Introduction

My name is Lauren, and I am starting my first year at Bainbridge Graduate Institute (Seattle, WA) pursuing an MBA in Sustainable Systems. Following an undergraduate education in Environmental Science, I started a career in the construction/engineering field with a focus on sustainability. I have always been interested in how we can make “industry” cleaner, and more fair to the planet, communities and local ecosystems while maintaining productivity and progress. After three years of working, I realized that my scientific background was a solid foundation for understanding the issues, but I lacked the business language necessary to effectively interact with clients. I needed new a new set of skills to make my case. Solution: business school. I was not looking for just any business school though, and when I found BGI, I instantly knew that this was the school for me.

BGI focuses on educating future business leaders differently. Contained in the core curriculum are all the elements covered in traditional MBA programs, but the method of teaching these is what makes BGI unique. The classes are integrated, and taught with a real-world, hands on approach. There is also a major focus on leadership and personal development, ensuring that graduates are not only prepared academically, but personally as well.

This blog will be a constant thread during my two years at BGI. The core of the blog will cover economic topics, following relevant events in the news. For this first quarter, I am intending to investigate a headline close to my heart: the proposed exportation of US coal to China through Pacific Northwest ports. Not only does this topic have a multitude of economic and environmental facets I can expand on, but it impacts me as an individual. My parents live 5 miles from one of these proposed export terminals, and the beach it is proposed on is our summer crabbing grounds. This proposed terminal, and the larger issue it embodies, is a prime example to discuss the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit.

the Cherry Point Beach where we crab in the summer, and where a coal export terminal is proposed.

There are six proposed coal export terminals peppered along the Oregon and Washington coast, providing capacity to export as much as 145 metric tons of coal per year to Asia and China. This recent focus on coal exportation has two major factors: the coal consumption in the US is declining, while the demand for cheap fuel in China is expanding. Debates on the impact of this supply chain span every topic imaginable, many of which I will explore on future blog posts. There are impacts for jobs (both mining and shipping), investment and economic assets, and the environment both locally and globally. There are cultural and ethical issues at stake as well: community impact for mining towns, terminal towns, and the entire railway track between. Another global question is within the context of climate change. If the US has so significantly reduced our dependence on coal (high GHG emissions) how can we justify shipping it to be burned elsewhere. Thus moving the emissions offshore, and out of our backyard. The coal exportation through PNW shipping terminals has been a debate I have been following for the past two years. It maintained an underground news presence in the beginning, at least in my parent’s local community, but has recently gained more coverage as more groups are voicing opinions.

I look forward to sharing my BGI experience through this blog, and hope to shed light on some of today’s economic issues. I encourage you to share your opinion and knowledge on my posts through comments!