Week 2: Hershey’s and Sustainability

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Hi Everyone!

This Week I am happy to announce that I have finished one of the books: The Triple Bottom Line by Andrew Savitz!

To summarize what I read, the book did a good job using the Hershey Company as an example, so I will do my best to briefly summarize using the same example. Firstly it is important to understand that when Milton Hershey first created Hershey in Derry Township, Pennsylvania, the entire town supported Hershey and the people were able to heavily profit from tourism. In 2017, the CEO, Robert C Vowler, tried to sell the company, but was very silent about the whole ordeal, leaving the Hershey community in silence. The people of the town had created an entire life around the Hershey Company, so when Hershey left them in silence about their decision to sell, they were angered. The people were very outspoken about their disappointment, and although Hershey was offered billions, ultimately the deal was turned down. Hershey was still silent about their decision to withdraw the sale, but it is clear that selling would have upset stakeholders who could have cut their support for the company. With this dilemma, the book was able to explain the importance of community in sustainability. That brings me back to the overall message which is that in order to achieve a long-term successful business, you must reach “the sustainable sweet spot” that includes business interests and society interests. In the case of Hershey, even though the business interests laid with selling the company, ultimately society interests heavily oppose it.

After reading, The Triple Bottom Line by Andrew Savitz, I am more confident that I will be able to identify this concept when looking at Sustainable Healthcare Architecture.

Sustainable Healthcare Architecture by Robin Guenther is a longer book, so I am still in the process of finishing it. After a virtual meeting with my mentors (whom I have pictured below), another source recommended to me was Modern Architecture: A Critical History (World of Art) by Kenneth Frampton.  I am very excited to begin reading this as it will prepare me for the architecture part of my project. I am looking forward to next week, where the plan is to do some site visits at The University of Arizona!

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Weekly Meeting with my Mentors :)

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Comments:

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    Edie_L
    Wow, it sounds like a good book! Just wondering, is there a similar dilemma with healthcare buildings or is it easier for owners of a healthcare building to sell it because they are not pressured by society? Also who were you talking to on the zoom call?
    edward_a
    The thoughts of the community for sure matter to any business, every business should know that. With this in mind, do you have any idea why Hershey's would ignore this and try to make decisions without alerting the public?
    nathan_s
    It is great that the people of Hershey were able to use their influence to create an impact that found that middle ground between the two interests. I am interested to see how you apply this to your project!

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