Creating Sustainable Workplace Essay Example for Free

Creating Sustainable Workplace Essay Thinking more broadly about sustainability (see above), reflect on your personal life. How sustainable is your life style? What can you do to make it more sustainable? Write your responses to these questions. Based on the aforementioned definitions and descriptions of sustainability, it is important to put emphasis personal sustainability for it is the aspect that lacks attention. As for my own assessment of my personal sustainability, my life is quite on the right track. I practiced habits that promote health and wellness. However, I admit that I have some lapses in my behavior that I need to improve. I tend to push myself in doing things without thinking the consequences in my health. I spend some time working and studying until the morning which I know is very unhealthy. I also like fast food and eating out for it is convenient for me, which I know have negative impacts on my health and on the environment that eating organic. I need to change some of my attitudes and behavior in order to attain personal sustainability. I need to set limits and improve my time management skills to effectively manage my life. Assignment #3: Observe practices of sustainability at your internship location. Interview 2 people and ask them what the organization does to promote sustainability. What practices do you see and hear that support sustainability? Think broadly here; providing livable wages is as much a sustainable practice as recycling! Discuss what you saw and heard in your interviews that tell you how well the organization is supporting sustainability practices. What thoughts do you have for what the can do to enhance its practices? The company I am working as an intern promotes sustainable practices and inculcates them to their employees as part of their corporate social responsibility. The company provides appropriate and proper wages on their employees as well as medical benefits. Also, the work hours are convenient to promote personal sustainability. As part of their corporate social responsibility, they practice waste segregation to help the environment. They also try as much as possible to minimize their wastes or garbage in the office. For example, the used papers are used as scratch papers to take notes. This is done to help reduce pollutants and to promote environmental sustainability.

Summary of The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara Essay -- Toni Cade Bambara

The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara The Lesson, by Toni Cade Bambara, portrays a group of children living in the slums of New York City around 1972. They seem to be content living in poverty in some very unsanitary conditions. One character, Miss Moore, the children’s self appointed mentor, takes it upon herself to further their education during the summer months. She feels this is her civic duty because she is educated. She used F.A.O. Schwarz, a very expensive toystore, to teach them a lesson and inspire them to strive for success and attempt to better themselves and their situations. At the beginning of the story, the author gives us the feeling that a child is narrating this story. She also shows that the child, Sylvia, is at that age where she feels that adults are silly and she knows everything. â€Å"Back in the days when everyone was old and stupid or young and foolish and me and Sugar were the only ones just right, this lady moved on our block with nappy hair and proper speech and no makeup.† (Bambara 470) Sylvia also tells us about her environment while referencing Miss Moore. â€Å"And we kidna hated her too, hated the way we did the winos who cluttered up our parks and pissed on our handball walls and stank up our hallways and stairs so you couldn’t halfway play hide-and-seek without a damn gas mask. Miss Moore was her name. The only woman on the block without a first name.† (Bambara 470) This is our introduction to Miss Moore. She is an educated, well groomed person and the children resent her because she is different and their parents force them to spend time with her in the interest of education. On the day the story takes place, Miss Moore has rounded up the neighborhood kids and is going to bring them to F.A... ...t. â€Å"We all start reciting the pricetag like we’re in assembly. â€Å"Handcrafted sailboat made of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars.† â€Å"Unbelieveable, â€Å" I hear myself say and am really stunned.† (Bambara 472) The prices of the previous two items stunned the children, but the sailboat really brought home the idea. At the end of the story is when Miss Moore’s motive was revealed. She did not want to bring the kids on a field trip. She was interested in giving them a drive to succeed by showing them that some people are very successful and can afford such things. She hopes that they will want to be one of those people instead of a person that, like so many others, are just content with what they have. Works Cited Roberts, Edgar V., Jacobs, Henry E. â€Å"Literature.† The Lesson. 470-475. Toni Cade Bambara. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. 2001

Titanic History

