Book Two: Post One "American Like Me" by America Ferrera

I'm excited to be reading American Like Me, a collection of personal essays about the American identity written by accomplished Americans about their struggles with their American identity. This anthology has been thoughtfully compiled by America Ferrera. I have always been a big fan of her work which is one of the main reasons that I chose this book. Her acting is fantastic, and her I deeply concur with her advocacy for better depictions of underrepresented groups in film and TV. America makes the point in her introduction that being American is about the blending of cultures, and America’s story will never be completed until everyone can see their story represented in the shared culture. This section made me think of an ideal America as a giant complex and beautiful tapestry that all Americans weave together, an image that deeply resonates with me.

America’s commentary and the stories that I have read so far have really re-shaped my viewpoints about what it means to be an American and opened my eyes to the privilege that I hold. Although I’ve always struggled to connect with my Irish identity (even though I am a citizen there) and discover more of that side of my story, I’ve never even questioned whether or not I was truly an American. I have never had to experience the struggle of attempting to balance multiple cultural ideologies at the same time, like how America was forced to sacrifice aspects of her Latina identity in order to fit in with her white friends, and I can’t imagine how hard it must have been dealing with those cultural identity issues at the same time as you’re being forced to grow up and deal with the angst of middle school. I barely made it out of Middle School alive without the added stress of having to worry about whether people were going to interrogate me in school about whether I was really an American or not.

The story of Reshma Saujani. an Indian-American woman who is the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, made me reconsider how privileged I was growing up. She had trouble fitting in because of her Indian name, and lied about it in order to make things easier and fit in. She talks in her essay about how as a child she was crushed every time she would see one of those souvenir keychain racks at a gift shop but couldn’t find her name because it was ‘too exotic’. She took it as a sign that she didn’t belong in America, and she would never fit in. I was always lucky as a kid because Ryan is a super common name. I even have a small collection of shoddy souvenir name keychains to prove it. I was never ashamed of my name and I didn’t have to face the pain of feeling like I didn’t fit in like Reshma did. It’s strange how sometimes the smallest stories can be the ones that connect the most, and this book has used a collection of tiny anecdotes to make me better realize what it’s like to struggle with one’s identity.

AMDP Proposal: Neste Corporation

TO: Clark Hansen, CEO, Anima Mundi Development Partners

FROM: Ryan Traynor, Investment Manager R&D

DATE: October 18^th, 2019

SUBJECT: Neste Corporation Investment Opportunity

You asked me to recommend a business or social enterprise that is committing to corporate social responsibility, supporting the principles of the triple bottom line, reducing their carbon footprint, and developing social enterprise. After my extensive research, I recommend the Neste Corporation, from Espoo, Finland. It produces, refines, and markets oil products, offers engineering services, and operates internationally. In this memo, you will find:

• The Anima Mundi Development Partners Investment Guidelines
• A General Overview of the Core Values and Background of Neste
• Appraisals of the Future of Neste Corporation from Industry Sources
• My Personal Recommendation for Investing in Neste Corporation

The AMDP Investment Guidelines

Before evaluating Neste Corporation’s investment potential, let’s go over the values that AMDP looks for in potential investment partners:

·      Triple Bottom Line (TBL)

o   In the past, business leaders were only concerned with one bottom line: their profits. But in today’s evolving world, we must expand “the traditional accounting framework to include two other performance areas: the social and environmental impacts of a company. These three bottom lines are often referred to as the three P’s: people, planet, and profit.” (University of Wisconsin 1) This framework establishes a groundwork so that businesses can begin to develop positive interactions with their staff, their publics, and the environment.

·      Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

o   CSR guidelines exist to “hold a company socially accountable—to itself, its stakeholders, and the public” (Chen 1) This principle makes companies responsible for the impact that their actions have on their surrounding communities, whether they bring good or bad consequences.

·      Social Enterprise

o   The Social Enterprise Alliance defines a Social Enterprise as: “an organization that addresses an unmet need or solves a social or environmental problem through a market driven approach”. (What is a Social Enterprise? 1) This type of organization centers its business model around an important social issue.

