Notes on Gilbane Gold

For ADMI 4016William Frey

Fall 2013

Participatory Perspective

• You are David Jackson, the young engineer who works for Z-Corp

• The video moves from past to present. Scenes from the past are in black and white; scenes from the present are in color.

• In the present we see David Jackson watching a documentary (created by reporter Maria Renato) that details environmental risks imposed by Z-Corp on the Gilbane community

What is Gilbane Gold?

• It is sludge taken from the local river that is dried and then spread over the fields of local farmers to serve as fertilizer for growing crops.

• The concern is that heavy metals discharged by Z-Corp are making their way into the sludge and ultimately into the food consumed by citizens of Gilbane

Character Sketches (Taken from Connexions Module)

• David Jackson: Young engineer whose measurements show that Z-Corp's emissions into the Gilbane water supply barely exceed local standards. He expresses concern to his supervisors on the impact on the safety and health of the local community.

• Diane Collins: David's supervisor who is under strong pressure to maintain the Z-Corp Gilbane plant's thin profit levels. She is concerned about environment responsibility but defines it as staying within the limits of the law as put forth by the Gilbane community. Gilbane sets for the law and Z-Corp is responsible for staying within its limits. If the law is inadequate, then Gilbane is responsible for changing it.

• Tom Richards: Environmental engineer hired to measure Z-Corp's heavy metal emissions into the Gilbane water supply. Richards warns David that he bears ultimate responsibility for Z-Corp's emisions into the Gilbane water supply.

Character Sketches (Taken from Connexions Module)

• Phil Port: Z-Corp's official in charge of the company's compliance with environmental regulations. He calls David during the TV documentary to claim that it portrays him as an "environmental rapist."

• Frank Seeders: Frank is the point man on helping to gear up Z-Corp's operations to meet the new demand created by their recent venture with a Japanese company. He asks David to help him streamline Z-Corp's manufacturing process.

• Maria Renato: Local reporter who produces documentary exposing Z-Corp's potentially dangerous emissions. She has prepared her report based on documentation provided by David Jackson.

What you are going to do• Specify David’s Problem by…

– Classifying it– Viewing it under at least two different frames (e.g., manager, engineer, city

regulator)

• Make a solution list of at least 10 solutions.

• Choose two and test them on a solution evaluation matrix using the ethics tests

• Discuss the feasibility of both solutions by considering the following constraints:– Resources like time, money, and materials– Technical like the availability and cost of devices that filter out water contaminants– Interest like a supervisor’s attitudes (Diane), city regulations, likely reactions of

community members like Lloyd Bremen (the farmer interviewed by Maria Renato), and the business community (like Z-Corp stockholders).