As the Titanic sped across the North Atlantic on Sunday 14th April, 1912, it picked up a series of messages from other ships in the area warning about ice. Captain Smith was firm in hid belief that his ship was in no danger, and was urged on by Bruce Ismay the ship's owner, to prove the vessel's speed and reliability by setting to New York earlier than expected. â€Å"Full speed ahead,† remained the instruction, and although the captain steered the ship 25.7 km (16 miles) to the south before turning towards New York, no other notice was taken of the increasingly detailed reports about ice ahead. Where did these reports of icebergs ahead come from? From other ships by the use of wireless radio. The use of wireless on board a ship was still a novelty at the time of the Titanic's maiden voyage. Two radio operators were employed by Marconi rather then White Star Liner. Their names were Jack Phillips and Harold Bride. Radio operators spent their time dealing with personal messages and did not need to be on 24 hour duty. As the Titanic steamed westwards towards the ice it received nine messages – by telegraph and signal lamp – warning of danger ahead. Although not all of these messages reached the bridge the message from the German steamer Amerika sent about 4 hours before the Titanic hit the ice berg, was passed to Captain Smith in person. The night of 14th April was clear and bitterly cold. As a routine precaution, the lookout men up in the crow's-nest were warned to watch out for icebergs. Because it was such a clear night everyone thought there would be plenty of time to avoid any obstacle in the sea. But large ships at full speed do not turn quickly or easily, and when lookout Fredrick Fleet spotted an iceberg, at about 11:40 pm, it was too late to avoid a collision. As the ship approached Fredrick realised that the iceberg was considerably bigger than what he first saw. The titanic struck the iceberg at a glancing blow on the starboard side (right) of its hull and damaged appeared only slight. The iceberg was supposedly 30 meters over the deck but did little damage to the upper decks. However, below the waterline, and out of sight of the crew on the bridge, the iceberg punched a series of gashes and holes along 76 meters of the hull. The ship had 42 watertight bulkheads, but only 12 at the very bottom of the ship, could be closed electrically from the bridge. The rest had to be closed by hand. Some were left open, and others reopened to make it easier for the water pumps. Should a collision occur, the theory was that the ship would still float with two compartment flooded, or even with all four of the smaller bow compartments flooded. However, the bulkheads only reached three meters above the waterline allowing water to slop over from one compartment to another, thereby defeating the purpose of the bulkheads. At 12:05 am, 25 minutes after the collision, Captain Smith realised the extent of the damage to the Titanic and gave the order to abandon ship. For the next two hours total confusion reigned. There had been no lifeboat drill since leaving Southampton, and neither passengers nor crew knew where to go or what to do in the circumstances. Many felt it was safer to remain on deck than to be lowered into the freezing Atlantic aboard a lifeboat. Tragically, not one officer realized the lifeboats could be lowered fully laden. Had they done so a total of 1,178 people could have been saved rather than 706. As the lifeboats slid down the side of the Titanic, a flurry of activity took place on deck. The radio operators sent out distress signals. Officers on the bridge flashed messages by Morse signal lamps and fired rockets high into the sky to attract the attention of any passing ships. Yet despite all these actions, it was hard for many people to believe that this vast liner was capable of sinking. In order to attract any nearby ships, Fourth Officer Boxhall fired the fired of about eight powerful rocket signals at 12:45 am. Each signal sent up at five minute intervals was launched from the bridge and soared 240 meters into the air before exploding into a shower of light. As the Titanic slipped lower and lower into the water those left on board when the last of the lifeboats had departed were either gripped by a sense of panic or resign to their fate. As the ship plunged deeper into the sea, the stern rose up into the air, causing a tidal wave of passengers to fall of deck, some into the wreckage, others into the icy sea. The Titanic met it's horrific ending. It was Captain Smith's fault It was the shipbuilder's fault It was Bruce Ismay's fault It was Thomas Andrew's fault Why did the Titanic Sink? â€Å"We have struck iceberg †¦ sinking fast †¦ come to our assistance.† The ship was doomed and it was slowly sliding into its watery grave. But why did the largest, most advanced ship of the century sink? Recommendations on how a disaster could be avoided in the future. * That the provision of lifeboat and raft accommodation on board such ships should be based on the number of persons intended to be carried in the ship and not upon tonnage. * That all boats should be fitted with a protective, continuous fender, to lessen the risk of damage when being lowered in a seaway. * That in cases where the deck hands are not sufficient to man the boats enough other members of the crew should be men trained in boat work to make up the deficiency. These men should be required to pass a test in boat work. * That the men who are to man the boats should have more frequent drills. That in all ships a boat drill, a fire drill and a watertight door drill should be held as soon as possible after leaving the original port of departure and at convenient intervals of not less than once a week during the voyage. Such drills to be recorded in the official log. * That every man taking a look-out in such ships should undergo a site test at reasonable intervals. * That all such ships there should be an installation of wireless telegraphy, and that such installation should be worked with a sufficient number of trained operators to secure a continuous service by night and day

