whole idea behind “shared value” is that the most amount of people gain from the activities of businesses (Porter & Kramer, 2011). The Plastic Flamingo and Aduro Clean Technologies are benefiting from their actions because they are solving a problem which leads to success. Then their actions are benefiting people because they are helping to create a sustainable planet which leads to an improved quality of life for people.

When comparing these businesses to the ideas of sustainability or operating with integrity and accountability, it’s not hard to see that the boxes were checked. There is a reason as to why businesses receive recognition, either by committing wrongdoings or instilling practices of good faith and equitable ideologies. These operations are able to perform while practicing business actions. In all honesty, good, honest businesses should not be praised simply because they operate this way. They receive praise because of all the darkness that exists in forms of negative business interactions. The part that makes the good business special is that they are able to find a way to operate successfully in financial terms combined with the sustainability ideology.

When it came down to applying the topics and knowledge towards the COIL work, it was easy to do individually. We were able to do our bit and add each of our knowledge on a topic, but it was difficult to get everyone on board and work cohesively. We would decide on what to cover over our meetings and what is left to be done without adding too much to the work as to erode the important topics covered. In the typical business course, the environment of business is discussed ie. managerial handling, business ordering and hierarchy of workers. We are typically taught that a manager handles several workers, and typically an analysis of a business or many businesses will be done with one manager at the helm. This project started this way, looking at several business practices that work for and with SDG 14, having one person organize what needs to be done. By the end, we were able to cohesively add topics towards our final paper plus our reflection page and poster (the poster went through a radical change for the better) by jointly voicing ideas and concerns.

All in all, we were able to do our work together by the time our last minutes and poster were due. Everyone had differing views on the multitude of business workings and that is really important. International views should and do differ on a multitude of things, but everyone should be able to find common workings/ground and it seems like we found them. The many different ideas that were generated as a result of all our different cultures helped us come up with better ideas and do better overall work.

Individual Reflections

Matt

Working as a team is always interesting. There is always a lot of give and take, and this project was like every other. All group members had something to add, whether that be insights to the SDG or just general knowledge about their home country. Exploring the SDGs through this manner was very insightful and the business operations that related to it were as interesting. As the other’s said there was some difficulty meeting with the whole group, but finding that we met with different assumptions every week was definitely interesting. I think where we will all gain the most is where we view others posters and our final all encompassing group zoom meeting. For me this was insightful into how international meetings can go. I think overall it went well, all things considered. Would not be opposed to doing something like this again.

Riley

I enjoyed the COIL experience because it was a really interesting project. I have never done a project before that has allowed me to work with people across the world so it was a cool new experience. This allowed me the opportunity to make connections around the world which is important as business becomes more connected globally. It also made me learn new things engaging with people from different cultures. Even though it was an overall positive experience, there were still challenges along the way. It was often quite difficult to arrange a time to meet as everyone was in varying time zones and had busy schedules to work around. It was also hard to communicate fast with each other due to all the different time zones. However, despite these challenges we persevered by arranging the same time to meet each week whenever possible. Once we did this things became a lot easier and more of us were able to meet. Having a clear plan was definitely the best way to go about things as it led to more success for us. It was very cool to think about during these meetings that some of us were at opposite ends of our days due to the different time zones. Aside from the struggles, it is very rewarding working as a team because through working with a team a lot more can be accomplished than just with yourself. All of us brought to the table different strengths and were able to compliment each other nicely coming up with lots of different ideas. We were all very supportive of each other as we provided help to one another whenever we needed it. We all connected well even though we never met in-person. Overall, this was definitely up there as one of the most interesting projects I have done while at university. I think it was really important to meet with people from different cultures around the world to discuss sustainability because this is an issue that impacts the whole world. The only way to save the world with sustainability is if the whole world becomes involved and I feel like this project was a good first step to doing this.

James
It was an interesting experience working with an awesome team dedicated to solving problems. I learnt a lot from every team member, especially on how SDG 14 is applied in different countries in the world, that is Canada, USA, Kenya and Indonesia. These are countries which are found in different continents giving an overview of the whole world. The team members were very cooperative in every work and assignment having absolute information and understanding on the tasks. This provided an interactive environment where everyone from the team could learn and get insights on what was required.

SDG 14 seems to lack much focus and understanding, this was a great experience in conjunction with the business ideas we were looking at, l got a clear understanding of the life below water. I got to learn that it doesn’t require huge or large amounts of finance to implement such an SDG but just sensitization can play a vital role. Sensitization involves creating forums for awareness and taking part in cleaning of water bodies and sewarages that end up in oceans as their outlets. Additionally, formulating and supporting policies that guards life below the ocean and regulating waste disposal from the manufacturing, processing industries and companies.

This was also a good platform to help us learn organization skills of planning bearing in mind that we come from different time zones. This prompted us to come together and agree on a specific time suitable for everyone that we can all meet to discuss the task. Working also with students from diverse environments was a fantastic experience.
Thanks to the COIL fraternity and also to my team members for making this experience a success.

Nilover
Reflecting on the COIL project experience, I found it to be a really valuable journey. Working on a project that involved people from different parts of the world was a great opportunity. It showed me how connected we all are, no matter where we’re from.

Sure, there were some challenges. Figuring out when to meet was tough because of the different time zones. But we managed to work it out by setting clear times to meet each week. This helped us stay organized and work together smoothly.

Through this project, I learned a lot about Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, which is about protecting life under water. It was interesting to see how this goal applies differently in various countries.

Working with teammates from different backgrounds was also really cool. Everyone brought something unique to the table, and it was great to learn from each other.

Looking back, this project showed me the power of teamwork and global collaboration. It made me realize how important it is to work together, no matter where we’re from, to tackle big issues like sustainability. And it’s something I’ll carry with me in the future.

Arrafi
Thinking about the COIL project, it was really interesting. Working with people from all over the world was cool. Even though it was tricky to coordinate due to different time zones, we found a way to work well together. Learning about Sustainable Development Goal 14 was eye-opening, and having a diverse team was great because we got to hear different viewpoints. Overall, it showed me how important it is for people from different places to work together on important issues.

Bibliography

Amardeil, T. How One Company is Working to Transform More Plastic Waste into a 21st
Century Resource. Innovating Canada.
https://www.innovatingcanada.ca/environment/circular-economy/how-one-company-is-working-to-transform-more-plastic-waste-into-a-21st-century-resource/.

Chua, J. K., Ang, S. D., Espineli, F. J., & Yu, K. N. Turning Plastic into Something Fantastic!
Aim2Flourish.
https://aim2flourish.com/innovations/turning-plastic-into-something-fantastic.

Gray, R. (2010). Is accounting for sustainability actually accounting for sustainability…and
how would we know? An exploration of narratives of organisations and the planet.
Accounting, Organizations and Society, 35(1), 47–62.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aos.2009.04.006.

Porter, M., & Kramer, M. (2011). “Creating Shared Value”. Harvard Business Review,
January-February, 62-77.