Approval Schmoval!

Working on my class project of bringing ceramic mugs and plates to the Green Bean has given me a small (but significant) taste of what it is like to try to initiate policy change in business in the real world. Raquel and I have found the mugs and plates we want to order, got approval from someone in campus dining, and were all ready to order our new products where we received news that now the health inspector has to approve our sinks in order to wash plates and cups. Just as we thought we were ready to go, we’re now waiting. Moreover, every person we have been talking to about this issue of approval directs us to someone else to talk to, who in turn directs us elsewhere, getting nowhere in the process. What is shocking is that we are working with people at a very small institution relative to large companies where green initiatives are trying to get approved, and therefore I can’t even imagine how difficult it would be in those instances. I am finding myself frustrated because we are excited, we want to do this work, and are willing to put in whatever time and effort is necessary, but how this project progresses from now on is essentially out of our control. This, naturally, is disappointing. As a result, I have greater sympathy for people trying to make policy change in large corporations, and greater appreciation for the struggles they have overcome once change is made.