Impact Of Homelessness On Our Life - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2872 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/03/26 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Homelessness Essay Did you like this example? Homelessness is a problem that can be seen when looking just below the surface of the many social problems our country has. Homelessness is a problem that has no regard for its victims. People of all ages, races, gender and religions can be impacted by homelessness. The primary reason that is attributed to homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. Over five million low-income households have struggled to maintain their home due to high housing costs and or substandard housing conditions. (Doorways, 2018) The homeless people in our communities struggle day after day to find somewhere to live or wonder where their next meal will come from. Food and shelter are the basis for our human society to be able to stay afloat in any environment we are put in. There are more families that endure homelessness in the United States than in any other industrialized nation. (Doorways, 2018) The sad reality is that one in thirty American children experience homelessness annually and even more saddening, fifty one percent are under age five. (Doorways, 2018) Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Impact Of Homelessness On Our Life" essay for you Create order Over two million children are homeless each year in America. Family homelessness has continued to be a problem that is getting worse and worse over time. At a national level, eighty five percent of providers have seen family homelessness increasing in recent years. (Doorways, 2018) Based on the cost to live in different cities across the United States and the varying pay in salaries, one in four renters spends more than half their income on housing and almost half need to pay over thirty percent of their incomes on rent. (Doorways, 2018) Many families who become homeless did or do have employment but there are many changing factors can contribute aside from the pay itself not being enough to sustain the financial responsibilities needed to avoid from falling into a homeless state or cycle. Sometimes families go through life changing events such as loss of hours at work, a sick family member, domestic violence or another extreme event that causes a rippling effect that makes the family fall victim to homelessness. (End Homelessness, 2018) Family homelessness can spiral out of control quickly. The impact that is has on those who endure it can be life changing. This problem is only getting bigger and we need to take action to help slow down the speed at which is it happening and additionally, move to a more proactive state. The challenge to get back to a stable place comes with many hurdles. The earlier that society can help someone who has fallen homeless, the sooner they are able to be a contributing member to society. Another concept that must be considered and understood when learning about homelessness, is understanding the impact it has on children that go through it. A typical homeless family is comprised of a young, single mother, with little to no education and her two young children. (Doorways, 2018) The financial challenges along with the family wellbeing make for a difficult return but it can be done. Across the United States, the high housing costs and the shortages of available homes has begun to be more and more evident. These adverse effects impact businesses, workers and our economy. The demand for affordable housing exceeds the supply by five point three million units. (No Place Like Home, 2018) Because of the economic boom from the 1990s, the current population in the United States is somewhat split into two groups. Over two-thirds of Americans currently own their own home and this is more than we have ever seen in our history. (No Place Like Home, 2018) On the other side though, for those looking to buy or rent a home now, the properties have so drastically increased that most people cannot afford to buy or rent. This begins the cycle we are trying to break when it comes to homelessness. Food and shelter are probably two of the most basic human needs we have and it is not only used for comfort, but we need these two critical items so that we can foster an environment for p ositive childhood development, self-esteem and over family success and well-being. What do we consider to be affordable housing in the United States? We tend to think that affordable entails the cost of a mortgage or rent not exceeding thirty percent of the median family income in a given area. (No Place Like Home, 2018) A research study showed that in Bostons South End, the average two bedroom apartment had a monthly cost of about $1400.00 and this by far exceeds the thirty percent margin for affordability. (No Place Like Home, 2018) In Massachusetts as a whole, a study estimated that between 1990 and 1997, more than two hundred thousand people had to leave the state. The main reason cited for their departure was because of the lack of affordable causing. (No Place Like Home, 2018) Our low income families are not the only ones that are impacted by the lack of affordable housing. We are also starting to see a spike and trend of a growing problem in the suburbs. Many companies have moved locations due to tax breaks and other varying factors. Traffic filled highways and polluted air also drives companies to move into different areas. We should be concerned about housing for moderate-income citizens such as police officers, firefights, teachers, nurses and other types of these workers since they are a s tabilizing force for the community. Their services are critical for our society to be able to move forward and functioning. It is concerning when they are not able to live and work in a close proximity as this also begins to create an opportunity for financial struggles that could lead to homelessness. (No Place Like Home, 2018) We can only imagine that if our moderate-income workers are struggling to maintain a financially healthy life style, our lower-income families will more than likely fall victims to a greater dependency on different government services or worse, become homeless. We have seen a pattern across the nation where our government has