A World We Dare To Imagine

Every year, 2 billion of the red cups are purchased in the United States alone. They have a wide range of applicability ranging from birthdays to barbecues to college parties and tailgates. However, despite them being designed to be disposed off, these cups are made of thermoplastic polystyrene, a plastic which stays in the environment for up to 50 years before being completely degraded. Additionally, several of these cups are usually wasted, especially by college students. These cups serve the purpose of holding ones drinks but they are often unnecessarily overused or just simply thrown away if left over. Hence this leads a significant amount wastage which results in several used cups or unused cups thrown away.

There had to be a solution to this. Hence I came up with the company - Green Cups. My company produces similar cups but with cups; however, implements key improvements on design. The cups are carved inwards at the bottom which makes space for drinks to be poured. This becomes a shot glass. Not only does the cup serve as a dual purpose but it also creates a unique idea through which I plan to sell my product. Since one cup can fulfill the role of two, mathematically this reduces the cups used by half. Hence there is less wastage. Although my cups help to reduce the waste by half I felt it was important to make changes in the way these cups affect the environment. Hence I decide to introduce another element into the product. These cups will be made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) which is made from already used water bottles. This ensures that the company is using recycled waste hence eliminating need of additional resources. Also technically we are not creating any more waste. What waste was already generated has been recycled.

The following is the company's mission statement: Our organisation’s goal is to create a sustainable environment through promotion of renewable and reduced waste. We aim to create value in the uniqueness of the product so that its serves its purpose to people and planet.

The company's primary competitor is the Solo Cup Company. The company has been in the business for a long time, and has been successful in selling the red cups. However we have an advantage here. Not many people know about the company. Several buyers simply see red cups and do not associate with any brand. Hence he have an opprotunity to step in and take advantage of the situation. Customers will simply see an improvement on the product and purchase it. Our unique idea will also be a key selling point. Also, since we make our products from recycled water bottles we have a cheaper cost of production which translates to a reduced cost for customers.

We aim to make our sales through a strong network. College students can be a significant promotional tool. The uniqueness do the idea can serve as a marketing technique. Through word of mouth we can try to reach stores around campuses. Also collegians are encouraged to be expand out network. They receive commission if they are able to introduce is around campus stores. Currently there 4000+ campuses and 17 million + students in the US alone. We hope to spread our roots around the US especially through college students.

Green Cups  serves a very important purpose through a fun selling point. Environmental pollution is key and it is important to take matters into ones hand. Hence I believe that introducing this company and product will serve to address this problem. The world I imagine is one which applies sustainability towards environmental care. At Green Cups I believe that we can reach this goal.

The Blue Sweater - The Cost Of Silence

In an attempt to understand her story, Jacqueline visits Agnes, who is in Kigali’s Central Prison, accused of being a perpetrator of the genocide. She had allegedly made incendiary speeches, urging men to kill Tutsis and inciting women to encourage their husbands to work harder in their murderous acts.

Agnes, a born leader, serves as a reminder that power corrupts on an equal opportunity basis. She traded integrity for power. Although it is sad to see how far Agnes had gone astray from the person Jacqueline once worked with, Agnes helps Jacqueline internalize the fact that monsters do exist – in ways she had never imagined.

Jacqueline meets with Prudence, who is also in prison, accused of being a major perpetrator of the genocide. Unlike Agnes, however, Prudence is potentially neither victim nor perpetrator. Hers may have been sins of omission – of staying silent while the violence unfolded around her.

Eventually, Agnes receives a life sentence and Prudence is declared innocent and freed from prison. Both Agnes and Prudence help Jacqueline understand the disorder of human existence.