Retailers Give Back to Schools

In the article Retailers show school spirit the article discusses the new ways that retailers are donating and raising money for schools. They discuss a few different programs including the eScrip program, which is the focus of our group’s recommendation to Fred Meyer as a way to improve its corporate responsibility.

I find this article useful and relevant to our project because it discusses the eScrip program and similar programs that retailers are using to show corporate responsibility. It was interesting to see that a lot of the other programs gave individual awards or prizes to children like a new computer along with a donation to schools.

Something I found interesting from learning about the other programs is that many are seasonal and only focus on the back to school season and not the whole year. This made me wonder how much of Fred Meyer’s profit will go to these donations for local schools? Possibly a lot, but it is probably dependent on how well the eScrip program is marketed to the public. If the program is marketed to the public well and they establish a large sum of loyal customers that they may not have otherwise had the loss of profit in donations to schools maybe made back in the new dollars coming in from loyal shoppers.

Internet Based Companies: Are they Safe?

In my research I came across an article by the British Journal of Educational Technology, about the evolution of corporate structure and technological advancement. That is for those companies, like Strands on which my project is based, that are structure to be completely internet based, what are the implications on their future. Can we see the consequences of building on something so new? There has become the major trend to use the universality of the Internet to reach many more people, but we are just beginning to understand the price to pay in internet based relationships; relationships where consumers never see the people they are doing business. In the article, the author is worried about the effects on long term social behaviors and the effects on personal relationships. In such a disconnected world is it safe to teach the next generation that relationships need no face or voice?

http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/ehost/detail?vid=13&hid=9&sid=427d8e21-aea2-4303-8aee-f57cc4ecb26b%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=48035652

OSHA en Espanol

This article discussed the growing Hispanic workforce in the construction industry and how vulnerable they are to work related injuries. This article didn’t surprise me because I have been researching this topic for over a week now and I realized how tragic this incident has become. HIspanics have a large influence on the construction industry and their numbers continue to grow. US contractors are targeting this demographic for their hard work ethic and talented skills. Hispanic workers are the backbone of this industry and without proper training their risk of injury skyrockets.

An unsafe environment for workers will eventually discourage employment which will make this industry suffer from labor shortages. I am curious to know how many injuries or fatalities it will take until workers lose interest in this field.

This article also discussed how OSHA has created OSHA en Espanol, which provides online publications and public service announcements for free via the web. I was amazed to hear that OSHA provided this service, and I think they should offer additional programs such as language classes.

http://contractormag.com/education/cm_column_569/

DaKine's impact on Billabong

When Billabong International acquired DaKine, they knew that the brand would highly benefit the company. DaKine has a strong reputation as the "global action sports industry's leading provider of specialized backpacks and technical accessories with an excellent historical growth profile." The inclusion of DaKine was believed to add depth to Billabong, as it is a brand that is focused on function over fashion. Billabong expected DaKine to contribute approximately 4% of its overall sales.

In my opinion, Billabong's acquisition of DaKine was a benefit to both companies. Billabong was able to broaden its target market, which now includes the surf, skate, snow, and windsurf markets. Through Billabong, DaKine is now able to better their marketing strategies through increased funds. It moves DaKine from a local brand to a more national, well-known brand. It's also great that DaKine was able to keep its own staff, therefore, allowing the company to maintain its own corporate identity. My question relates to how hands-on Billabong is regarding DaKine, but it seems like DaKine has still found financial success. Overall, this will help with my group's research because I now know that finances most likely won't be a problematic factor in our proposal.

http://business.transworld.net/9034/features/billabong-acquires-dakine/

Illegal Reptile Trade

Believe it or not, reptiles comprise a huge part of illegal trade on the black market. Over $10 billion dollars a year is spent on reptiles on the black market. The stories of reptile smugglers are quite entertaining.
"A German man was arrested at a New Zealand airport when shocked customs officials discovered 24 live geckos and 20 skinks hidden inside 8 hand-sewn compartments in his altered underwear." It is estimated that had he made it through, he would have sold them for over $100,000.
"This past April, a 32-year-old Canadian man pleaded guilty to hiding the following live reptiles in the side panels of his GMC Safari van:

• 1,426 turtles
• 36 tortoises
• 13 snakes.

