My 165 Year Legacy of Change

Over the past three and a half months taking this course, my outlook on sustainable business has shifted dramatically. From what was originally a small-minded concept of businesses properly recycling and reducing their environmental impact, has grown to an integrated understanding of the social, environmental, and economic framework that supports the longevity and sustainability of business. Not only do I now know that sustainable business is a tool that must be used to redesign the way our world operates, it also is a way to create true change within the reality I am living in today. I believe that the first step in changing the way businesses operate lies within reducing their emissions and generating a strategic CSR to be the core of all operations. As we saw with Patagonia, their mission is to create a sustainable product that can be cycled through the value chain again and again to ultimately protect our planet while also generating a profit. I personally see the ‘win-win’ concept as necessary and revolutionary for the business industry. The idea of operating within our planetary boundaries is a complicated balancing act, but the circular value chain will be the key to succeeding.

Through the exercise represented by the graphic below, I would say the greatest impact I gained was the realization of my personal impact on my future lineage. In parallel, I realized the impact that sustainable business development will have on the future generations of this world in terms of equality and quality of life. Based on the graphic I created, my lifetime of impact is 165 years. 165 years prior to my birth was 1834. At this time, Andrew Jackson was president, the first railroad in the United States was completed and the British abolished slavery just to name a few. This shocking realization of how much has changed in from 1834 to my birth truly catalyzes the impact of my actions, in addition to the changes our world makes today. First off, the social inequality that still burns within our own country in terms of black and white Americans is reaching a breaking point. The question at hand that seems to be unsolvable, is what can we do to see this change? The answer is a revolution. A revolution is slow burning, and surely the inequality within the United States is no stranger to this issue. But the solution is not impossible. Through this exercise, I realized women were not allowed to vote just 79 years prior to my birth. This proves that with the right strategic plan, today’s generation can change our society, and ultimately must. Next, environmental conservation was not relevant until the 1960’s, just three decades prior to my birth. Even more drastic, sustainable business practices were not relevant until just a single decade prior to my birth. Although there is much criticism in terms of whether businesses are moving towards sustainability for PR gains, 86% of publicly traded companies have some version of a CSR. Businesses are thinking about sustainability, so with the continued pressure to operate within our planetary boundaries growing, I do believe that my future generations will know a different version of business than we do today.

What sort of legacy do I want to leave behind? For me, I believe this answer will continue to evolve as I enter the corporate world following my graduation. However, I believe the framework of my legacy will sit upon the concept of leaving the world in a better condition than how I found it. I am guilty of thinking of ‘future me’ as a different person, and leaving that version of myself with the consequences of my current actions. I want to not only tackle the issue at hand as soon as I am met with a challenge, to provide my future self the best outcome, as well as my future legacy the best outcome.