Social Responsibility

JJT 2 Task 1

[Type the author name]
12/2/2012





What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
According to the text, Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, and Public Policy, corporate social
responsibility (CSR) means that a corporation should act in a way that enhances society and its
inhabitants and be held accountable for any of its actions that affect people, their communities, and
their environment. Social responsibility and ethical behavior is not only the concern of management,
but also that of every employee and staff member within an organization.

Mountain Community College (MCC) is an independently accredited, comprehensive community college
established in 1971 in southern West Virginia. The college currently has four campus locations
throughout the area, where it continues to provide the highest quality programs and services to meet
the educational and training needs of the communities it serves. In this report, I will analyze the
environmental and social responsibility policies of Southern Community College and recommend any
necessary alterations or considerations that may exist.
A.1 Environmental Considerations and Recommendations
Mountain Community College is dedicated to providing faculty, staff, students and visitors with a safe
and healthy working environment. This task is regulated by the Safety Committee and the Director of
Campus Operations for each campus location, and is overseen by the President of the College and the
Board of Governors. Currently, all campus operations are monitored to ensure they comply with
appropriate standards and safety practices as well as with state and federal regulations. The Safety
Committee develops policies and procedures, provides safety training, conducts facility inspections, and
provides services to control potentially harmful situations.

Currently, MCC participates in quarterly campus-wide staff meetings in order to communicate policy,
safety, and other environmental information to individuals on a regular basis. These meetings reach
individuals in administration, faculty, and other facility staff positions. However, these communications
do not extend to students, parents, alumni, or the general public. The school also takes the necessary
steps to ensure that the proper handling and disposal of hazardous materials is conducted consistently.

Although the college takes some steps to control the potential hazards and to remain compliant with
regulations, there are some areas that seem to be lacking. For example, no written policy exists that
contains information on public health and environmental control. Additionally, contracts from outside
organizations, facility users, and other contractors do not require verification of their compliance with
environmental regulations. There is also no program in place to review the schools energy
consumption or operation in order to determine areas where adjustments can be made to reduce costs
and environmental impact.
Recommendations
According to the EPA, some reasons cited by colleges and universities as drivers to improve compliance,
environmental performance, and sustainability include: reputation, better management, cost reduction,
community relations, and support of educational excellence. After an examination of the current
policies and procedures regarding environmental responsibility at Mountain Community College, I have
developed several recommendations that can be used to improve the environmental impact and make
the college a better steward.

1. Implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS)
An Environmental Management System provides a framework for understanding an organizations
environmental footprint, complying with federal regulations, and implementing proactive pollution
prevention and sustainability strategies. (EPA, 2007.) An EMS is not simply a checklist or a one-time
project to monitor compliance. Instead, it is a continuous cycle of steps and practices that help an
organization achieve and maintain a sustainable and environmentally friendly culture. The EPA provides
a diagram listing the basic steps of an EMS/Sustainability Roadmap. These steps are outlined below.

ARTICULATE the vision (compliance, environment, sustainability)
IDENTIFY and gather data on how operations affect the environment
UNDERSTAND what legal and other requirements apply
PRIORITIZE what to work on
ESTABLISH your measures
SET GOALS to be met
MANAGE your most significant issues
DOCUMENT what you are doing
TRACK progress
CHECK if your system is working
LEARN from your efforts
IMPROVE

When implementing an Environmental Management System in the college, an appropriate point of
reference is the EPAs Plan-Do-Check-Act model. This model breaks down the cyclical nature of the
EMS process and offers descriptors of the steps to be taken. An example diagram is provided below.



Because this process is new to the college, my suggestion would be to research guides available via the
EPA and other organizations, including those with a fully functioning EMS system in place. This would
allow MCC to observe best practices and benchmarks and avoid some pitfalls that may occur from a
hasty start. Additionally, I would advise the organization to start small, and focus on a limited number
of items in the beginning to get a better feel for the process.

2. Provide Information to a Wider Audience
Currently, the college holds quarterly staff meetings to deliver information on safety, policy updates,
and environmental regulation compliance. However, these meetings are not available to students,
parents, alumni, or the general public. Because these individuals take part in the education process and
participate in the compliance process at the school, I recommend developing a means to
communication this information to these groups. A written policy for safety, environmental
responsibility, and compliance should be created and made available for public view either posted on
site and/or via the organization website. A link to the EPA website can also be provided on the website
to allow individuals to view state and federal regulations regarding environmental protection and their
rights and responsibilities. By providing this information to groups other than staff, administration, and
faculty, more groups will become aware of the attempts of MCC to be a better environmental steward.
Therefore, students, alumni, and other public individuals can take steps to reduce their energy
consumption and practice safety standards in line with the policies of the college.

