GOING GREEN - Tips for Business

Passive Buildings / Active Marketing: What's In a Name?

2011-08-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

Passive buildings -- which use non-mechanical methods of heating and cooling and use 80 percent less energy than "active" buildings -- are a shining example of a great green idea that could benefit from stronger marketing.

Harvesting Green Marketing Tips At the Farmers Market

2011-07-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

The most popular booth at a recent farmers market, selling just one product that customers can't try before they buy, is an unlikely place to find useful insights into how to successfully market.

Lessons From Jam: Less Choice Is the Greener Choice

2011-07-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

A psychologist famous for her research on fruit preserves provides insights about decision-making that can help you increase profits while greening your supply chain.

Green To Gold: The Next Chaper

2011-07-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

For those looking for ways to go green while providing business benefits, you will find the new book Green to Gold: Business Playbook practical and useful.

Learn more about the book's organization and one of the case studies it references. Hint: A case study authored by me.

Read more >>

Learn How Writing a Book Can Increase Your Influence ...

2011-05-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

And Perhaps Land Your Dream Job ...

I recently spoke with Elton Sherwin of Ridgewood Capital on the benefits of writing a book. In addition to providing a deep education on a topic, a published book will increase your IQ (influence quotient). Sherwin also shared his 7 tips to help you successfully publish a book using new self-publishing tools.

SAP Sustainability Site: A Model of Innovative Reporting

2011-03-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

SAP continues to innovate an already strong reporting platform to include creative use of social media to encourage active dialog.

Read more>>

How La Poste Saves $7 Million Annually in IT Energy

2011-02-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

France's postal service and Europe's second-largest package delivery service recently undertook a comprehensive PC power management project. Here's what went right -- and wrong -- and five tips that can help your company reduce its hidden power consumption.

Read more >>

How The Chevy Volt Became the Heartbeat of GM

2011-02-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

Read my 2-part article published by Greener World Media providing the inside story of the Chevy Volt inception and development. Jon Lauckner, President of GM Ventures and Tony Posawatz, Volt Line Director share insights and lessons other that organizations can use to accelerate green innovation.

Part 1: Every aspect of the new Chevy Volt, from its conception to its execution, exemplifies disruptive innovation. Here's how the old-school automaker overcame internal and external challenges.

Read more >>

Part 2: From concept to prize-winning machine, read the seven steps the program leader used to shepherd the Chevy Volt across the finish line.

Read more >>

Starbucks Saves Millions with LED Lighting

2010-12-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

When Starbucks converted the lighting in more than 7,000 of its stores from inefficient incandescents and halogens to LEDs, developed in partnership with GE, the company ended up saving millions per year in energy costs.

Read more >>

Starbucks Leads LEED Retail

2010-10-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

When the coffee giant, Starbucks, announced its goal to get all of its new stores LEED-certified starting this year, it was the culmination of an effort to address its biggest environmental impacts.

What Saving Lions Can Teach Us About Green Business

2010-10-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

The experience of one scientist in Namibia in resettling lions in a populated area sheds light on how to manage change -- and resistance to change -- to help you sell green projects at your company.

Bright News About LED Lighting

2010-10-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

More about LED lighting that includes

a humorous video highlighting improved office productivity
an introduction of a cool personal lighting device.

Spotlight on LED Benefits

2010-10-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Department of Energy states, “No other lighting technology offers as much potential to save energy and enhance the quality of our building environments.” To learn more, read my article published by Greener World Media that highlights case studies from Unilever, UCSF Medical Center, Pittsburgh International Airport and Starbucks.

Buying Green

2010-08-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

Recently my project acquired new software and services. Purchases made during a project provide a great opportunity to deploy more sustainable solutions.

Green Project Management: 4 Dimensions To Consider

2010-07-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Project Managers can be key influencers in deploying sustainable solutions and making every project more green.

PACE Part 2: Accelerating the Pace

2010-07-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Adoption of PACE funding, like most sustainability efforts, requires engaging multiple and diverse constituents.

PACE Promises Affordable Financing for Green Projects

2010-05-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

To resolve funding issues and accelerate energy upgrades to commercial and residential property, cities and counties across the nation are offering PACE, a new financing model for clean energy projects.

