Original: March 8, 2011 Issue 12
By: Liz Whiting
Staff Writer
CEOs and VIPs visit MC to discuss the financial incentives of going green
On March 2, 2011, the Montgomery College Rockville campus Etiquette Club, the MC Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), the Nutrition Club and Phi Theta Kappa hosted a panel to discuss a new set of core values for business decision making.
Speakers included prominent business men and women such as Dave Feldman, Executive Director at Bethesda Green; Pat Wirth, CEO of Livability Project LLC; Russell Phillips, CEO and President of Potomac Falls Express Lube and Car Wash; Robert Youngentob, President of the EYA; Bill Keating, President of Urban Service systems Corporation.
In attendance were VIPs including Charice Somersall, Special Assistant to the Senior Vice President (SVP) for Academic and Student Services and Helen Brewer, Associate Dean.
The panel aimed to expose students to sustainable and ethical business practices in various industries and to explore the Triple Bottom Line.
Panel members made the point that the priorities of businesses should be People (human resources and capital), Planet (sustainable practices), and Profit. Instead of profit being the only factor taken into account in decision making, panel members made it clear that people and planet should always come first.
MC Sophomore Alex Grant greatly enjoyed hearing the speakers. “The panel contained many diverse viewpoints which helped put in perspective how necessary going green truly is.”