Sustainability – Project Green A to Z

Is the Sharing Economy the next big thing?

December 26, 2012October 5, 2021Leave a comment

Every time I hear about the sharing economy, I think it’s an idea so great it has to catch on like wildfire. What could make more sense than eschewing rampant consumerism in favor of sharing? It’s clear we need to stop buying stuff we’ll rarely use and instead move to sharing, so we can access that stuff just when we need it.

But I live in San Francisco, where I’m surrounded by like-minded people. Is the sharing economy really the next big thing that’s already happening?

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Another take on green project management

September 4, 2012October 5, 2021Leave a comment

Over a year ago, I attended a webinar by the authors of Green Project Management, who argued convincingly that although projects fall on a spectrum from those that are green by definition to those that may have a few green elements, any project can be run in a more sustainable manner.

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The power of one

August 5, 2011October 5, 2021Leave a comment

IMAG0385 — Sue Amar, EcoTuesday ambassador Jesse Martinez, and EcoTuesday co-founder Nikki Pava

At a recent EcoTuesday gathering in San Francisco, Sue Amar, Sustainability Officer at salesforce.com, referenced what Malcolm Gladwell calls the “law of the few” (aka the 80/20 principle), according to which 20% of the people will bring about 80% of the changes in the world. She’s a prime example of this herself, having single-handedly started a robust sustainability program at salesforce.com.

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Is Walmart really green?

July 30, 2011October 5, 20214 Comments

Now and then, you hear something about Walmart going green. But what does this really mean? Isn’t Walmart an evil mega-store known for selling low-quality products and treating its employees badly? So how can we trust their talk about sustainability? I learned more about this last weekend, at a Green Project Management seminar titled “The Tipping Point: Walmart’s Journey to Sustainability.” Sustainability strategist Mikhail Davis discussed Walmart’s commitment to sustainability, from his vantage point of having been one of the consultants who helped them in this effort. Continue reading “Is Walmart really green?” →

Auto companies embrace sustainability

May 13, 2011October 5, 2021Leave a comment

In a recent post I covered some of what my employer, Adobe Systems, is doing in the area of sustainability. I’m glad to note that we’re just one part of a larger trend in business. Many others are joining in as they see the effects of going green on their bottom line, and a recent MIT Sloan report finds that most businesses are anticipating “a world where sustainability is becoming a mainstream, if not required, part of the business strategy.” Continue reading “Auto companies embrace sustainability” →

California hopes to speed the transition to clean energy

May 12, 2011October 5, 2021Leave a comment

IMAG0108 — Panama Bartholemy and Stephanie Wang at the San Francisco Green Festival

This post was originally published on The Energy Collective.

Those of us who live in California often have occasion to feel proud of our state’s leadership in the area of clean energy. The spring 2011 San Francisco Green Festival provided another such opportunity at the session on “Accelerating the Transition to Clean Energy,” with speakers Panama Bartholemy of the CA Energy Commission and Stephanie Wang from the Clean Coalition. Continue reading “California hopes to speed the transition to clean energy” →

What is green project management?

May 8, 2011October 5, 20216 Comments

As someone interested in both project management and sustainability, I’ve been wondering how to bring the two together. And lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about green project management. But the discussion is often made up of questions — the main one being, What is green project management? Continue reading “What is green project management?” →

Green initiatives at Adobe

April 17, 2011October 5, 20217 Comments

IMAG0077 — Erica Priggen showing a clip from The Story of Bottled Water

I was delighted to be able to host last month’s EcoTuesday meeting at the San Francisco office of Adobe Systems, where I work as a Program Manager. The evening’s featured speaker was Erica Priggen, Executive Producer at Free Range Studios. This organization has a knack for conveying powerful messages in a concise, engaging, and entertaining manner and is responsible for such hits as the award-winning The Story of Stuff. At the EcoTuesday gathering, we got to see a sampling of their work. Continue reading “Green initiatives at Adobe” →

EcoTuesday meeting March 22

March 8, 2011October 5, 20213 Comments

I’m excited to report that the next San Francisco EcoTuesday gathering will be hosted at my workplace, the Adobe San Francisco office at 601 Townsend. EcoTuesday is a unique, structured monthly networking event for sustainable business leaders held concurrently in nine cities across the country. If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, I invite you to join me on March 22, 6:30 pm, for a fun and informative evening. Continue reading “EcoTuesday meeting March 22” →

Mixed results in 2010 elections

November 15, 2010October 5, 2021Leave a comment

For some, knowing that California’s Proposition 23 was largely funded by two Texas oil companies (along with the Koch brothers) might have been enough of a reason to vote against it. Similarly, Proposition 26 got major funding from big oil and tobacco companies. But what does the recent defeat of Prop 23, and the passing of Prop 26, actually mean? And why was one defeated and the other similar one approved, by the same voters?

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