SAP Execs Commute Green

2010-03-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

Part 8 of Commuting Series:

SAP executives support gold medal effort

In preparation for the scores of visitors that would arrive for the Olympics, Vancouver’s transit authority asked for a commitment from businesses to reduce traffic by at least 30%.

Part 2: Put Packaging On A Diet

2010-03-03T03:08:00.000-08:00

Early results from Cisco’s environmentally sound packaging program prove that trimming packaging saves big. On average, for each pound of eliminated packaging resulted in a $5 savings.

Green Jobs: IT Opportunities

2010-02-27T06:33:00.000-08:00

Odinjobs.com recently interviewed me and 4 other green leaders about:

What career opportunities are available to technology professionals in the green related fields?

Read interview at Odinjobs >>

Green Grows Green: Harvesting the Hidden Returns of Sustainability

2010-02-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

Join me on Thursday evening's in April at Stanford University for the course that I am teaching on realizing the business benefits of going green -- Green Grows Green. Read more >>

Olympic Legacy – UCLA’s Gold Medal Commute Program

2010-02-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

In the months preceding the 1984 Summer Olympics, employers in LA were encouraged by the Southern California Transportation Authority to find ways to reduce travel during the Olympics. The University of California at Los Angeles seized the challenge and established its commute program that currently attracts 47% of its employee population. Read more >>

Green Messaging: Ignored or Heeded?

2010-02-03T03:04:00.000-08:00

Are your green and sustainable communications able to cut through the clutter? Do they resonate and persuade the employee to take action? For more effective social marketing techniques, a great book to consult is “Made to Stick”. Read more >>

Stanford: Going the Extra Mile For a Greener Commute

2010-01-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

In 2002, Stanford had to shift more commuters to alternative methods or it would be forced by Santa Clara County to make a huge investment in traffic mitigating infrastructure to support its expansion plans. Read more >>

Put Packaging On A Diet: Zero Waste

2009-12-21T18:54:00.000-08:00

Are you frustrated with wasteful product packaging received from your IT equipment vendors? Then you share a concern voiced by most everyone I talk with. Zero waste packaging is achievable with a focused effort from our IT suppliers. Read more >>

Parking Lot Funds Genentech Bus

2009-12-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

Are you finding it challenging to initiate sustainability projects focused on reducing carbon emissions? Although the reduction in carbon emissions benefits society, there are only so many goodwill projects most corporations are willing to fund. Yet Daniel McCoy, Transportation Director at Genentech persevered and found a way to provide hard benefits that corporations crave. Read more >>

An EV for Every Garage?

2009-12-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

Will GM's next stage electric vehicle --- the Chevy Volt --- be embraced by enthusiasts, environmentalists and everyone else? YES!; according to John Ferris, Program Planning Manager, Global Electric Vehicles, for General Motors who met with me recently to discuss the Chevy Volt. Read more >>

Virtually Carbon Free Commuting

2009-11-24T18:05:00.001-08:00

What’s the largest component of your employee’s footprint? At SUN Microsystems, commuting contributes more than 90%. SUN’s approach to a greener commute is telework enabled by its Open Work product. Read more >>

#251, How Intriguing...

2009-11-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to take the MINI E for a test drive and it was peppy and maneuverable, just like its ICE (internal combustion engine) namesake.

PART 1: Test Drive; Read more >>
PART 2: Marketing Analysis; Read more >>

Will Electricity Transform Cars?

2009-10-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

Electric motors and batteries were available more than a century ago, but EV 1.0 lost the battle to the internal combustion engine (ICE). In this rematch, many of the same issues still challenge EV 2.0 – upfront costs, large batteries and refueling challenges. Will EV 2.0 drive car owners a new way? Read more >>

Can the EV Do the Trip to Vegas?