"
Of the 1,475 reptiles found in the van, 45 were on the

protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). They were worth about $50,000.

"In [2010 in] Malaysia, a suitcase crammed with 95 boa constrictors accidentally opened on a conveyor belt at the Kuala Lumpur airport. Also scrunched inside the suitcase were two rare rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle. This past September, the Malaysian reptile trafficker was sent to prison for 6 months and fined $65,000"

Though it sounds ridiculous, this illegal trade is one of the most common and profitable on the black market.

http://www.suite101.com/content/most-outrageous-live-reptile-smuggling-stories-a301190

The New "Green" Fred Meyer

Fred Meyer stores in Alaska are now selling eco-friendly garden products in response to the large demand for them. The products that they carry are made by the brand TerraCycle Inc. Not only are the products all-natural, but the containers they come in are recycled. For example, the bird feeder is made of a two-liter soda bottle. The company also promotes “waste material collection.” From this, they give donations to schools and non-profit organizations.

I think Fred Meyer is trying to become a “greener” company and they are taking the right steps in doing so. There are organic options at the stores; plastic bags in the Portland stores are banned, and the eco-friendly garden products all support its green initiative. These are all good steps in the right directions because as they gradually incorporate eco-friendly things to the business, newspaper articles written. Fred Meyer’s natural image is making them a more socially responsible company. The more positive publicity they receive, the more likely people will begin to shop at Fred Meyer more often. I believe that in places like Oregon and Alaska, the customers will greatly appreciate the efforts because of how progressive the states are in the “green” world.

Our group is looking into how Fred Meyer should incorporate the eScrip program to donate money to schools and local non-profit organizations more effectively. This article describes Fred Meyer's attempt at being socially responsible, but it is not really focused on the community, rather, the whole world. Perhaps there is a way to incorporate Fred Meyer's "green" initiative with the eScrip program so the company will be socially responsible to its community and the world. I think the "green" steps Fred Meyer is taking are good, but small. How can Fred Meyer be more "green" without having to ask costumers to pay for something extra (like reusable bags or special eco-friendly, and probably more expensive, garden products)?

http://pdfserve.galegroup.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/pdfserve/get_item/1/S921dbaw16_3/SB866_03.pdf

Seatlle sets standard for QSRs concerning Recylability and Composting

Seattle recently enacted an ordinance that requires all quick service restaurants to use either compostable or recyclable materials in their containers. While many quick service restaurants have already stopped using Styrofoam in their containers, this is the first time a city has required that all the materials be recyclable or compostable. This is interesting in that Seattle's law could set a precedent for other states and cities leading to a nationwide requirement of these particular materials in QSR's containers.

This story relates well with my groups project as we are looking into how Dutch bros. can embrace compostable materials in their drink containers. I think it is great that people are starting to look into this type of sustainability as it eliminates the need for filling landfills with huge amounts of containers. The only thing that I would question would be although sustainability is great, how much authority should the government have over these issues? If Seattle can pass laws like this, what else can they pass?

http://www.qsrweb.com/article/95136/The-future-of-compostable-packaging-for-QSRs

Driving Hybrids to Work

Several large companies are offering incentives to get employees to buy and drive hybrid cars to work. This article discussed how Hyperion Solutions, Google and Timberland get their workforce into hybrid cars. These companies offer various amounts of money to employees to buy cars the company labels as fuel efficient. Hyperion Solutions will give $5,000 to any employee that has worked for the company for a year or more. The money must be used to purchase a car that achieves an EPA rating of 45 miles per gallon or better. This program allows employees to purchase other fuel efficient cars including diesels and alternative fueled vehicles. After four years an employee is eligible to get another $5,000 to purchase a vehicle. Google offers two options for getting into a hybrid car: $5,000 to buy a new hybrid car or $2,500 to lease one. Timberland gives employees $3,000 to purchase a hybrid.

