Rogat+-+Letter+to+the+House+Committee

Michelle Rogat

Correspondence with the House Committee


 * Tuesday, November 12, 2013 - Email Approval of Thesis research

Michelle,  we are good to go with your project i will sign the form when i return from Charleston at end of week... Maybe the three of us can meet the following week || Emailed Approval of the Research Project at the Country Club for analyzing process for becoming certified green golf course || A Small Research Proposal Letter for the Board Meeting
 * Thursday, November 7, 2013

Research Proposal for the Country Club of XXXX

__// Who I Am //__ My name is Michelle Rogat and I’ve been working at the Country Club of XXXXy since June of 2012 as a waitress, and as Administrative Assistant since June of this year. I am also in my 4th year as an Undergraduate at RPI, majoring in Sustainability Studies and minoring in Economics. I started my senior thesis project in a class called Sustainability Research Design taught by Professor Kim Fortun of the Science and Technology Studies Department, and will be completing it in the Spring of 2014 in a Senior Projects class. My senior thesis is the resistance to sustainability initiatives in business and in the hospitality industry. As a major part of my thesis research I would like to study and work with the Country Club of XXXX on resources management and practices of the golf course, restaurant, and club house.

__//Sustainability and My Senior Thesis//__ Sustainability, in the environmental sense I am using it, is the efficient use of resources and energy, as well as other practices, which decrease the harmful impact a business has on the environment, while still successfully providing the products and services of the business.

I stated that my thesis is focusing on sustainability initiatives in businesses in the hospitality industry. By ‘sustainability initiatives’ I mean the projects and changes that could be made in a business to make it more sustainable. For a golf course a ‘sustainability initiative’ or project could mean anything from the switching the kind of turf grass used to increasing the efficiency of water management. However, my focus isn't on the projects themselves, but rather on the ‘resistance’ to these projects, i.e. the issues or circumstances that prevent the success of one those kinds of projects.

__//Why the Country Club//__ • There is a total of over 2.2 million acres of land on golf facilities in the US, only about half of which is maintained turf grass. There is a huge potential for golf courses to decrease their overall impact on the environment. • My professor also brought it to my attention that golf courses, and the hospitality industry in general, could be considered as the “low-hanging fruit” of the environmental movement because they are widely seen as luxurious, wealthy, and wasteful. This is the opportunity to show how that image can be changed. • The Country Club is a very unique business model with a lot of communication between the separate stakeholders, such as the customers (members), employees, management, and owners (members again). • I have come to realize that an education on how sustainability happens in the real world just isn't available in the classroom. • If the club chooses tries to become more environmentally sustainable, and I would try my best to help the club succeed in those endeavors. For me, this would honestly be a way to give back to the place that’s been a wonderful job.

__//Focus for the Club//__ The research would include completing an environmental audit to gain an understanding of the clubs impact it has on the environment. I’d like to help find ways in which the club could reduce its impact on the environment through resource, energy, and waste management.

To carry out this research I would like to see the Country Club of Troy to try to become a Certified Green Golf Course by Audubon International. This is an international organization, coincidentally located in Rensselaer Technology Park in Troy, which helps establishments “go green”. The Audubon has the Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP) that assists golf courses with an environmental audit and plan towards becoming sustainable. Its original funding was by the USGA, and the two organizations still work together today. I would like to work alongside Chris Strong in going through the Handbook they supply and ask questions about management choices, etc. Schuyler Meadows is an example of a local golf course that has already been certified by Audubon.

//__Scope for the Club__// In addition to getting certified by the Audubon, another aspect of the research would be interviews of members, management, and employees. This would be to gain an understanding of how environmental sustainability is viewed, how resource management decisions are made, among other things. I would like to interview specific members for various reasons such as being nature enthusiasts, golfers, non-golfers, parents, of opposing political parties, and more. Some members I already know I would like to interview include Mr. Mack, Mr. Carver, Mr. Enzein, Mr. McDonald, Mrs. Agopovich, Ms. Whitehurst, and more. All interviews of course would be voluntary, and further privacy concerns and such will be laid out in consent forms.

What it comes down to is whatever the club has an interest in and wants to do. At a minimum, I would like to basically get a status update of how the club manages its resources and energy use, and why. The thesis is to be finished at the end of this school year, around May 2014. However, the ‘at most’ is up to the club, I am eager to work with the club in the future.

//__Benefits for the Club__// • Becoming a Certified Green Golf Course • Improving the Country Club’s image • Increase in energy and resource efficiency • Decrease in operational expenses

I appreciate your time in looking this over, please consider what a potential this could be for the club.