3. Develop a Strong Recycling Initiative to Reduce Waste
Mountain Community College can improve its sustainability and reduce its environmental imprint by
implementing a campus-wide recycling program to reduce the amount of waste produced and collected.
Campus organizations, including student groups such as the Student Government Organization, can lead
educational events to raise awareness of the need for increased recycling and the program itself. The
recycling initiative may involve placing clearly marked recycling bins in strategic areas throughout the
college, and providing regular pickup of their contents. Additionally, MCC can participate in the college
recycling promotion sponsored by RecycleMania. This program is a friendly competition and
benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities.
(Recycle Mania, 2012.) This program ranks participants recycling efforts and provides national
recognition and an award for the winning schools.
A.2 Ethical Leadership Considerations and Recommendations
Many individuals assume that acting ethically also means acting lawfully; however this is not always the
case. Ethics is a conception of right and wrong conduct. (Lawrence, A., 2011.) The principles of ethics
act as guides to an individuals moral behavior. Business ethics, in particular, involves applying ethical
principles to business decisions. Managers and leaders within an organization should strive to perform
their duties ethically. A set of guidelines exists to help managers make decisions on the job that may
involve ethical situations. They are termed ethical reasoning. (Lawrence, A., 2011.) A graphical
representation of the four methods of ethical reasoning is shown below.





Recommendations
In order to implement the recommendations in Section A.1 efficiently, managers at Mountain
Community College will need to take a critical leadership role. These steps may assist them in gaining
support for policy changes and new programs which will improve the sustainability of the organization.

1. Task Force and Committee Formation
In order to begin the process of reducing the schools environmental imprint, management must take
steps to research the effectiveness of current procedures and potential changes. A task force or
committee should be formed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of current
policies and procedures. Problems should be identified and strategies for addressing these issues
should be developed. Environmental Management Systems should be researched and pursued. Guides
are available from the EPA, with specific emphasis on college and university practices. Managers must
be committed to the success of the program and work to garner support from faculty, staff,
administration, and the general public.

2. Promote Sustainability Initiatives
Managers can generate enthusiasm and support among participating groups and the public by
promoting their sustainability efforts to all campuses, the media, and surrounding communities. This
promotion may also reach state and federal policymakers as well as potential funding sources for future
initiatives. Managers can also collaborate with other colleges and organizations that have successful
sustainability programs in place. This will allow MCC to draw on the expertise of these organizations
and access support and networking opportunities.

3. Include Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility in Strategic Planning
As a part of the ongoing strategic planning process of Mountain Community College, managers should
work to integrate goals for sustainability. These goals can focus on areas of improvement within the
current policy and procedure structure, as well as future methods of social responsibility and education
such as green curriculum and community partnerships. As a reference, I have included a sample list of
strategic sustainability goals utilized by Kankakee Community College. These are as follows:

1. Achieve carbon neutrality for the KCC Campus by involving faculty, staff, and students in creating and
maintaining a campus culture that embodies the ideals of sustainability.
2. Expand KCCs curriculum to support sustainability and the growing renewable energy industry, and share that
curriculum with educational institutions.
3. Create models that illustrate sustainability and share these models with the local community as well as
educational institutions.
4. Create partnerships between KCC and other community organizations to promote and nurture sustainability
beyond the college campus.

These sample goals can be used as a starting point for the development of strategic goals for
sustainability and environmental responsibility that are appropriate for Mountain Community College.

A.3 Sustainability Considerations and Recommendations
In business today, there is a need to find balance between the economic decisions made to maintain
profitability and the environmental considerations that exist in the industry. This concept of balance is
termed sustainable development, with refers to development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Lawrence, A., 2011.)
Currently, Mountain Community College utilizes a recycling program for used electronic equipment and
similar items. However, this method alone will not produce a significant impact on the sustainability of
the institution or its environment. The college has not implemented any additional methods of
increasing the sustainability of the institution. After an analysis of the current practices at MCC, as well
as researching benchmarks and available solutions, I have developed several recommendations for
improving the sustainability initiatives at MCC. They are detailed below.

1. Develop a Strong Recycling Initiative to Reduce Waste
As mentioned previously in this report, Mountain Community College can improve its sustainability and
reduce its environmental imprint by implementing a campus-wide recycling program to reduce the
amount of waste produced and collected. The recycling initiative may involve placing clearly marked
recycling bins in strategic areas throughout the college, and providing regular pickup of their contents.
Campus organizations, including student groups such as the Student Government Organization, can lead
educational events to raise awareness of the need for increased recycling and the program itself.

2. Implement the STARS Program for Sustainability Measures
The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting
framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. (AASHE, 2012.)
The STARS Program was developed by the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher
Education (AASHE). As detailed on their program website, the STARS Program assists educational
institutions in their sustainability efforts by:
Providing a framework for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education.
Enabling meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of
measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
Creating incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.
Facilitating information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and
performance.
Building a stronger, more diverse campus sustainability community.