Providing financial incentives to get employees into hybrid cars is a great way for a company to show its corporate responsibility and show the public it cares about sustainability. Hyperion Solutions goes one step further to not limit employees to hybrid vehicles abut allows them to purchase any environmentally friendly vehicles. For example there are new diesel cars that are capable of achieving 45mpg. Companies that restrict employees to hybrid vehicles would limit their ability to purchase these alternative fueled vehicles. When a company decides that it wants to promote corporate social responsibility and encourage employees to use alternative methods of transportation, there are many options that must be considered. Companies should not limit the choices of vehicles an employee can buy so that new technologies can be purchased to encourage innovation.

Helping Employees Into Hybrids. By: Batstone, David, Business 2.0, 15381730, Nov2005, Vol. 6, Issue 10

Database: MasterFILE Premier

http://mw8xt6bj7r.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Helping+Employees+Into+Hybrids&rft.jtitle=Business+2.0&rft.au=David+Batstone&rft.date=2005-11-30&rft.issn=1538-1730&rft.volume=6&rft.issue=10&rft.spage=38&rft.externalDBID=ECN&rft.externalDocID=930019171

Fair Trade; Ethical goods extend beyond costly coffee

This article is about the reality and convenience of people buying fair trade products. Most people easily think of coffee, tea, and chocolate as being fair trade products but most will only buy what is readily available at their shopping center. If Dutch Bros. sold a fair trade coffee would more people switch to that option over the other coffee available?

The article fits into my group because we are looking to find a way to make Dutch Bros. more sustainable around the use of their coffee grounds. Not only would composting their coffee grounds reduce waste but using fair trade coffee would benefit the farms who they would buy their coffee from.

http://mw8xt6bj7r.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=FAIR+TRADE%3A+Ethical+goods+extend+beyond+costly+coffee&rft.jtitle=Marketing+Week&rft.date=2010-01-07&rft.pub=Centaur+Communications+Limited&rft.issn=0141-9285&rft.spage=19&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=215914774

Improvement in Portland’s mass-transit system

There are many people, who live in Portland, commute to work by the mass-transit system everyday. There many different reasons why they use this system. It’s from either they don’t have the money to buy vehicle to convenience or to saving the earth, but one thing that is for sure is that the mass-transit system is a great way to keep the earth greener.

However, the problem with Portland bus system is that it does not have a lot of routes for the public to use. “With the buses currently available, you have to switch bus lines, which extends the amount of time it takes to get to work," Granger said. "We have a residential community of workforce housing. These are the folks that do the heavy lifting.....Many bus riders in Portland have to take two or more different lines per day to reach the city's center” (Portland's Cully neighborhood pushes for improved transit). Therefore they are trying to add more bus routes.

Even though, there are many obstacles that arrived when this project was submitted. For example, they have problem financially because the city does not have a lot of money to spend at the current time, but they have set up meetings to resolve this problem (Portland's Cully neighborhood pushes for improved transit).

Nevertheless, this is a great project to work on because the new improvement would make it easier for public to travel, and that might persuade more people to use the buses which will then help the earth.

Do you think this is a good way to spend public money?

Would you take the bus if it was more convenient for you?

Worked cited

Weinstein, Nathalie. "Portland's Cully neighborhood pushes for improved transit."

Daily Journal of Commerce. 18 November 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

<http://mw8xt6bj7r.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Portland's+Cully+neighborhood+pushes+for+improved+transit&rft.jtitle=Daily+Journal+of+Commerce,+Portland&rft.date=2009-11-18&rft.pub=Dolan+Media+Company&rft.issn=0896-8012&rft.externalDBID=n/a&rft.externalDocID=212339900>.

Online Training for Escrip

Electronic Scrip Inc or ESI is now able to be online with facilitate training for education fundraising. With the aid of Cisco, there are ways to share training information and practices of how to have a successful funding with the mean of donation when shopping with your local businesses. This is an already incorporated with companies like Safeway. It has shown that those who attend the web training online are showing an increase in participation and funding. Of which coordinators have help their school raise from $50,000 to $75,000 of which is a big contribution toward the local communities.

This shows that before having it online, it was a bit complicated to do and with paperwork going through processing to be approve and such that time fly by as participation slips away. Now more schools can get a bit of a help with funding which I know back in high school that my school or Portland Public School in general had a major budget issues that involves school closing and I’ve been on a trail. Even for classes in high school, there had to be some sort of funding for field trips and if not we would had to pay ourselves of which some of the students were not able to afford at such a cost. Looking back I wished we had a coordinator to help fund my high school.

