When all is said and done - grading

This just in: the teaching team has gone through all the portfolios and has graded them. Here is the feedback they gave me. 😊 

Hi Heli,

Since you wrote your portfolio in English, we are going to give the feedback in English as well. It’s interesting to see the wide variety of portfolio styles, yours is the first done as blog, and first one in English. We remember that you mentioned your passion for English language already in class so happy to see you were able to bring the passion to this portfolio as well.

There are plenty of things that we would like to cover in our feedback but we can’t do them all so instead we will have random thoughts below after reading each blog post. First, we like your sentence: “lack of willpower once you realize that the prize is not "just around the corner"” – indeed, while there are some quick wins, reaching sustainability it’s a long-term process and brings to mind Helsinki Bus Station theory (you can read about it here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/23/change-life-helsinki-bus-station-theory) – it’s not around the corner but requires both work and commitment.

Also, it is important to point out that you came to this class to learn and it would be hard to find people who would have all the knowledge about sustainability, responsibility and even more so about transformative learning – all topics are so wide and deep that one could dedicate their life to studying these topics. We were hoping to plant a seed and let you start your journey, as you put it, down the rabbit hole.

Cost of being carbon neutral – yes, it is not going to be free to make the change but at the same time, we also have to take environmental costs into an account. It is hard to make any predictions about the war in Ukraine at the moment but some climate experts have suggested that it could fast-track us to more carbon neutral societies. It remains to be seen, and of course, the price is extremely high in lost human lifes and other devastation.

Good discussion about Tarja Ketola’s book (which in terms of sustainability is already quite dated but it covers the most important aspects). Environmental aspect of sustainability is quite clear, at least the basic aspects are, but social can be harder to grasp. We have it good in Finland, but if we go a bit beyond what we see – those clothes that we buy come from factories that are likely quite far from being ethical, some of the food items we eat (bananas, tomatoes etc.) have a long history of abuse etc. We need to look the big picture.

Quite impressive how your updated mind map is already looking much more complete than the one in the beginning – indeed, trust the process as you mentioned in the beginning! All in all, we definitely enjoyed your reflective portfolio a lot. This was exactly what we were hoping for – not some polished Word document where everything appeared perfect but description of your path with positive and negative experiences. Well done, Heli! We gave you grade 5.

All the best for your studies!

Teaching team

Closure and aftermath

Kuva Pexels Magda Ehlers 17.02.2022

Somehow I feel like this head scratching monkey in the picture: I'm thinking what just hit me! It feels like this course had so many new things that it was almost too much. But still, here I am: on the other side at a point where I am supposed to reflect on what I have learned during this process. 

As a closure I can say that even though the course schedule was tight, this method of studying seems to work for me. I could see myself working on a portfolio in the context of another course as well. I would probably want to try a different kind of portfolio next time, just to learn something new again. Now that this was my first time using a portfolio as a tool of learning, it was only natural to choose a way I was familiar with.

The course went really fast. It feels like I was just getting started and yesterday I realized that we will have the last classes tomorrow. Despite the fast schedule, I learned so much during the course: I tore myself out of my own formulas, challenged my own ability to learn and study independently, and learned a lot about the importance and challenges of self-direction. I now realize that self-direction is, if not vital, very important in the hectic way of life today. In our small peer group, I learned important active listening. During group work, I learned a lot from others and myself, and it was enlightening to see how different perspectives we have on things.

I also learned, during the course, that learning is not about the beginning and the end but about the process. And what matters is not that you hang on to your initial assumptions with all your force, but that you are openly curious about things and able to change your thinking while learning. The evolution of thought is thus the greatest gift that the learning process can give. Whether evolution occurs through the action of a group or oneself is also a side issue. I also learned that the process can’t be right or wrong, it just is. This thinking process was concretely approached through group work, when the group worked according to the given instructions. I thought I was lucky to get into a group that had a good spirit and a safe atmosphere from the first encounter, but hearing the stories from the other groups revealed that the good spirit covered the entire course.

