Learning Brazil’s role in the environment
By Alexa W.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the role that our client plays in the broader system of environmental sustainability. […] I’m more excited than ever to be involved with a client focused on the sustainability space and give them feasible tools to act now and scale success. […] Hopefully, I can inspire others to be more aware of Brazil, and more aware of their role in environmental sustainability as business leaders, consumers, and humans.
With one week until our trip, I’ve been thinking about what traveling to Brazil for the first time means to me. Through preparing for our business visits, client presentation, and time in the Amazon, I’ve learned about Brazil’s history, its people, and the sustainability and social inclusion initiatives that are striving to make a difference. I’ve also realized that I have so much more to learn, and want to spend my time during the trip listening and observing as much as possible.
As business school students, we’re trained to be immediate problem solvers, process change agents, and spreadsheet analysts. But experiencing another country adds a whole other dimension – what we interpret to be a given challenge or solution may have many other factors at play. One of my goals is prevent myself from making assumptions, and instead ask “why” and other clarifying questions. I look forward to actually being onsite with our client in order to better understand their goals and interact with them in person.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the role that our client plays in the broader system of environmental sustainability. There are many passionate and innovative groups working to effect change in the Amazon, which is promising. And yet, I understand that the people who live in the Amazon, regulation, political trends, and the global economy influence all levels of conservation, deforestation, emissions, and economic development in Brazil. Even though we’re learning about the role the Amazon rainforest has on regulating our climate (not to mention biodiversity), and how deforestation has a major negative impact, I understand the market incentives that lead to deforestation and expansion of farming. Despite the urgency of global warming, there is no easy answer, and there is no quick solution.
One of the most important things I’ve learned in my MBA program so far is the idea of systems thinking: how stocks (resources) and flows (rate of input or output) are connected, and how resilient a system can be – like our climate’s tolerance for high CO2 emissions – before accelerating into something worse. Systems thinking also identifies how we can leverage change in a system, such as adjusting feedback loops, incentives, and rules for how the system operates. So, as an organization, it’s important to understand the broader system that one is a part of. And yet, as I’ve also learned during the program, we can’t just keep analyzing the problem in front of us and craft the perfect solution that solves everything. We need to be motivated to act, and can do this by starting small and focusing on the bright spots – what’s working now and how can we scale success?
Because of this, I’m more excited than ever to be involved with a client focused on the sustainability space and give them feasible tools to act now and scale success. What’s more, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of all of the organizations we meet during our trip and share with others at home what I’ve learned. Hopefully, I can inspire others to be more aware of Brazil, and more aware of their role in environmental sustainability as business leaders, consumers, and humans.