This is what our project is about, funding school through the mean of local communities’ contribution. One question that comes to my mind is “Where are those who care about our and future generations’ education of which are potential leaders of our country?

http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&hid=15&sid=a69b6657-e3bb-4813-bf66-48f6b5106099%40sessionmgr12

Give Your Garden a Coffee Break

This article is about a man named Shane Genziuk of Victoria, Australia, who started a local group called Ground for Ground that works with coffee shops to make used coffee grounds available for the public to use in their gardens and for composting. Genziuk has collected over 1,800 pounds of used coffee grounds from local coffee shops so far and has updated his website with valuable information on how to use the used grounds as compost, pest repellent, and the environmental impact it has.

This is what my group is shooting for. For Dutch Brothers coffee stands to take the initiative in allowing people like Genziuk to acquire their used coffee grounds for composting and garden use. This is just the first step in our proposal to make Dutch Brothers environmentally friendly. The overall goal is to take the additional steps of having recycle bins for customers to drop off the new biodegradable cups/lids that Dutch Brothers will hopefully be using in the future. And in addition, to have their own compost bin at each stand. This is great for the local community, customers, and environment near the stands. This article is just a glimpse that this type of recycling is happening not just in Oregon, but all over the world.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/blogs/ground-for-ground-put-your-coffee-back-into-the-earth

PGE's good intentions

PGE, as many of you know, is currently Oregon's largest provider of residential and commercial power. This article is proof that, while PGE is the biggest power company in the state, they still have the wherewithal to continue pursuing alternative energy options. In this article, the author discusses PGE's newly completed wind farm (2008), which is located in Sherman County. These windmills will produce 150 Megawatts, enough to provide around 34,000 homes with power. That is an amazing feat if you ask me. PGE's ability to look forward and not get complacent brings hope to my heart.
Wind farms are an excellent source of energy where there is plenty of wind a lot of the time. Unfortunately those places are limited in number, and are not always consistent. While wind power is an excellent start, PGE needs to continue searching for a more viable and permanent solution to the mounting energy crisis. Along with support from organizations like the Energy Trust of Oregon, I believe great strides can be taken in the pursuit of alternative energy resources. While a large amount of the responsibility resides with the corporations and organizations devoted to solving such issues, people like you and me cannot afford to ignore the future either. Help promote the development of sustainable energy by requesting that certain amounts of your power (monthly) are taken from a green energy source (you can request this from your energy provider PGE and/or Pacific Power). Little things like this can be done by everyone to help provide ourselves and the next generation with a better more sustainable world.

LINK TO ARTICLE

http://mw8xt6bj7r.search.serialssolutions.com/?genre=article&issn=&title=Waste+News&volume=13&issue=18&date=20080107&atitle=New+wind+farm+goes+online.&spage=5&pages=5-5&sid=EBSCO:Business+Source+Premier&aulast=Truini%2c+Joe

Packaging

This article talks about how much packaging the US goes through in one year. The US alone spends $150 billion a year. Now, with a focus on going green, many companies like Natureworks, has developed bioplastic (biodegradable) plastic in which is derived from corn. Overseas, this technology has been seen in fruit packaging, sandwich boxes, dessert cups, and coating coffee cups. This product is becoming so popular, it cannot make enough to keep up with the demand. There are numbers given in percentages that prove the CO2 goes down when using this type of packaging; it in fact does help the environment.

I think that this article was very interesting in the fact that it connects with one of our ideas about the Dutch Brothers coffee, in that making the cups and lids compostable and/or biodegradable. Companies like these are an interest while we are researching who makes products like these and what the benefits are. This technology has facts behind it that prove it truly does benefit the environment. Having these types of cups, could always help with out idea behind not only composting coffee beans, but the cups as well. We could not only have bins outside of the Dutch Bros. locations, but also bins for cups and lids that can be composted as well. I think technology like this is helping our world progress in a healthier manner, whether we are helping the environment, or helping our livestock by giving the compost to farmers and/or the people in our country that produce our food, etc.