So what's left of this? Self-direction, the ever changing flow of learning and active attention. I believe that these skills will also be useful in future studies.

Kuva Pexels Ketut Sybiyanto 17.02.2022

Inhale 3 and updated mind map

Transformative learning has been playing a big role behind the scenes and the high light, on my part, was Inhale 3; the small group meeting on one Thursday afternoon. In brief, Inhale 3 was going to guide the group to a process where everyone has the opportunity to present to others the idea and challenges of their portfolio and to get sparring on it. For me, it was difficult to see the point to this kind of working in before hand but at the end of our 2 hours Inhale, I had a totally different opinion.

In short, the process of Inhale 3 went like this and was repeated as many times as there were participants in the group:

1. 10 min: A explains the idea of ​​the portfolio and talks about the work and possible challenges. Others (B) focus on listening in depth but may ask clarifying questions. Don't give advice!

2. 3 mins: listening in silence. Listen to your heart and body. Listen to what resonates: What images, metaphors, emotions and gestures rises.

3. 10 min: mirroring. Each listener takes turns sharing, while A is listening in silence, born images / metaphors, emotions or gestures. After that, A reflects back on what he/she had heard and what thoughts or feelings it had aroused.

4. 10 min: generative (~ creative) dialogue. Reflect on A's remarks together and move on to discuss how these observations could provide new perspectives. Have conversation: listen carefully and try to understand each person’s words and relate to the ideas presented by others. Strive to serve the A's case without giving advice or providing solutions.

After these rounds everyone in turn tells how they are feeling about their cases now and what new thoughts rose about taking the process further. Finally, everyone gives thanks to others for sparring in their own words.

Kuva Pexels, fauxels 15.02.2022

We had four people in our group and each of us were in a bit different phases of the process. We followed the program by going through all the rounds as instructed. It was really interesting to learn how others had decided to build their portfolios and also to hear how they perceived the things I told them about my process. Reflecting one another was rewarding and time flew by really fast. Peer support was important and helped me to really find my way with my portfolio. I also understood that I do have the tendency to make things more complicated than what they really are and I sometimes take things, and myself, too seriously.

So even though I enjoy working alone, I'm still glad this course wasn't just my solo act but we had this small group that acted as a peer support. I will not be going in deeper detail about transformative learning but you will find sources, where you can investigate it further, at the bottom of this post.

As you may or may not remember, my mind map from the beginning of this portfolio, was hardly a map at all because I simply didn't know much about the subject in before hand. Obviously I still don't know everything but I do think I could strike a plausible conversation with someone about it. Here is my updated mind map. If I have used a new source, that I haven't already mentioned, it will be mentioned at the bottom of this post.

https://www.kuluttajaliitto.fi/materiaalit/yhteiskuntavastuu/

https://www.businesscredit.fi/blog/vastuullisuus-liiketoiminnassa

https://planergy.com/blog/corporate-social-responsibility-challenges/

https://www.ecolas.eu/eng/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Mezirow-Transformative-Learning.pdf

https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-transformative-learning-theory2007.html

Corporate responsibility: possibilities and challenges

Lapland UAS Journal is a great source when it comes to sustainability, corporate responsibility and resource-wiseness. Sustainable development and the UN Agenda 2030 goals have been included in the curricula of Lapland University of Applied Sciences' education since 2017. The themes of sustainable development have also been involved in research, development and innovation (RDI) for a long time (home page of Lapland University of Applied Sciences).

Irma Kuusijärvi (2020) declares that responsibility is the new normal. She goes on by saying that responsible business is a way of risk management, can be a method of influencing in peoples perceptions and creating an image but it can also create a competitive advantage. Kuusijärvi continues and points out that corporate responsibility is mainly an ethical question and is strongly related to values. Rohweder (2004, s.81) continues on the subject that incentives for corporate responsibility are economical, governmental, stakeholder driven and ethical. And the possible benefits? 

