Students examine sustainability efforts by Jamaican businesses
February 18, 2010
A recent visit to a bauxite mine and a large tourist resort in Jamaica gave two professors and 10 students at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater new perspectives on sustainability in industries generally considered to be environmentally destructive.
Health and Safety Professor E. Andrew Kapp and Management Professor Praveen Parboteeah, along with students from various fields of study, took the trip to Jamaica in January to examine two businesses that, though entirely different from each other, are both working toward financial, environmental and social sustainability.
"The two businesses have an emphasis on safety, processes in place to prevent pollution and involvement in the community," Parboteeah said.
The trip began in the town of Ewarton, near the middle of the island. Located outside the town is a bauxite mine owned and operated by the West Indies Aluminum Company, Windalco. Because mining is inherently destructive, the internationally owned corporation has had to make interesting and dramatic efforts to achieve sustainability.
Windalco has rehabilitated former mine sites through soil restoration and plant growth. The company also introduced free-range cows to the sites and has become the country's largest dairy producer.
Despite these efforts, Windalco still has work to do. Among problems the students studied was the red soil that is a by-product of the mines. The soil sustains no life, and particulates from the soil have led to increased dust levels in and around the area.
Senior management major Jillian Griffel of Grafton left Jamaica impressed with the extent of the businesses' waste reduction practices as well as the nation's culture.
"You realized that they had to conserve because money and resources are not as plentiful there," Griffel said. "The people were very genuine and considerate. They were sincerely happy to see us and talk with us."
Traveling north to the coast, the students examined the Runaway Bay Heart Hotel, a resort owned, operated and sustained on a local level.
Runaway Bay Heart Hotel implemented both small- and large-scale measures in its efforts to be environmentally sustainable, including a greenhouse built out of plastic bottles supplying the hotel's kitchen with herbs and seasonings, and a wastewater reusage program to water the grounds. Detergent used in the laundry room is biodegradable, and all soaps and shampoos are locally manufactured.
In addition to its environmental efforts, Runaway Bay adopted a vocational school to train members of the community for future positions at the resort.
Then-senior business major Roschelle Sims of Beloit left the school impressed with the fact that they didn't use any paper. As a hopeful future business owner, it's these simple kind of practices that could prove invaluable to Sims in the future.
"The people running these businesses are really trying," Kapp said. "If you can make your business successful there, you can make it anywhere."
Kapp and Parboteeah plan to offer the trip again next year. For more information on the course, contact Professor Kapp at kappa@uww.edu or his office phone at 262-472-5423.