·      Carbon Footprint

o   This is defined as “the amount of greenhouse gases and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such as a person's activities or a product's manufacture and transport) during a given period” (Merriam-Webster 1) This carbon dioxide is primarily released through the burning of fossil fuels.

General Overview of Neste Corporation 

Background

Neste is an oil and gas company that was founded in 1948 as the state petrol company of Finland to develop refined fuels. They operate in 14 countries and employ over 5,000 people, currently leading the market in renewable diesel production (Marketline Profile). It wasn’t always at the top of the sustainable fuel industry however, and it took a considerable amount of effort for them to make it there: “Until very recently it was a fossil fuel company refining oil to be burned and creating greenhouse gas emissions in the process, says Heaps. But the firm shifted, and now more than 50% of Neste’s investments are into the development of products like renewable biofuels. As it stands, 25% of the company’s revenue comes from biofuel refining, and it’s aiming to increase that figure in the coming years.” (Strauss 3) This remarkable transition in such a short period of time shows the incredible potential that Neste has to further develop over the coming years and corner the international sustainable fuel market. “Neste’s biofuel business represents 50% of its profits, says Heaps. ‘So, they’re earning a higher margin on their biofuels business—even though it’s only a quarter of their revenue, it’s half their profits. Neste shareholders aren’t bemoaning the company’s shift, as share prices have risen 300% in the past five years” (Strauss 3) Clearly, their new approach of shifting their target demographics and corporate image to a sustainable model is working marvelously, as indicated by the 300% increase in stock price. Although only 25% of their revenue comes from developing biofuel, it represents 50% of their profits, showing that their continued expansion into this market and away from their non-sustainable fuel development will only result in further growth of the company. 

Core Values

Sustainability is at the heart of Neste’s business model, making Neste a Social Enterprise focused on filling the demand for eco-friendly oil products. Seeing the lack of sustainable fuel products available and understanding that their CSR makes them responsible for the carbon emissions of the products that they sell, Neste invested heavily in developing alternative biofuels and sustainable oil product development in order to make a positive impact. Their central claim is that: “Everything we do at Neste serves one purpose: to create a healthier planet for our children. Over the past ten years, Neste has transformed from a regional oil refining company into a global leader in renewable fuels and one of the most sustainable companies in the world. Our purpose pushes us forward to search for new ways to reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere, and to innovate circular solutions to reuse carbon again and again. Our aim is to become a global leader in renewable and circular solutions.” (“Creating a Healthier Planet for Our Children” 1) This focus on filling the gap in renewability and circular solutions leads Neste to become an innovator on ways to reduce and reuse waste as well: “Our goal is to do more with less. That is why we continuously are searching for new renewable raw materials, such as waste and residues.” (“Sustainability” 1) This commitment to the environment and the company’s various publics shows that Neste is committed to the principals of TBL. This approach has worked for Neste for the highly acclaimed Forbes business magazine ranked Neste #3 on its list of “The Most Sustainable Companies In 2019”: an annual list of the most sustainable companies from any industry worldwide. Their commitment to improving the earth for future generations is very unique in the oil and gas industry and has brought the company much praise.

Growth and Future

GlobalData’s SWOT analysis of Neste lists focused R&D Activities as one of the company’s main strengths citing a focus on “broadening of the product portfolio, renewable aviation fuel, low sulfur marine fuels, and new bio based plastics and chemicals” (GlobalData 24) They have a huge head start on the rest of the industry when it comes to research and development of new sustainable products. GlobalData points out that in 2017 Neste spent 44 million euros on R&D which is only 0.3% of its revenue yet managed to grow its total revenues by a whopping 7.3% from the previous year, which is the mark of a very successful R&D department. This focus on new product development will give them a significant edge when other corporations attempt to muscle into the renewable diesel market. The SWOT analysis lists Neste as the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel, stating: “Its share of the world’s total renewable diesel production capacity is approximately 60%” (GlobalData 24) This lead gives them a huge jumpstart on new competitors entering the industry. In the future, Neste intends to reduce its carbon footprint even further. The company’s website states that: “We also aim at managing and minimizing on the emissions from our production. In 2019, we set ourselves two new ambitious climate targets: To reduce our customers’ greenhouse gas emissions with its renewable and circular solutions by at least 20 million tons CO2eq annually by 2030, and to reduce the carbon footprint of Neste’s production ahead of EU’s climate and energy targets” (Neste Impact 1) These very ambitious goals show that Neste is not afraid to make these sorts of promises, and continually delivers year after year. Neste’s promises of reducing carbon emissions aren’t mandatory requirements by the government, and their ambitious commitment to reducing their carbon footprint shows that the value of corporate social responsibility is deeply engrained into the company’s culture.