Atao Oy has developed a software to manage corporate responsibility and on their web page

Kuva Pexels Samuel Theo Manat Silitonga 17.02.2022

they have listed the expected benefits from responsible business. According to them, the benefits may include: 

• reputation management
• understanding future challenges 
• committed staff and 
• direct cost savings from reduced use of materials and loss.

There are even more possibilities but on the flip-side of the coin, there are also challenges. Many organisations may see only the challenges and not the possibilities and benefits beyond the hard work. investments can be a huge challenge for some smaller businesses and the fact that change takes time, can be overwhelming for some. Here is a simplified figure by Mirja Mikkilä (2006) describing the challenges:

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Challenges-to-corporate-responsibility_fig6_42425730

https://atao.fi/vastuullisen-liiketoiminnan-hyodyt/

https://www.lapinamk.fi/fi/Esittely/Vastuullisuusraportti-kevat-2021/Vastuullisuus-ja-kestava-kehitys-Lapin-AMKissa

https://blogi.eoppimispalvelut.fi/lumenlehti/category/1-2020/

Kuusjärvi, I. 2020. Vastuullisuus on uusi normaali.  https://blogi.eoppimispalvelut.fi/lumenlehti/2020/02/04/vastuullisuus-on-uusi-normaali/

Rohweder, L. 2004. Yritysvastuu - kestävää kehitystä organisaatiotasolla. Helsinki: WSOY.

Mikkilä, M. 2006. The many faces of responsibility: Acceptability of the global pulp and paper industry in various socities. Dissertationes Forestales. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42425730_The_many_faces_of_responsibility_Acceptability_of_the_global_pulp_and_paper_industry_in_various_societies

This is what it's all about

The European Green Deal is currently The Program with an ambitious goal to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring:

• no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050
• economic growth decoupled from resource use
• no person and no place left behind

The program is taking actions on climate, energy, agriculture, finance, environment, finance and regional development, and so much more. It's a huge joint effort where countries are committed to work towards common goals. It's all very overwhelming but one of the pursuits is that no-one is left behind so that all of EU can work together as one front.

https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en

The program takes into consideration all three aspects of corporate responsibility: ecological, economical and social. This program was also the first thing I learned about when I hadn't even started my studies yet, because it was used as a material for the entrance exam.

The image above paints a beautiful picture of the future where all the goals of the Green Deal have been met. There are, however, many possible obstacles and difficulties on the way before we reach the finish line. I'm hoping to get into them on my next post. But until then, let's enjoy this beautiful picture of the desirable future.

I have to say, that this self learning has so far been really rewarding. Even though some of the things have been somewhat familiar, I have learned something new through each of my posts. Writing has also made me think about what I am writing about and why. It has made me wonder the direction I am going and whether it genuinely serves the purpose of this course and myself. I really hope to get answers to these questions in the upcoming small group discussion called Inhale 3.

https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en

From words to action

Diving into two (2) interesting books I learned even more about what makes business responsible and resource-wise. But not only that, I learned about something I have never heard of before: the concept of compliance as a way to force companies and organisations to do business in a responsible way or "face the consequences" as an alternative.

Let's start with by what rules a society, consumers and governments are expecting the businesses to operate in order to "do it right". Do it right by whom? I would say, by you, by me, by us and by them. Tarja Ketola (2005) divides corporate responsibility in three categories in her book Vastuullinen liiketoiminta - sanoista teoiksi (Corporate responsibility - from words to action):

1. Economical responsibility which first brought to mind the owners of the company or the stock holders. Ketola, however, reminds that even though it's a necessity for the business to keep the owners and financiers happy, corporate economical responsibility goes also towards the workers, suppliers, contractors and partners. Also paying taxes is considered a way to be economically responsible.