Do you think that producing products like this is worth the extra time and money? Do you think it matters what products we choose to put this technology forward with?

Desirae MacGillivray

Works Cited: EBSCO

http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=9&sid=0804cfb5-5683-4015-b592-18d2bb67def4%40sessionmgr10&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=27198887

BIomass Magazine unveils new name, website

Biomass Magazine decided to change it's name to Biomass Power & Thermal. The magazine wanted to have two publications instead of it's main topic biorefining. It will split the magazine into two groups heat and electricity and fuels and chemicals. This will help the magazine focus on each topics and to make the topics more in depth.

This magazine company is great for our project on biomass in PGE. I think that having a source like this will help us with our research. It will give great information on certain topics that we need to focus on in our proposal. I know that this source will be one that I refer to frequently.

Retailers Show School Spirit

This article discusses in detail the various efforts that stores are making beyond the traditional fundraising routes to give money to schools. Beyond Box Tops for Education and Campbell's soup labels, stores are turning to new and innovative ways to give back, such as the concept my group is focusing on, escrip. The concept is that every time the escrip card is presented and scanned at the checkout, a percentage of the total grocery bill is contributed to the customer's designated school or nonprofit organization.

I find this article helpful for my research on escrip because it shows what other retailers are doing to raise money for school and how they have been successful. I learned a lot from the article and it even made me think of new additions to our project, like the fact that escrip could be a competition among schools to see who can raise the most money through the program. I learned about the successful "Hy-Vee's Smiles for Education" program and the efforts that they make to advertise the program, another crucial aspect to our project.

Questions that I would consider after reading this article include: How does escrip stand apart from these other programs? How can escrip be publicized to parents/community members? What companies have specifically used the escrip program and how have they been successful?

Link:http://mw8xt6bj7r.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Retailers+Show+School+Spirit.(General+Mills+Inc.)(Hy-Vee+Supermarkets)&rft.jtitle=Supermarket+News&rft.au=ANGRISANI,+CAROL&rft.date=2009-09-21&rft.pub=Penton+Business+Media,+Inc&rft.issn=0039-5803&rft.volume=57&rft.issue=38&rft.externalDBID=n/a&rft.externalDocID=208089195

DaKine's community service background

This article is talking about the community service and contributions that DaKine Hawaii inc. has made. This shows that they are interested in helping the community and that they would possibly be open to donating their products to a school district.

I think that it's great that they are involved in the community and especially in a town as small as Hood River. I never knew that they were based locally. Since our project is proposing that DaKine should donate their backpacks that are not up to standards, I think that this article helps by showing that they are willing to help.

http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28KE%2CNone%2C6%29dakine%24&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=Relevance&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T003&prodId=PPPM&searchId=R1&currentPosition=1&userGroupName=s8405248&docId=A184538385&docType=IAC

Starbucks offers coffee grounds for composting

I found this article from Lexis Nexis and it is about what my group wants to do for Dutch Brothers. We want to give away the left over coffee beans to local farmers, gardeners, or for whoever wants it.

Dutch Brothers just like Starbucks, from this article, goes through countless amounts of coffee beans to brew coffee every day. Where do these used up beans end up going? To landfills, when someone could just as easily take them and use them for something good. My group also has the idea to recycle and put the cups, lids, and straws to a better use as well. Pushing further this idea of keeping any kind of trash away from the landfills. This article also says, “compost reduces the need for expensive chemical fertilizers.” So you would be getting something free to use in your garden that in turn saves you the cost of using fertilizers, which are bad for the environment anyways, so it’s a win, win situation for both Dutch Brothers, you, and your garden. The article even shows you how to make a compost mix so you could get started. Happy gardening!

My ending questions are: How bad are landfills for our environment? And if everyone took on using left over products for compost in their gardens could we possibly eliminate the big use of landfills? This would require more research but it would be interesting to find out how much of a difference people could make.

Link: http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?

Get Paid to Ride a Bike

This article was found on LexisNexis, March 2009, Employers to see monthly payback if employees use bikes as means of travel.

The article talks about how the legislation passed a bill that will pay companies $20 a month for every employee that rides a bike to work. This is suppose to help the companies reimburse their employees who buy a bike and ride it to work.