Recommendation

I understand that past negligence from other companies in the oil industry may make it hard to believe that an oil refinery could ever possibly practice sustainable business at all, much less become one of Forbes’ “Most Sustainable Companies in 2019”. But over the course of my research I have learned that Neste not only applies its rigorous sustainable values to its own operations but includes them in the products and services they provide and looks for the same values in the people they decide to partner with. As countries are beginning to recognize the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and governmental regulations are becoming tighter within the industry, Neste doesn’t resist these changes and regulations like the other oil companies but rises to the challenge and exceeds expectations time after time. Neste has proven itself to be a Social Enterprise with a reduced carbon footprint with a strong commitment to TBL and CSR. For these reasons, I highly recommend investing in Neste. They are a household name in the sustainable business sector and have turned around their entire business model by shifting from a regional oil refinery to an international leader in pioneering renewable sources of fuel.

Works Cited

“Carbon Footprint.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carbon%20footprint.

Chen, James. “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).” Investopedia, Investopedia, 12 Mar. 2019, www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corp-social-responsibility.asp.

 “Creating a Healthier Planet for Our Children.” Neste Worldwide, 6 Sept. 2019, www.neste.com/corporate-info/who-we-are/purpose.

 “MarketLine Company Profile: Neste Oyj.” Neste Oyj MarketLine Company Profile, July 2019, pp. 1–30. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=138313718. 

Neste Corporation (NESTE) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review. GlobalData plc, London, 2018. ProQuest, http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/docview/2214834336?accountid=14749. 

“Our Impact on the Climate.” Neste in North America, 28 May 2019, www.neste.us/about-neste/sustainability/climate-and-resource-efficiency/our-impact-climate.

“A Simple Explanation of the Triple Bottom Line: University of Wisconsin.” University of Wisconsin Sustainable Management Degree, 2019, sustain.wisconsin.edu/sustainability/triple-bottom-line/.

Strauss, Karsten. “The Most Sustainable Companies In 2019.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 22 Jan. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2019/01/22/the-most-sustainable-companies-in-2019/#394ddf0e6d7d.

“Sustainability.” Neste in North America, 6 Mar. 2019, www.neste.us/about-neste/sustainability.

“What Is a Social Enterprise?” Social Enterprise Alliance, 2019, https://socialenterprise.us/about/social-enterprise/.

Random Post About Forgiveness

Forgiveness is WILD, You Gotta Try It

Or Learning How to Not Scream at Random People About Coffee Mugs

I'm notorious for being extremely bad about vocalizing my feelings. Especially when it comes to anger. Instead of just talking about what has made me mad in the first place, I do this fun little thing where I just internalize it and bottle it up. Then when my roommate accidentally uses my coffee mug instead of his own FOR THE 1000th TIM- see look I'm doing it again. It's been 2 years after the event that I was mad about actually occurred and I didn't even know him at that point, but I explode at him. Usually by that point I cant remember why I was so angry or who I was angry at anyways, and then the people are just as confused about why I exploded as I am confused about why they don't understand how mad I am. So lately, I've had a lot of things to be mad about. So in order to keep from blowing up at the people who don't deserve it many years after the fact, I have sought out the help of my brother who is training to be a therapist. He has been a very useful guide to learning how to forgive people, and I will now share with you exactly what he has taught me.