2. Social responsibility. For me this concept was harder to grasp but luckily Ketola is here to 

guide me! I wasn't able to see the bigger picture but Tarja Ketola describes corporate social responsibility covering for example taking care of the well-being and safety of the people (workers, consumers...) and honoring the basic human rights. I guess this was hard for me to realize because things are so good in Finland. It's hard to see and analyze something you take for granted but obviously things aren't the same all over the world. Child labour, insufficient pay and dangerous working conditions all fall under social responsibility.

3. Ecological responsibility was the most familiar category. This, for me, feels so obvious it wouldn't even need to be mentioned separately but at the same time it's so important I'm not sure it can be emphasized enough. Businesses need to consider the ecological side in every move they make: the smaller the ecological foot print, the better it is for the environment, and for us. Using less packaging, producing goods that work longer and can be fixed, using recycled materials, saving energy and resources for example through joining forces with other businesses.

So bear in mind those three categories of corporate responsibility as I briefly tell what I found 

out about compliance when I read Niina Ratsula's (2016) book explaining the concept. The term compliance refers to compliance with laws, rules and regulations. Today, however, it is no longer enough to follow just these, but organizations are supposed to comply with the moral and ethical requirements of society. Corporations are therefore expected to act responsibly in all their activities. A violation of compliance therefore occurs when an organization violates the requirements imposed on it. This is all explained in Compliance - eettinen ja vastuullinen liiketoiminta (Compliance - ethical and responsible business) with much more detail. 

In one of my previous posts, I briefly considered ways in which companies could be encouraged or compelled to act responsibly and resource-wisely. The compliance program, described by Ratsula, is an in-build activity and it's often juxtaposed with ethics. Compliance in it's smallest and at the same time biggest form is the way each staff member acts. 

A company builds a compliance program which defines the obligatory laws and regulations the company must follow as well as the values and the ethics of the company itself. With the help of the program, companies are then able to bring more emphasis on their will to act responsible, assess possible compliance risks and promote ethical and responsible practices. More over, they can act as an example to others.

Kuva iStock by Getty Images

Hmm... now that I read what I wrote, I perceive that I totally misunderstood the whole idea of the compliance at first. I thought it was a tool for punishment but I see now that it is actually a helpful tool for the organizations to manage their operations responsibly and ethically. Even though Ratsula points out many ramifications that might follow a compliance violation, I still feel that the compliance program is meant to work as tool to help avoid those violations rather than coming up different ways to punish companies for any wrongdoings. 

Ketola, T. 2005. Vastuullinen liiketoiminta - Sanoista teoiksi. Helsinki: Edita.

Ratsula, N. 2016. Compliance - Eettinen ja vastuullinen liiketoiminta. Helsinki: Talentum.

Deeper into the rabbit hole

Just a quick word about a moment of revelation 'cause I just bumped into a blog on the web page of Lapland University of Applied Sciences. It was a short text about resource-wiseness with some good insight on the subject. You can go and read the full text here: 

https://www.lapinamk.fi/blogs/Resurssiviisas-paasee-vahemmalla/0q5cunco/81218ce8-8503-40a3-9ad6-eff930dbc4aa?fbclid=IwAR0p41J5VSzBRo-XP_XdzcgXcp1elUUuCEtk3c4Zjvg2jsnC7OGjLZjn6C8

They use a definition that states that a resource-wise way is not only trying to use resources more efficiently but using them in a very planned and sustainable way and in a manner that saves resources. Resources, according to Sitra, among other things are energy, products, natural resources, time, knowledge and raw materials. When the range is this wide, it's starting to become more clear that the ways of being resource-wise are many.