2009-10-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

Despite the exuberance surrounding the electric vehicle (EV), it has yet to earn its “badge of honor” on the American road. To make it real to many Americans, the EV must be more than a car to schlep us to school and work, it needs to also hit the open road. Read more >>

The Road to Sustainable Cars is Paved Thru Silicon Valley

2009-10-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Part 2 --- The Electrifying Mini E
The ultimate driving machine may soon be electrified. BMW’s first introduction is the Mini E. With its super-fast electric motor, BMW makes green sexy and fun. But can BMW reinvent the personal mobility market? Read more >>

The Road to Sustainable Cars Is Paved Thru Silicon Valley - Part 1

2009-10-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

To help BMW maintain its status as the ultimate driving machine, BMW established a Silicon Valley Technology Office in 1998. A focus area is to make its traditional platforms as fuel efficient as possible while developing alternative approaches to transportation such as electrification, hybrid and hydrogen. Read more >>

You Can Lead A Horse To Water...

2009-09-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

I was chatting with a sustainability leader at a high tech company and she shared the challenge of eliminating bottled water. That got me thinking about a way to engineer a campaign using principles from social marketing. The examples relate to switching from bottled water, but the principles apply to most change management activities.Read more >>

Juniper Sponsors Carbon Disclosure Project

2009-09-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Peter Drucker observed, “You can’t manage, what you don’t measure.” Wanting to better manage its environmental drivers, Juniper boldly started measuring its impact to the environment and reporting results to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) more than five years ago.
Read More >>

HP Lives Green

2009-09-17T02:57:00.000-07:00

Recently I spoke with HP's Debbie Ledbetter, who helped to establish HP's corporate initiative, "Live Green". Live Green is an active out-reach and education program for employees on energy conservation and environmental impact at work and at home. Read more >>

eBay's Holistic Supply Chain

2009-09-13T07:38:00.001-07:00

eBay is providing new services and products to make their partners' and supply chain practices more sustainable and build the eBay brand. Read more >>

SUN's Efficient Data Centers

2009-09-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

SUN Microsystems completed a major consolidation of its global data centers. A green benefit was an impressive reduction in energy consumption. SUN’s strategy was to define and deploy a standardized and modular data center computing unit. Read more >>

Juniper's Commuters Go Public

2009-09-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

In the SF Bay area, transportation contributes 50% of the GhG (greenhouse gas) and nearly 30% for U.S. Consequently commuting is an important component for any company's sustainability program. Juniper was recognized in 2008 for its improvement of commuting by Acterra. The strategies deployed by Juniper are simple and available to any business. Read more >>

Cisco is an EPA Climate Leader

2009-08-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

John Chambers, Cisco’s CEO, signed up for EPA Climate Leaders in late 2007 where he committed Cisco to a substantial 25% reduction in GhG over a five year period. Mr. Chambers is well known for his spontaneous deal-making and providing big goals to his employees.

Part 1: Facilities >>
Part 2: Computing >>
Part 3: Transportation: Business Travel >>

Is Your Data Center a Hummer or Prius? eBay's Top 5 DC Practices

2009-08-22T08:30:00.001-07:00

Recently I sat down with eBay’s dynamic Olivier Sanche who is responsible for all of eBay’s data centers. Read his Top 5 activities to cut operating expenses while improving the environment. Read more >>

Sell Local / Act Global

2009-08-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

San Francisco based, Recurrent Energy, is a solar energy provider who is growing both inside and outside the US despite tough market conditions. The experience gained in more mature and competitive markets is aiding Recurrent in emerging market here in the U.S. Read more >>

Amazon Thinks Outside The Box

2009-08-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

Amazon’s “Frustration Free Packaging” is easy-to-open product packaging that replaced the typical hard plastic packaging often used for toys and electronics. Thinking outside the box enabled Amazon to enhance the customer experience, build its brand, rework the supply chain, reduce costs and improve the environment. Read more >>

Cisco's Green Czar Leads Green Product Design

2009-07-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

Between the groups of school children visiting the local recycler, there is a group of PhD’s from Cisco taking their own field trip. Their objective is to gain insights on how to design products that are easier to recycle. This is just one of the many innovative programs that Cisco’s “Green Czar” Paul Marcoux established. Read more >>

Hey You: Turn it off

2009-07-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

My dad used to yell at us kids to turn off the lights or TV once we left a room. It appears he would have a full-time job in Corporate America with all the devices left on. Many leaders react with a yawn when I suggest that a simple yet effective energy savings technique is to dial-down or turn-off equipment. Pay-back can be astounding as Cisco, Gilead, Intuit, Intel and Con-way Freight have found. Read more >>

HP's IT Transformation

2009-07-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

HP recently completed a data center consolidation to upgrade infrastructure and reduce operating expenses. Although the focus was on operating efficiency, this still makes an excellent green case study, since a function that is inefficient is likely to be wasting natural resources.