Being the Better-er Man:

Wanting to be the better man is good. But also, just wanting to be better doesn't work, no matter how much I wish for a six pack. This phrase asks you to internalize your anger rather than deal with it in favor of avoiding an argument. Sometimes it's better to just accept the fact that you are angry and figure out how to deal with it.

Dealing with Anger in Two (Difficult) Steps:

So let's just face it, you're angry. Let's say that something happened, and you're angry. Anger is your brain screaming that's not fair. So you need to ask yourself what exactly is not fair? Exactly. Like literally, get out a pen and paper. Answer that question as thoroughly as you can. This is the most crucial part of this process, and may take a long time. If you cannot find the root of your anger, any action you take will be meaningless and you will end up screaming at someone about coffee mugs (aka acting on your anger in a non-productive way). If you find that you are currently screaming at someone about coffee mugs then you have made an error. You must find the exact meaning of your anger and then a path will be made clear. Once you have found the root of your anger, follow on by answering this:

Ask yourself: "Given that something is not fair, is my reaction appropriate to the situation?"

This can mean one of four things:

• No, it is over the top and I'm way too pissed. I need to do whatever I have to do to calm down, even if that means temporarily removing myself from the situation, and then forgive.
• No, my reaction is actually understating my true anger and displeasure with the situation. I need to commit to some action to change the situation
• Yes, my anger is appropriate. But has made no change because I cannot change others, and the only way to move forward from this is to accept the injustice while also knowing that I did my part to try to change it
• Yes, and my anger has led to appropriate action which has corrected whatever the injustice was, and now I am satisfied.

If you follow these steps, I guarantee that you will live a less stressful life. I believe that much of the feelings that we have been told are simply constant "stress" are actually anger about the unfairness around us or anxiety about dealing with that anger that needs to be dealt with in a productive way. I have very recently started trying to deal with my anger according to this process and have already noticed a positive change in my life. Just remember that forgiveness is a long and complicated process, and any step in the right direction is productive.

Book One: Post Two "How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming" by Mike Brown

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown, is an autobiographical memoir of Brown’s quest to find a new planet in the solar system. In the late 90’s, Brown made a bet with another astronomer that within the next 5 years, he would discover a new “planet” on the edge of the solar system past Pluto. After a 5-day extension, Brown barely won the bet by discovering the planet of Eris. This event toppled the traditional structure of the solar system and sparked a fierce debate about the definition of a planet which would eventually lead to the death of Pluto as a planet and give life to the classification of Dwarf Planets. Mike experienced harsh criticism from both the scientific community and the public as a result of the decision, including nasty emails and public confrontations with Pluto fans. But Mike valiantly defends and carefully explains the importance of the death of Pluto, illustrating the way that it reshapes our perspective of the solar system. Alongside this tense scientific battle, Mike discovers that life is what happens when you’re busy making plans as he falls in love and becomes a father.

This book is a wonderfully told story of fate, love, and science and how the 3 often intertwine in our lives. The novel is full of heartfelt stories and interesting anecdotes and has a terrific flow that makes it a joy to read. I appreciated Mike’s nerdy humor because I am a huge nerd too. I really loved the simplistic way that Mike is able to break down these very lofty and complicated scientific concepts through the use of clever metaphors. He often changes perspective in order to give you a better perspective of what exactly he is talking about. For example, he talks about the importance of the new classification of Pluto by explaining how an alien race who had never encountered our solar system before might go about classifying all the planets and uses this to show how our scientific objectivity is skewed by our inherent bias due to the fact that we live inside of the solar system. The novel is full of this sort of clever writing which makes the novel very enjoyable.

Overall, if you’re looking for an engaging read and have any sort of interest in astronomy, I highly recommend this book. Its full of witty humor and personal heartfelt anecdotes which are truly touching. Mike’s stories about his wife and daughter are one of the most important aspects of the book, and often have more to say about life as any scientist could ever learn through looking through a telescope. Although it is a bit long out of all the books that we had to choose from, I’m really glad that I picked this book since it was so engaging and made me learn universal truths about life rather than just mere scientific facts. After reading this book, I have a newfound passion for astronomy, and sometimes I look up at the night sky and wonder what else is left to be uncovered out there in the darkness?