Kuva: Pexels, Quang Nguyen Vinh 26.01.2022

Through this blog I ended up visiting Sitras webpage and learned about their project with three cities, Forssa, Lappeenranta and Turku, that took upon themselves to be pioneers in resource-wise planning back in 2015. As a product of this project each city gained a roadmap showing a way to become resource-wise in the fields of energy, infrastructure, consumption, food production and water resources. All these cities are working towards becoming carbon neutral by the end of 2050. You can learn more about this project through this link: https://www.sitra.fi/artikkelit/yhteinen-nakemys-kestavasta-tulevaisuudesta-nain-tiekartta-tukee-edellakavijakaupunkien/

And when diving even deeper, I learned that circular economy can be used as a tool for resource-wise actions. So these two concepts are not the same thing at all but the latter is rather a means to an end in this relationship. Other tools, or means to an end, are for example life cycle planning, (raw) material efficiency and making positive changes such as using renewable energy. All these tools can be divided into smaller pieces when wanting to go down to the concrete actions. 

This address https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L64YODF_gAU takes you to see a short video from Turku sharing their feelings on their journey towards carbon-neutrality and finding resource-wise solutions.

Kuva: Pexels Matheus Bertelli, 26.01.2022

https://www.lapinamk.fi/blogs/Resurssiviisas-paasee-vahemmalla/0q5cunco/81218ce8-8503-40a3-9ad6-eff930dbc4aa?fbclid=IwAR0p41J5VSzBRo-XP_XdzcgXcp1elUUuCEtk3c4Zjvg2jsnC7OGjLZjn6C8

https://www.sitra.fi/artikkelit/yhteinen-nakemys-kestavasta-tulevaisuudesta-nain-tiekartta-tukee-edellakavijakaupunkien/

Carbon neutral Finland by Kati Berninger

Hiilineutraali Suomi (Carbon neutral Finland), a book by Kati Berninger (Gaudeamus, 2012) describes the means and problems of building a carbon-neutral society and presents positive solutions to them.

She writes about the concept of carbon neutral society and country but getting there involves us all: consumers and businesses. On my mind map I´ve listed some of the possible challenges there might be. Investments and the fact that the change takes time are, in my opinion, the obvious challenges. Contributing to the idea of a carbon neutral society requires changes for example in the production and usage of electricity, heating, and water. Energy effectiveness can be achieved for example through switching to use renewable energy, making sure logistics is operating as green as possible and paying attention to the right kind of packaging of the goods.

Berninger writes that cities and towns may have energy effectiveness agreements and businesses should join these agreements by first ordering an energy review. The review will find out about the current situation of the company’s energy usage and present ways to go ahead with becoming more responsible and cut the costs. These changes equal investments and this may be a stumbling block to many companies. However, the investments will pay off eventually in lower costs and decrease in emissions. Berninger also says that in 2009 the greenhouse gasses were mostly produced by the industrial energy use and emissions from traffic.

There are different ways to force businesses to become greener: higher taxes for using non-renewable energy, benefit packages for green investments etc. These different ways of pressuring and persuading the businesses to “do the right thing”might very much the motive for some companies.

Berninger suggests that renewable energy sources are solar energy, wind power, bioenergy,

hydropower and eco-energy. Other ways to cut emissions are using public transport instead of driving, cycling, packing the goods effectively, joining forces with other businesses by building a joint logistics network for more efficient operations. Not more than 10 years ago we were talking about changing regular bulbs to LEDs but nowadays that is more a norm than exception. It’s comforting to look back and see that we are moving in the right direction one step at a time, slowly but surely.

But all this comes down to the costs. According to consumer surveys, consumers do want greener products and are willing to pay more for them but at the same time this is not possible for all. There are a lot of consumers that are forced to buy the cheapest thing available even if they would like to buy according to their values. If a company is considering the costs and calculating that the return time is something between 5-10 years, this might make them drop the whole plan. Costs are, in my opinion, the biggest threat for the company deciding to make or not to make the investments.

Berninger, K. 2012. Hiilineutraali Suomi - Miten luodaan ilmastoystävällinen yhteiskunta. Helsinki: Gaudeamus.

