September 2018 – RusselSmith |

Are Plastic Straws The Next Big Environmental Threat?

An estimate of 500 million plastic straws are used every day in the United States. It has been recorded that 7.5% of plastic in the environment comes from straws, according to an analysis by a group of pollution research non-profit organizations. The excessive use of plastic straws is doing more harm to the environment, specifically the oceans.

The Problem with Plastic Straws.

Single-use plastic straws do not last long. Once used, they are thrown away.
Straws count as one of the most common items that are picked up during beach clean-ups.
Plastic Straws do not biodegrade, and cannot break into compounds that can easily be recycled.
Plastic straws are harmful to ocean wildlife due to their sizes and cylindrical shape. When taken in by these animals they can cause choking, suffocation, and eventual death.

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Nigeria and Mozambique Lead Capital Expenditures Position for Upstream Projects

A global data and analytics company, GlobalData, recently released a report indicating that a total of 65 planned and announced crude and natural gas projects will begin operations in sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2015 – 2018.

This come as no surprise as it was predicted earlier in the year by GlobalData that Sub-Saharan Africa’s gas production will grow 18% by 2021 to 9.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd). It was also mentioned that over 6.4 bcfd of natural gas in 2021 will be produced by conventional gas projects, while coal bed methane (cbm) projects will contribute 8.5 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) to Sub-Saharan Africa production in 2021.

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Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

The world that we live in is constantly evolving. The idea of a global village has gained prominence in the world of thought and practice, blurring the once ever-present ethnic, cultural, regional and national lines.

The workplace as a part of this system is also embracing the need to have a global outlook which is devoid of all forms of discrimination, with the need to appreciate the differences in individuals ranging from gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation and social status. This is the foundation for the elevation of cultural diversity in the workplace.

It is important at this juncture to ask some important questions; What benefits can an organization derive from cultural diversity? Why would organizations want to integrate people from different cultural and ideological backgrounds, when there is always a possibility of conflict due to these differences? Differences in language, interpretation of events can lead to miscommunication. If not addressed, awkwardness and hostilities arise.

In spite of these challenges, the benefits of cultural diversity are many. People with different backgrounds have different interpretations of events, therefore they contribute unique perspectives that allow the group to look at problems from all angles and create innovative results. With so many different and diverse minds working together, many more solutions will arise as every individual brings in their personal way of thinking, operating and solving problems and making decisions. Companies that encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace will promote tolerance, collaboration and open-mindedness, and inspire their employees to perform to high standards.

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The Future of Robotic Technologies in the Nigerian Energy Sector

From time began, man has always sought means by which to make life and work easier. First he started with using simple tools. Then he began to use Animals. Then he began to make other men use his tools to do his work for him. Fast forward to now, and we have robots doing a significant portion of man’s work for him.

Robots are machines capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer (Wikipedia). Robotic technology meanwhile, is the application of scientific knowledge in the development and production of robots. Robots have proved themselves to be quite indispensable, as they go to work and function in places where man may not be able to continually go, and they perform repetitive functions that would possibly bore the average Joe and push him to a state of near-madness. And it is these features of theirs that makes the Future of Robotic Technology in the Nigerian Energy Sector a gloriously bright one.

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RusselSmith Inspire Essay Contest Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the RusselSmith Inspire Essay Contest! The winners are; Efe Oghenemarho (first place), Isaac Popoola (second place) Uchenna Okoro (third place). All winners will be contacted to pick up their prizes.

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