Asa Youngnam Fiske 30 Digital Drive, Apt #312 Nashua, NH 03062 RE: Sustainable Business Scholarship Now, more than ever before, sustainability is becoming a forefront and primary issue. Companies are hiring roles of environmental and social governance, corporate social responsibility, or sustainability managers. However, this is still not enough. The public knows that this situation is beyond hiring a few small roles to solve. It comes down to the very practices the companies are participating in, such as economies of scale, outsourced labor, utilizing cheap and dangerous materials to encase their products, and many more. The public and general person is more aware of this fact than ever before, and we need to hold companies accountable for their actions, or these corporations need to implement practices, instead of hiring people to front for their “sustainable” agenda. Unfortunately, there is no simple solution to this problem. In essence, we have created an economic bubble made up of cheap labor, environmentally harmful materials, and long travel times that cause harmful carbon emissions. The question remains, is there a way to hold businesses accountable without the cost of sustainable business practices getting pushed onto the consumer? I would argue that there are many solutions to this problem. For carbon specifically, I think many companies can give back to their corporate workers and the residents of the community around them through something as simple as farming. Many cities such as New York experience extreme flooding year in and year out. One of the reasons behind this is outdated wastewater solutions. One such alternative is more green spaces, such as garden/farming beds. Corporations can install garden beds for their corporate cafeterias, and aim to donate community farms to residential sites, schools, and the city itself to lower food insecurity, lower carbon emissions from truckers bringing food en masse from outside communities, and increase wastewater and heating issues in the city. Two other potential solutions that work hand in hand are, setting carbon reduction targets, and then working with green consultancy groups and certifiers such as LEED or B Corp to help with the goals. Many of these certifiers look deeply into a company's sustainability and carbon emissions in a way similar to a yearly audit. When a company brings a certifier such as the B Corp in, they will boil down almost all of a company’s business practices down to specific levels such as how sustainable a supplier is to determine if you should pass or fail certification. Having carbon reduction targets, a sustainability team, and an outside consultancy group will assuredly reduce carbon emissions, and likely cause innovation in sustainable product design, thought and future industries.

The best word to describe Kathryn and John Fiske would likely be resilience. Many times throughout my early childhood I found myself asking them why they fought all the time, could never see eye-to-eye, and especially, why they were still together. Even to this day I still wonder how they stuck through those seemingly never-ending nightmares of days. Finances were always an issue in my household, and as I grew up I learned that nothing I held could ever truly be called "mine". I recall getting a video game system that I had especially wanted during my 8th Christmas called the Wii, and I got one game with it. I played this game nonstop throughout my winter break and a little into the new year, and even though all I had was this one game I replayed it again and again. Unfortunately, to my dismay, my parents ended up selling this system and that one game not three months after I received it. I distinctly remember at that point, learning that nothing is given and that sometimes we have to accept losses even when they give us the greatest joy. This happened quite often in my household. Not to say my parents didn't work hard and try to provide me with items and gifts, if anything it was the opposite. My mother worked hard and my father studied hard day in and day out to create a new business opportunity. Those days of small meals, compromises, and housing insecurity make up much of who I am today. Without those days, my perspective on the world would be drastically different. In the current day, I would say that I work hard. Some days I work so hard that some days I question why I even struggle pushing through the grind. However, when I sit or lay down in my bed I look back and remember; that I have a bed, I ate food today, or that the things sitting on my nightstand will still be there in the morning. These luxuries I sometimes take for granted remind me to stay grounded, focused, present, and most importantly, grateful. Not only for the success I have obtained so far, but for my parents who are still together, for my friends who support me unconditionally, and for better days just around the corner.