This program will provide significant benefits to Mountain Community College. Because MCC currently
has not sustainability plan in place, great time, effort, and resources will be required to develop and
implement a successful plan. However, by utilizing the resources of the STARS Program, a robust and
successful framework will be provided for immediate use by MCC. This framework and plan is currently
used by many educational institutions throughout the United States, resulting in successful sustainability
methods and initiatives. Additionally, the STARS Program offers a streamlined reporting process to
facilitate efficiency and greater instances of compliance. This program will help MCC identify strengths
and weaknesses in their current sustainability efforts, as well as identify areas for improvement. The
program encompasses all campus areas, including faculty, administration, maintenance, and staff. This
collaborative effort offers a united culture of sustainability across the organization. The STARS Program
could also be integrated into the curriculum at Mountain Community College, as other educational
institutions have done.
A.4 Legal and Regulatory Considerations and Recommendations
According to the MindEdge Module, a key component of sustainable management is thinking about
how company activities may impact a broad array of stakeholders, one being the government. Federal
and state governments can increase or ease the regulatory burden on an organization based upon its
compliance with laws and the effectiveness of its sustainability efforts. (MindEdge, 2012.) Because all
Mountain Community College campuses are located in the state of West Virginia, the state laws and
regulation, as well as those from the federal government and the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) apply. Due to the minimal current sustainability and environmentally responsible initiatives at
MCC, I suggest the formation of a committee to research and develop a plan to monitor the institutions
compliance with applicable laws and regulations. This committee should include at least one member of
the legal team or a legal consultant for the college. Below, I have outlined some recommendations for
ensuring successful efforts in pursuit of compliance with the legal and regulatory environment with
regard to sustainability initiatives.

1. Research of Legal and Regulatory Requirements in the Education Sector
As mentioned previously, I suggest the formation of a committee at MCC to research legal requirements
and monitor the compliance of these rules during the development and performance of sustainability
initiatives. Both state and federal government organizations currently offer guidelines and details for
assisting with compliance efforts. My recommendation for the committee and for MCC is to use the
following documents and resources to research the regulatory environment and gain a better
understanding of its requirements. Additionally, I have recommended commonly violated regulations
that should be monitored for compliance at MCC.

Campus ERC
Campus ERC is the Environmental Resource Center for Higher Education. This website includes a library
of resources that help support environmental performance improvement in educational institutions.
These resources were developed collaboratively by organizations such as the EPA to help faculty, staff,
and administrators better understand environmental regulations. The site includes documents on best
practices, regulatory guides, and information regarding resource usages and wastes. (Campus ERC,
2012.)

US EPA Compliance Assistance
The Environmental Protection Agency currently offers a document titled the Environmental
Management Guide for Colleges and Universities. This guide assists organizations tasked with adopting
long-term sustainable practices, improving regulatory compliance, and helps with collaboratively sharing
information and resources and mentoring on the use of EMS systems. (EPA, 2012.) The guide breaks
down the implementation process into five distinct phases and outlines the regulation requirements
that must be considered during each phase. This resource is of particular assistance to educational
institutions, as it was developed by a US college that successfully implemented a sustainability program.

2. Compliance with the Clean Air Act (CAA)
The Clean Air Act regulates air emissions from area, stationary, and mobile sources. CAA limits the
emission of pollutants into the atmosphere in order to protect human health and the environment from
the effects of airborne pollution. (EPA, 2012.) In the education sector, this Act is most commonly
violated by the improper use of boilers in the facilities. The Clean Air Act requires several steps to
maintain compliance with the use of boilers for facility heating. The requirements of the CAA with
regard to boilers in the MCC facility are as follows.
Appropriate usage and monitoring reports must be submitted regularly.
Conduct initial and repeat performance testing as required.
Develop and follow a site-specific testing and monitoring plan.
Conduct performance evaluations of your continuous monitoring systems.
Assess the boiler and its energy use systems to identify cost-effective energy conservation
measures.

3. Compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) protects human health and the environment from
the potential hazards of waste disposal, conserves energy and natural resources, reduces the amount of
waste generated, and ensures that wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner. (EPA,
2012.) This Act is a common violation among educational institutions, particularly those that include lab
facilities which produce hazardous lab waste products. In order to ensure continued and future
compliance with the RCRA, there are several steps that MCC can follow.
Clearly label and mark accumulation containers with the words hazardous waste
Provide and document regular hazardous waste training
Implement a waste minimization and waste recycling program
Perform regular audits and reporting of environmental compliance programs



















References


Academy for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. (2012.) Sustainability, Tracking,
and Reporting System (STARS). Retrieved November 30, 2012 from http://stars.aashe.org

Campus ERC. (2012.) Retrieved from http://www.campuserc.org

Lawrence, A. and Weber, J. (2011.) Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy. New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill.

MindEdge, Inc. (2012.) Measuring Sustainable Management Performance. Online Learning Module.
Retrieved November 30, 2012 from http://wgu.mindedgeonline.com

Recycle Mania. (2012.) Recycle Mania Tournament. Retrieved November 29, 2012 from
http://www.recyclemaniacs.org

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (2012.) Laws and Regulations: Educational
Services Sector. Retrieved November 28, 2012 from
http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/sectors/education



* The name of the educational institution listed in this paper has been changed to protect the privacy
of the organization.