During my first week in Glasgow, I was introduced to how companies implement sustainable business practices using materiality matrices, value chain analysis, and stakeholder’s theory. We began looking into how companies can structure themselves to maintain sustainable practices. We were able to view these sustainable business practices during two company visits. The first company visit was to Crover, a business that developed the world’s first granular drone. Crover is using their technology to sense moisture and temperature changes in grain storage facilities. By doing this, they should be able to greatly reduce the amount of food waste due to rot and mold. The next company we visited was Topolytics. Topolytics is a data aggregation and analytics company which tracks waste. They help promote better waste management and the formation of a circular economy. We spent the day in Edinburgh where we were able to learn about Scottish history at the National Museum of Scotland. We went to an art gallery and took a tour of the Dungeons of Edinburgh. I have been surprised at how similar Scottish cities are to American cities. There are street performers, traffic, crazy sports fans, and food vendors. The only difference is that Scottish cities are three times older than any modern American city. So far, my favorite part about Glasgow has been the sports fans. We were able to watch the Celtic v. Inverness game in Glasgow. The fans were insane and the energy in the city was palpable. It reminded me of College Station during a Texas A&M v. LSU game. I am looking forward to our trips to the Glengoyne Distillery, Sterling Castle, the Highlands, and Jaw Brew factory. Scotland has so many amazing sustainable companies, and there are endless learning opportunities in the UK. Overall, I am so happy to be in Glasgow, and I cannot wait to further study sustainability in this amazing country.