Part 1: HP's Data Center consolidation >>
Part 2: Office consolidation & commute impacts >>

Hidden Costs of Thirsty Landscaping

2009-07-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

Gilead, a leader in pharmaceuticals, is best known for its ground-breaking use of biotechnology. This week, Gilead is supporting an older kind of biology. At its Palo Alto, California location, Gilead removed its water thirsty lawn and replaced it with drought tolerant California natives that will attract hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

The surprising fact is that California water processes are the largest user of energy within the state. The opportunities for conservation of water and energy are enormous. Commercial and public landscaping consume one third of California's water. Conserving is a double win where both energy and water resources are saved. Read more

Google Visit Part 2: Facilities

2009-07-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

Building many of its facilities recently, Google took advantage of the greenest techniques and products currently available. Other companies may still benefit from the approaches Google used since many green building improvements provide a high return-on-investment (ROI). Read more >>

Get On the (Google) Bus

2009-07-02T04:37:00.000-07:00

Google has launched two innovative programs, the Google bus service and a small fleet of hybrid cars in addition to more traditional commuter programs. Given that transportation accounts for more than 50% of the greenhouse gases that are emitted in the Bay Area as reported by the Bay Area Air Quality Management Board, Google’s efforts on commuting is an important contribution.

Energy EcoSystem

2009-06-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

The energy landscape is complex and often confusing. To help organize my thoughts on the topic, I developed a 4-square matrix by Supply and Demand outlining issues and challenges. Upcoming blog entries will review progress towards solutions.

Review energy matrix and supporting article >>

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

2009-05-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Transportation is the second largest contributor to GHG pollution. Learn ways Business can reduce its GHG pollution while reducing expenses.

View the slideshare presentation.

Paperless Office, Really!

2009-04-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Back in the last millennium, the paperless office was heralded a number of times with great fanfare. After each such pronouncement that the paperless office had finally arrived, paper use increased.But I have seen Nirvana at one of my clients, Cisco. Read more >>

e-Waste: Handle With Care

2008-05-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

Advancements in technology has created a gargantuan e-waste problem where US businesses contribute 20 - 30 million tons of e-waste annually. Most equipment is disposed of improperly or awaiting disposal. Government officials estimate that 50 - 75% of all computer equipment is in storage awaiting disposal.Read more >>

Change The Light Bulbs

2008-04-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

In California, 22% of office building energy is used for lighting. Most businesses use halogen lighting, which wastes 97% of its energy toward creating heat while a paltry 3% is used to create light. In summer this heat by-product also adds to the building’s cooling load. Changing to more efficient lighting will provide a 3 to 5 times improvement compared to halogen.

Read full article including plan and resources

Idle Equipment: Switch It Off

2008-03-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

Idle equipment is stealthily consuming electricity.Office equipment consumes 26% of an office building’s energy. Studies have found that 40 to 50% of computers are left on continuously and most computers even when the user is in the office are mostly idle. Read more >>

Focus on the Data Center

2008-02-21T21:34:00.000-08:00

Energy use has increased 4 to 5 times in the last decade at data centers with on-going use projected to grow more than twice as fast as total electricity use. Read more >>

Use Paper Wisely

2008-01-19T05:14:00.000-08:00

Every year, business uses the equivalent of 2 Trillion sheets of paper. The results of the information age is to fuel an unrelenting demand for paper. Paper usage tripled in the last 30 years and is expected to continue to grow 10% annually.

Pulp and paper production is the second largest user of energy and water of U.S. manufacturing and third largest contributor to pollution. Read full article with plans and resources.

Telecommute

2007-12-20T19:14:00.000-08:00

Commuting is likely to be a large component of your firm's carbon footprint. If every car commuter in the US were to telecommute one day per week, we would then reduce GHG by 18 Million tons annually. Read full article including tips and resources.