Introducing Dogwood Alliance’s forests & carbon and corporate social responsibility intern, Vinay Lekharaju…

When I started my internship at Dogwood Alliance I never
realized that I would be so much into forests, carbon, woods, trees, shrubs and
mountains. But within days I realized that all my mentors here have so much
passion in doing what they do best- Going Green and protecting Southern Forests.
Having said that what makes this team different is the fact that they believe
in using technology and current trends in closing the gap between unwanted
deforestation and corporate social responsibility. This is what excited me and
being an Masters in Engineering Management student at Duke University
it was interesting to see how supply chain process changes in industries can
prevent loss of forests but at the same time also add to their revenue line. It
is an initiative like this, which holds the key in making a difference to an
intangible concern like reducing green house gasses and increasing post
consumer recycled content.

In my first few days here I tried to read as many reports as
possible and get acquainted with various practices being followed at Dogwood.
My project work mainly entailed working on Green Grades – a report which shows
case studies of paper practices in the Office Supply Sector. It was interesting
and insightful to see how our daily use of paper (tissues, paper cases, printing
and writing paper, paper boxes) can have disastrous effects on the forests. As
a responsible user of such ecologically sensitive material, we ought to ask the
companies if the products we are using have been manufactured at the cost of
old trees or have they passed the standards acceptable by the industry. Though
we never realize such trivial issues, this is the forefront of campaigns
conducted by Dogwood. Besides a Report on ‘The Climate and Conservation Impacts
of Packaging Mills’ was also something which I found deep interest in. It
involved a lot of internet research on paper mills which engage in unethical
practices to maximize profits, thus overlooking the grave which gets deeper and
deeper with every such irresponsible act. As much as forests wood is required
for production of paper, it is also important to understand that with the right
processes and operational framework in place, little damage can be done to the
resourceful forests, which are envied by countries that don’t have them.

After my first week at Dogwood I have set my goals on taking
corporate social responsibility to the next level. Be it any industry, it
surely has taught me that there are numerous steps which when taken, can in its
own small way make a significant contribution in reducing pollution, increasing
recyclable products and making the world a better place to live in. With a dedicated and committed team as this,
the support and guidance is omnipresent. This internship will be a good
opportunity to work on important issues like Carbon and Forests and use this
experience in leveraging the motto behind the theme line- ‘Make a Difference’
in my future professional career.