Sustainable manufacturing is an objective that many
companies are adopting as an essential part of their operations, which is
making an impactful difference for the environment. Design, production,
shipping and all other aspects within the manufacturing process must be
examined from a sustainable perspective. This also improves the safety of
employees, products and communities as a whole. Everyone is affected in some
way, which is why the Sustainability Superheroes project brought manufacturing
to the classroom for the May 7th workshop.
Dr. Deborah Kozdras, Chief Creative Officer of the USF
Stavros Center, partnered with Dr. Marilyn Barger, Executive Director of the
Florida Advanced Technological Education Center (FLATE), to host a panel of
business and industry professionals with experience in the manufacturing
industry for the workshop. Educators were able to learn how companies integrate
habits and practices that are environmentally friendly into the core of their
operations. “It’s so important for educators to hear directly from
industry. Educators are really hungry to
know more about industry, how and where other non-educator people work, and
what skills they need “, says Dr. Barger. FLATE and the USF Stavros Center have
a long-standing partnership focused on providing professional development
workshops for secondary educators in all disciplines that specifically
highlight manufacturing professionals in the greater Tampa Bay area.
Below are highlights from the panelists. This project plans
to recapture the comments of the panelists as well as other industry
representatives in a series of audio clips that will be posted on both FLATE’s
and Stavros Center’s websites. Be on the
lookout for these videos starting this fall!
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| *Pictured from left to right: Dr. Marilyn Barger, Patti Gander, Jerrika Rice, Suzanne Alverez, Peter Cirak |
Patti Gander - Executive Director for the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Alliance
Patti demonstrated a great example of design thinking and an
open mindset. Using traditional business analysis practices, like Six Sigma and
Lean Manufacturing, Patti illustrated how businesses can profit from
sustainable practices, which ultimately have positive impacts on the triple
bottom line: people, planet and profit.
Jerrika Rice - Senior Manager, Phosphates Quality for
The Mosaic Company
Jerrika provided the educators with a deeper understanding
of the challenges The Mosaic Company faces and the ways in which they are
working toward more sustainable practices. By describing the complexities of
the issues, Jerrika provided some excellent problem-solution examples.
Suzanne Alverez - Sales for C&D Printing &
Packaging
Suzanne described the sustainability challenges and
solutions within C&D Printing and Packaging. Beginning with one employee’s
question about the toxicity of the processes, the company is continually
evolving to more environmentally safe products and procedures.
Peter Cirak - Director of Quality Assurance for Seal
Dynamics
Peter illustrated his passion for creating solutions in the
workplace at Seal Dynamics. During Tuesday evening’s session, he described the
recycling programs he initiated and stood as a model for how one person can work
toward changing the ways in which things have always been done.
Sustainability Superheroes is a project that helps K-12
educators teaching all subjects and grade levels to incorporate sustainability
into their lesson plans. The Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and
Economic Education partnered with the University of South Florida’s Patel
College for Global Sustainability to provide workshops, new training and guest
lectures to teachers across Tampa Bay. The goal of this project is to educate
students about sustainability problems that need to be fixed and inspire them
to act and make a positive impact on the world. The USF Stavros Center received a grant from
the Coca-Cola Foundation for this project. Sustainability Superheroes will
provide related resources to the Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk
and Sarasota school districts, which together serve over 550,000 students
annually.
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