This is a really good program since it will help employers advocate healthier living style and allows employees to save the earth. It may not sound fair that employers are getting paid when the employees are doing all the work. However, the money that the companies are receiving are being reimbursed to employees who buys a bike to use to take to work. Not only are employees becoming more healthy, it is a great way to help the environment also. This is connects perfectly for companies who are attempting to start a bike program for their company.

Since companies are getting paid to have their employees ride a bike to work and are being reimbursed by the government every month, and eventually these refunds make it back to the employee. However, does they employer continue to reimburse them employees or do they get to keep the money after so many months? If they do, wouldn't seem unfair that the employees are doing all the work to making money for the employers?

**OMNI Backpacks**

OMNI Community Credit Union has done it again! For the 6th straight year, OMNI has donated backpacks with school supplies to southwest Michigan school districts. Through the Project Backpack program OMNI donated 1000 backpacks this year. The backpacks are distributed to students most in need and are always of good quality. The parents as well as the communities are very thankful and recognize OMNI strive to promote educational excellence.
This relates to corporate responsibility because OMNI has created an organization that gives back. They understand that school supplies are crucial and that people less fortunate need help. OMNI giving away backpacks relates to my group project as well. Being in the Dakine backpack group, we can use this for guidance farther along in our research. This organization mirrors the exact idea of corporate responsibility we have for Dakine. My question would be if OMNI Community Credit Union has the capability to keep this running and increase the area in which it gives backpacks to. I feel like if they could spread this backpack donation project to other companies, it could potentially be a large organization around the country. The possibilities!

This is the site...

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20101026/NEIGHBORHOODS01/10260333/Schools+receive+backpack+donation+from+OMNI+Community+Credit+Union

not sure if this is a trade publication. But it is a great idea.

Power to the People: Local Governments Go Green

Found in LexixNexis Academic, this article is from the November, 1997 issue of Electricity Journal.

This article showcases how the business of energy is changing. People now have the power to choose where their energy comes from and how it is distributed. Local governments should soon have the ability to step in and choose what methods of energy generation are right for their people, and end the monopoly set by larger energy companies.

This article relates to our long report, in that, a conversion of a coal power plant to a biomass power plant should not be the decision of PGE, but rather, the decision of the people who purchase that power. If Oregonians want to set an example for the rest of the world, they should be able to choose how their energy is produced.

My question to you is:

Would you vote to replace a polluting power plant with a renewable one, such as a biomass plant, if you knew you would be paying slightly more for electricity?

~~ ^ Biz Buzz #4 ^ ~~

Payless Donates 1.2 Million Dollars Worth of Shoes To Children

The national shoe store, Payless, has decided to donate over 1.2 million dollars worth in shoes to impoverished kids in the U.S., Canada, and multiple Latin countries. The shoes will be distributed through various local charities. This is the third year in a row that Payless had decided to help needy kids with footwear

I personally think that this is a prime example of corporate social responsibility in that the company is donating a very large amount of goods with basically nothing in return except gratification from customers who have found out about the donation. Footwear is a basic necessity, and I think that it is great that Payless is trying to eliminate this problem. As their CEO stated, "For many families, the need for a new pair of shoes is a fun, quick trip to the store. But for others it is a financial burden and an impossible expense. We are here to help." I hope that Payless decides to continue this annual giving to the needy and less unfortunate.

http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/30905-Children-in-Need-to-Get-The-Gift-of-Shoes-This-Holiday-Season-Thanks-to-Payless-ShoeSource-s-Third-Annual-Payless-Gives-Shoes-4-Kids-SM-Program

Alternative Transportations for OSU staff

According to the Oregon Department of Energy-Transportation, “transportation is the single largest contributor to the poor air quality” (Oregon.gov). It is more than any other energy usage in Oregon. This is such an important information that Oregonians should be informed about and find new solutions to prevent it from happening. Of course, it is very difficult to stop it permanently, but if everyone does a little part in helping this situation, it will eventually make it a cleaner environment to live in.

