Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Venue: Luigi's Italian Restaurant, 425 W. Main, Spokane, WA. Tel: 509-624-5226

Social hour, 6:00 PM. Technical program, 7:00 PM.

SINES presents:

"Pilgrimage to Bhopal: Lessons on Personal and Corporate Social Responsibility"

Adriane P. Borgias, MSEM, CHMM

The ability to effect personal and corporate social responsibility is essential in eliminating cross border impacts. Today, the operations of multinational companies directly and indirectly affect transboundary pollution. The average consumer in the US, uses products (fertilizers, pesticides, inorganic, organic, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and others) manufactured in developing countries such as India and China. For India alone, the 2008 chemical imports to the US from India amounted to $1,183,000,000 and chemical exports to India amounted to $4,084,000,000. These chemicals are used for manufacture and in consumer products around the world. The adequate control of environmental pollution is a major challenge as India drives towards economic development. Both multinational industries and the informal sector industries contribute to air, water, and soil pollution. The responsibility of the multinational corporation and its employees, therefore, is to recognize and manage the company’s environmental impacts within the context of the country’s social environment and culture.

This presentation is a case study of the worst industrial accident in the history of mankind. On December 3-4 1984, 42 tons of methyl isocyanate and other toxic gases suffocated the city. By some estimates 8000 people died and more than 500,000 people were affected. In January 2011, as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India, Ms. Adriane P. Borgias MSEM, CHMM made a personal pilgrimage to Bhopal. During her visit, Ms. Borgias met with attorneys, victims, citizens of the city, the state, a first responder, and the youth. The lessons learned from Bhopal are still relevant and applicable to individuals and organizations involved in the environmental field. The Bhopal tragedy happened because a series of poor decisions were made by a multinational company that was hoping to profit from a “Third World country.” The incident has had its greatest effect on those who are the least able to defend themselves: the poor living in the adjacent slums. The organizations and institutions intended for the benefit of the victims failed and continue to fail them at many levels. Ms. Borgias will discuss the characteristics of moral disengagement and why real corporate social responsibility is more than just a buzz word. She will provide examples of how this applies to each of us at a personal level and the importance of establishing a personal sense of integrity. Finally, she will share her observations of Bhopal’s emergence as vibrant community and how India’s development goals are rushing this timeless land full speed into the modern era.

Ms. Borgias has a BS in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MS in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. She has been a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager since 1986. As Founder of Fusion2e, Adriane has provided consultation services to international institutions, regional organizations, small to mid-sized businesses, tribal communities, and neighborhood councils since 1998. Her recommendations are informed by nineteen years of experience in the utility and natural gas industry, seven years of tribal environmental management, and thirteen years as an independent advisor. Her former positions include; laboratory chemist, gas quality engineer, environmental compliance supervisor, water quality project coordinator, and environmental program director. Ms. Borgias is the Co-Editor of the first and second editions of the Hazardous Materials Management Desk Reference, contributor to Women in Chemistry and Physics: a Biobibliographic Sourcebook, and is featured in Northwest Women in Science. An active participant in the community, Ms. Borgias volunteers in philanthropic organizations and participates on a number of local and federal environmental advisory boards. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Spokane Regional Clean Air Association.

Thanks to the financial support of our members, SINES has been able to donate excess revenue to local science-related charities and local non-profit educational organizations. Since 2000, we have given monetary support to Community Colleges of Spokane, ESD 101 Space Camp, Finch Elementary Science Fair, Liberty Lake Environmental Classrooom, Palouse Discovery Science Center, EWU's Science Olympiad, Northwest Natural Resources Institute, Spokane Children's Museum, Spokane Environmental Youth Conference, Spokane Falls CC Geology Lecture Series, Spokane's St. Patrick's Catholic School's science department, and the Outdoor Environmental Education Site at Sacajewea Middle School.

Last updated 02/03/11.