Perhaps the trickiest part, socially, of attending a
university program with a blatant emphasis on the environment is the fact that
I work part time for an airline. The potential repercussions of telling my
classmates that I am, in fact, a flight attendant kept me from truly being open
about my life.
Stemming from the discussions we shared at residency, the
mindsets of many members of my cohort, and my personal insecurities have
limited the level of comfort I have about divulging this information.
This being said, I don’t necessarily love being a flight
attendant...but I don't hate it either.
My hours are long, my work goes unnoticed, and I am just an
employee number among thousands of others. On the other hand, the benefits of
working for the airline are uncontested: stock option, RRSPs, Health and
Dental, and of course the coveted next to nothing price tag to travel.
I have voiced my opinion regarding our environmental impact
to my company at an assortment of levels. The company’s environmental strategy
is closely linked to budget. “Will this benefit the company financially?” is
the predecessor to “Is this an environmentally responsible or sustainable
option?”
We have made adjustments to our aircraft to improve
efficiency which cuts down on the fuel we require, we use some post consumer
recycled paper products and we recycle newspapers and beverage containers at
maybe 75% of our destinations. Our head office in Calgary is certified LEED. Could
we be doing better? Yes. Way better. Is there anyone seeking environmentally
responsible answers? No. Not really. We are pursuing answers for technology,
for social media, to improve on time performance, and of course the comfort and
safety of guests.
Oil and gas companies in Canada have staffed environmental
advisors. I wonder why the same hasn’t been done for the airline I work for.
My time with the airline has almost come to an end. It will
be hard to leave the benefits of the company. With my official letter of
resignation will be a letter of suggestion, voicing once again, my request to
the company to rise to the occasion and consider the environmental in their
decision-making.
Perhaps take a page from Delta…
No comments:
Post a Comment