cut back on construction, maintenance, and subsidies for low-income housing. (No Place Like Home, 2018) This change combined with the growing economys real-estate market, has created a very evident affordable housing crisis that can only lead to assuming will get worse if we do not take appropriate actions now. These experts predict that the problem is likely to get worse because salaries are not increasing at the same rate as the cost of living and the available places for housing is continuing to decrease. (No Place Like Home, 2018) Businesses in our society may need to take a stand when their workforce impacts the companys ability to produce their products or services like they have with education and health care due to workers not being able to afford to get to work, not making enough money to sustain their home or other varying factors. Having affordable housing is a need for every person in our country because it is a fundamental necessity to being able to provide and sustain a positive environment for ourselves and families. Not being able to have an affordable place to live only leads to more problems, especially for our children. (No Place Like Home, 2018) One of the most unintended consequence that happens when a family falls victim to homelessness is the separation of children from their families. Some shelters do not allow men or older boys to live with women and younger children. Separations are not uncommon in shelters although the effects can become a cycle and some families even have a more formal separation that is guided through the courts and a formal foster care system when a family cannot find a friend or a family member that can take the child in. The facts are chilling when we see the numbers that separations on homeless families has. One study shows that sixteen percent of 8,251 children under sixteen who entered shelters with their families in New York City for the first time in 1996 spent quite some time in out-of-home placements in the child welfare system (before shelter or within the next five years). (ACF, 2018) The study also found that five years after entering a shelter in New York City in 1988, forty four perce nt of mothers experiencing homelessness had become separated from one or more of their children, compared to only eight percent of continuously housed mothers. (ACF, 2018) Millions of children experience homelessness every year. The children will sleep anywhere they can find a warm or cool place to stay such as cars, shelters and abandoned buildings. (Doorways, 2018) Most of these children are part of families that are constantly moving and as a result, takes the child out of school and pulled away from family and friends. In the course of a year, about one point six million children will experience homelessness. Studies show that in any given day, more than 200,000 children have no place to live. (Child Separation among Families Experiencing Homelessness, 2018) The problems that plague homeless children are endless. Homeless children get sick at twice the rate of other children, have twice as many ear infections, four times the rate of asthma and five times more diarrhea and stomach problems. (Doorways, 2018) Additionally, with all of these illness that the homeless children contract, not having healthy food only adds to the problem. Homeless children are twice as likely to experience hunger which leads to additional negative effects on the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of children. (Doorways, 2018) Up to twenty six percent of homeless preschoolers have mental health issues. When looking at the population of children from age six to eleven this increases twenty four to forty percent. (Doorways, 2018) One in three homeless children who reach the age of eight usually have a major mental disorder and this leads to the child suffering from emotional or behavioral problems that cause issues with their learning almost three times to rate of other children. (Doorways, 2018) Although eighty seven percent of school-age homeless children are enrolled in school, only about seventy seven percent attend regularly. Part of the challenge is that most schools do not allow children who do not have all of their medical records or a permanent address register. (Doorways, 2018) As the child gets older, many times their struggles only become more intense. When compared to other children, homeless children are four times as likely to have developmental delays, twice as likely to have learning disabil ities and twice as likely to repeat a grade. (Doorways, 2018) Homelessness can impact many people of all different walks of life and the long term effects can be detrimental. In the society we live in today, we have the ability to help those who end up homelessness and possibly even preventing it from happening or becoming a cycle. There are three main ways that we can address homelessness and they are prevention, emergency response and housing, accommodation and supports. (Prevention, 2018) All of these solutions ultimately create and foster an environment where those impacted can re-stabilize if they are provided housing. When we talk about prevention, we need to understand how we can help families avoid from becoming homeless in the first place. Emergency response refers to how quickly we, as a society, can help provide important tangible items to help the family such as shelter, food, and day to day needs. Once a family is homeless, it is equally important to provide ongoing services to help them transition as quickly as possible. The soone r we are able to provide support for impacted families, the sooner they can return to being an ongoing contributor to our society. (End Homelessness, 2018) The international evidence reveals that homelessness prevention makes sense from social and economic perspectives. Evaluations of prevention initiatives in Germany, England, and