Thank you, Michelle Rogat || I emailed this to the House Committee member and he passed a note along to the President of the club, and will bring it up at the Board Meeting. || A Committee Members E-mail to me asking questions and to write something up to present at the Board Meeting
 * Wed, November 6, 2013

Michelle I went through the folder you gave me last night which is very interesting. for me to present this idea to the executive board. lets discuss the following this afternoon. 1.) What are we doing? - a thesis focused on CC of XXXX in environment planning 2.) who will Michelle be working with? Chris/tom 3.) what benefits would the cc of XXXX receive? p ossible certification from Audubon International, etc, etc 4.) how long would the study take? 5.) what areas would she focus on? 6.) would she give us any recommendations on our golf course questions like this would helpful... call me...thanks ||  ||
 * Email asking to set a meeting date to explain thesis research - Sent October 21, 2013

Dear Gentlemen,

I would like to set a date for sometime next month to be able to come in and meet with you to explain the purpose of my research, what information I would require what you would allow me access to, how I would begin my research, and answer any questions you might have. I understand that Mr. XXXX is out of town and won't be returning until early in November, however I would like to be able to give a meeting date to my professor (who I have to submit my progress to). So anytime next month that is good for you, please let me know. I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but I'm sure you're familiar with the pressure of deadlines all too well :) Thanks again, Michelle Rogat  ||  ||
 * Letter to the House Committee - Sent October 1, 2013 || Reasons why I did something a specific way ||
 * Dear Gentlemen,

As you may already know, I currently am an Undergraduate student at RPI and am majoring in Sustainability Studies, minoring in Economics. For my senior thesis, I am focusing on the resistance to and pathways for sustainable initiatives in businesses and other types of organizations. In the future I want to work as a consultant helping organizations transition to sustainable solutions.

I am writing to ask your permission to use the Country Club of XXXX as a point of study for my research. Any research I would be doing would, of course, be on my own time and not when I’m scheduled to serve in the restaurant or work in the office.

The research would observe and assess how the club makes decisions on energy and water use, materials, etc., and would document the perspectives of different stakeholders. I would like to interview people in a variety of positions, including Board Members, Department Heads, and select members and staff. These interviews would have a variety of specific and open ended questions, seeking to understand both their views on specific decisions and on sustainability in general. The interviews would be fully voluntary, with an interviewee’s written agreement (recorded on a form approved by RPI), and would be recorded. The interviewee would be given the chance to approve any parts of the interview that I would like quote to in my thesis.

There are several reasons for why I’d like to study the club. The main reason is that understanding how decisions are made and how work is done at all levels of a business is a very important focus to sustainability efforts, and I would like to advance understanding of the sustainability opportunities and challenges at country clubs as one example. Another reason is that I have already learned a great deal about how the club works, and have developed good working relationships with people here. My analysis could help the club operate more efficiently and with cost savings, while investing in something society considers important. Later on down the road, if the Country Club of XXXX finds itself interested in pursuing sustainability goals, I would be thrilled to help in the process by writing grant proposals for funding or doing anything else that might be needed. But for now, I’m merely interested in how the club currently runs and how the people in various positions view sustainability challenges.

With my senior thesis I am very hopeful to provide useful information to the Country Club of XXXX and to any business that wishes to or is currently struggling to push forward a sustainability initiative. My hopes are that by focusing on the hurdles for such a project and what causes, prevents, and overcomes those hurdles, I will be providing insight useful for progressing sustainability in the business sector of society.

Being an XXXXXXXXXXXX I understand that there are privacy concerns I would have to consider, and if I am given permission to study the club I would be limited in some ways to the content I could publish as part of my thesis. I am very willing to abide by any of these concerns and requests if I am granted permission for my study.

I would like to come in and have a meeting with you at your convenience to be able to fully explain my research and answer any questions you might have. Please let me know when you are willing to meet.

Thank you for your time and please consider the opportunity I am offering,

Michelle Rogat || * I put dear gentlemen and not house committee because the President of the Club isn't on the House Committee but does get a final say so I have to send it to him as well. ALSO, his position has a longer term of 2 years than the house committee, so if the house changes, I can still say I had approval by the president in the end.
 * I haven't done it yet, but I need to go back in and define what sustainability is so they have a clear idea as to what I'm discussing. The only thing that clues them in so far is the little bit I mentioned on energy, water use, and materials.
 * I made sure to point out what the benefits would be for the club and not just myself and my research
 * I hinted at my hopes for working on projects at the club in the future
 * I told them my overall hopes for my research outcomes
 * then because I feel its hard to communicate through the letter what I want to do I offer to come in and discuss it further
 * I say "please let me know WHEN you are willing to meet" and not "IF you are willing to meet" on purpose
 * and again at the end I remind them that this could benefit them by saying "the opportunity I am offering"
 * I am XXXX'ing out descriptive information so that I can hope to give the privacy protection the club might ask for. ||