Therefore, alternative transportations for Oregon State University is a great way to get a lot of people on board. From a personal experience, I know a lot of people who live quite far away, for example from Portland, Salem or Eugene, who work at OSU. They commute everyday. They drive their own car to work and that is a lot of fuels being used. Of course, there are some staffs who would car pool together, for example there is a company called “vanpool” where they would pick up people who live from Eugene to Corvallis. This is a great way to save money and the environment. However, that’s only a small percent of people. The other staffs might have different schedules and preferences, so there should be another way for them to travel.

Thus, the government should help to provide the staffs with better vehicles to travel to work. For instance: bicycles, if they live close, bus pass, if they live a little farther, and hybrid vehicles, if they live really far. In the last case, they can help with a portion of the cost. That way, it can motivate the staff to switch to more efficient fueled vehicles.


Work cited

“Alternative Transportation Fuels”

Oregon.gov. 26 Jun. 2008. Web. 21 Oct. 2010.

<http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/TRANS/altfuels.shtml>

"Share the LOVE"

Starbucks' Grounds for Your Garden Program

The article discusses Starbucks grounds for your garden program. Grounds for your garden is a program where anyone can come into a Starbucks and ask for the used coffee grounds. Starbucks retailers will then present the customer with a 5-pound bag of coffee grounds that can be used in their gardens.

I think this is a great program that Starbucks has in place. Coffee grounds can be used to increase soil quality by adding nitrogen to the soil. Coffee grounds can also be used in composting and promote the health of worms. The fact that instead of throwing away all of these grounds, but offering them to the community to reuse in their gardens is a great idea. The program shows corporate responsibility by Starbucks showing it cares for the environment and the well being of the communities Starbucks are located in.

Reading the article did raise some questions though. Why is Starbucks not promoting this program more? There is a brief summary of this program on the Starbucks website, but the link to the programs page is broken. I also wonder if this program would be practical for small-scale farmers. 5-pounds of grounds at a time is not very much even for the smallest farms. It also would probably depend on the farm, because even though coffee grounds add nitrogen to the soil, coffee grounds can also make soils more acidic. Overall I think Starbuck’s grounds for your garden is a good program, a program that could be adopted by other coffee companies like Dutch Brothers.

http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/grounds-for-your-garden-starbucks-is/

PGE Helps Oregon Fish

This article comes from Portland General Electric's website. It talks about the steps that PGE is taking in order to reduce the impact of their dams on the fish that have to pass through them.

I find it very responsible of PGE to work towards creating better solutions for fish in the areas that they have altered with dams and such. In creating a fish bypass at the Willamette Falls, fish are able to migrate year round instead of being halted by the falls when the river has excessive water flowing through. Fish migration could be greatly impacted by the falls being to powerful to overcome and most commonly was, before this bypass. I do not agree with their support of adding lamprey eels to the endangered species list. These eels are a parasitic predator to many of the fish that we are already having huge low population problems with. In the great lakes, lamprey eels are such a problem that they are shocked with electricity. This electric shock temporarily stuns them and causes them to rise to the surface. The eels are then gathered and terminated. I feel that we should be very hesitant when it comes to protecting this evil predator.

Overall, I feel PGE is doing a good job of ensuring that the fish are not bothered by their hydro-electric plants. Fish are vital and PGE impressed me with their steps to help decrease their impact on the fish.

Harry and David Hurting from the Economic Downturn

Harry and David Corporation, a company based out of Medford, Oregon states in this article the consequences of the companies debt and how it has effected its employees and the surrounding community of Southern Oregon.

This year Harry and David's long time chief executive was fired and replaced by one whom is running the company from Atlanta, more than 2,000 miles away. This new executive let go of 20 top managers and replaced them with new faces. One third of the employees were let go, and raises and benefits have been cut.

Most of the companies circumstances can be explained by the economic downturn, more people are unable to afford to buy the upscale goods, and their sales have gone down nearly 25% this year. but the largest factor in the companies not performing was their increasing bad debt. A bad deal made with investors back in 2004 piled the debt onto the company, then a few months later the company piled on more debt to pay themselves back from the money they put up to buy Harry and David.

Meanwhile all this is going on the community of Southern Oregon is struggling because of the lack of jobs that Harry and David is able to provide. As one of the largest employers of Southern Oregon a lot of people depend on those jobs.

To read the full article fallow this link.

- S. Monson