the UK demonstrated that prevention contributed to the reduction of homelessness. (Prevention, 2018) In Canada, research on the importance of discharge planning from correctional facilities, hospitals, and shelters provides evidence that prevention efforts can and will be successful in the Canadian context. (Prevention, 2018) There is not a definitive black and white solution on preventing homelessness but evidence and research shows that we do need to move to a proactive state and investing in our community to prevent it is something we all need to take interest in and most importantly, invest into. Rapid re-housing provides support to newly homeless families with support to searching for homes, financial assistance and other management services to help the family transition as soon as possible back into a home from a shelter. At times, there are families that may need additional or more long-term assistance to have a positive experience transitioning. The government provides many benefits that the family can use to create a new foundation for their family to begin building on. Some of these programs include child care, employment assistance, early childhood services, income support and or mental health accessibility. (End Homelessness, 2018) Homelessness really emerged in the mid-1980s in the United Stated and we have used a variety of services to respond to peoples crisis. Our society will always have a need to provide emergency services to our citizens and the goal should be to provide short term and effective solutions but this has not been the trend we have seen. These services are becoming longer term solutions because of the challenge people are finding to be able to recreate their stability within our community. (Prevention, 2018) Our neighboring country, Canada, has created different policies and practices to move to a more proactive state versus reactive. (Prevention, 2018) Canada created the Housing First approach throughout their country. (Prevention, 2018) The Housing First model aims to provide housing and additional needed support for citizens experiencing ongoing homelessness with no housing readiness requirements. (Prevention, 2018) Looking a little deeper into how we can address homelessness, we can learn from other countries what tactics they have explored. In Canada, they have created a typology of homelessness prevention that might also be fitting for the United States. The model is composed of five layers: structural prevention, systems prevention, early intervention, eviction prevention and housing stability. (Prevention, 2018) Structural prevention is based on legislation, policy, and investment that create assets, and increases social inclusion and equality for the different members of society. Some examples of structural prevention would be increasing the number of affordable places, educating the public on poverty reduction strategies and different types of income supports. (Prevention, 2018) Systems prevention addresses aims to address institutional and system burdens or hurdles that play into the risk of homelessness. Some examples include people who have disabilities, language barriers, and citizens hip requirements. (Prevention, 2018) As mentioned earlier, early intervention is about timely support for individuals and families who are risk of becoming homeless or recently became homeless. Providing medication, shelter, food and case management would be examples of quickly addressing the needs. Evictions prevention focuses on programs and initiatives that help people stay in their home and avoid being evicted from their home. Needs to ensure this happens would be legislation between landlord/tenant, emergency funds when the individual or family does not have sufficient funds to pay their rent and legal advice and representation. Lastly and equally important is housing stability which helps people who have experienced homelessness make a quick and smooth transition back into their home and never have to experience it again. Helping our citizens ensure they are being paid fairly, have the support they need for themselves and family when they have rough times, play a critical part in avoiding the cycle to repeat itsel f once it has begun. (Prevention, 2018) Homelessness is a very serious issue that impacts many people and cities in our country. We know that it does not discriminate against its victims and it can become a vicious cycle for anyone who gets caught in it. It is important that we learn about it and try to help those who have experienced it. The numbers are saddening to know that in the Home of the Free, nothing really is free and even those who have worked really hard to have an education, work endless hours and believe in the dream of a better tomorrow, often are caught in the worries of how they will pay for their homes or how they will be able to put food on the table for themselves and family. We should not have any children experience homelessness and for our teens and adults who are caught in the midst of such tragedy, we should be able to quickly offer support and assistance to ensure that this is a onetime tragedy and not an expectation for the next years of their lives. Homelessness can have an impact on many people and not just those enduring the experience. We will exhaust more resources if we do not take proactive measures to try to address the problem. We will also have more children who experience long term struggles with their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing if we do not take action now. While we may not be able to fix this problem on our own, we have enough opportunity to learn, educate and contribute to help lessen the impact homelessness has in our communities. Together we can make a difference and we must become more proactive and invest into this cause. Our future truly does depend on the actions we take today.