Visual learner

Like many others, I am one to learn using visual aids. I also tend to scribble while sitting in an auditorium listening to a lecture or a presentation. It makes it easier for me to perceive and understand bigger concepts and connections between things if I just draw them or write them down. Mind maps have always been very helpful. Maybe I'm not very good with them but if they help me, they are good enough. 😁

Now that I see my mind map, it's painfully obvious how little I know of the subject at hand. I'm really curious to see how deep this rabbit hole is. I didn't even consider doing a mind map over transformative learning because.. well, I think you can guess why, after having read my two previous posts. Neither is it my intention to make one during or after this process.

Zero state - when there was nothing

Kuva Pexels Mathias P.R. Reding 17.02.2022

Zero state: talk about the subject without finding out anything about it. Write down what you think you know and expand your knowledge as the process goes on. Hmm.. so about corporate responsibility and resource-wiseness but also the concept of transformative learning.

So here it goes. Zero state and the famous flow of thoughts. Today, sustainability plays, or it should play, a crucial part when planning production, procurement, maintenance and all the other fields of a working business and the whole society. Businesses of different sizes, cities, governments and countries are writing agreements on becoming greener and more sustainable in a given period of time. Many of the agreements are set in very near future which means that there should also be actions along with all the agreements and beautiful speeches. The goals are set high. With just 6 months of my studies and I have already become acquainted with Agenda 2030, the European Green Deal and programs like Carbon Neutral Finland 2035. For me, it has been and eye-opening experience to learn how much there is already being done and how many plans there are waiting to be executed. 

Doing business in a responsible and resource-wice way, I think, means you need to consider sustainability in all actions: production, usage, logistics, packing, storage, disposal, reuseability, procurement and all the other parts of the process I forgot here. The challenges this persuit may bring are for example:

• possible investments in new machinery, equipment, spaces etc.
• finding new ways to operate in all the mentioned fields
• training the staff
• serious networking might be necessary and for some completely new thing
• financing all the changes once you know what the changes are
• lack of willpower once you realize that the prize is not "just around the corner"

In the long run, however, I think it will pay off. The benefits may include:

• more efficient use of materials: reusing the "waste" or selling to someone else to be used as a raw material in their production
• savings in more efficient and well-planned logistics and packing of goods
• saving through strong networks and joint forces

Kuva Pexels Jean van der Meulen 17.02.2022

When it comes to transformative learning, my knowledge is absolute zero. I heard what the teachers told us about it during inhale 1 but it was so out there that I just couldn't comprehend it... At all. I guess it will come more clear on the way. Fingers crossed!

About the portfolio

For me, a portfolio as a learning tool is something completely new. I searched 'portfolio' on line and found a page that explains about tools and methods for learning and self evaluating. Here is the address:  

http://www02.oph.fi/asiakkaat/itsearviointi/suomi/opetus/portfol.html#port 

It's still not very clear to me but it says on the page that a portfolio can for example be an expression of different processes and methods, and that it can appear in many forms. I'm guessing there may be as many layouts as there are people making portfolios. Huh, that's a relief. I chose this way, a blog, because I've written a blog before and I'm somewhat comfortable with it. Oh yeah, and it's in English simply because I love the language. 

The function of this portfolio is to follow my path in self development and learning on the subject of responsible sustainability, mainly corporate responsibility and resource-wiseness. It is born as a product for a course (Corporate responsibility and resource-wiseness) I'm currently attending at Lapland University of Applied Sciences but will probably live on even after the course. This is a place for me to contemplate my learning process.

The objective of the course on an individual level is that afterwards: 'the student is familiar with the principles of the green economy and the ways of operating responsibly and resource-wisely. Student is able to tell about different ways to promote climate neutrality in business, and knows how to apply responsible and resource-wise business development methods in business.'

In addition to this, the course intends to introduce the method of transformative learning. To this end, we are divided into small groups and the course is implemented in four sections called 'inhale'. Transformative learning is also new to me so this should be interesting.

The key word here is process. It is not about the beginning or the end, only the journey matters here. 'Trust the process.'

Kuva Pexels Andrea Piacquadio 17.02.2022