Articles

EC 014: Lean and Green Workflow Improvement – The 8 Wastes

Summary In this podcast, I play the recording of the presentation I gave with fellow Lean and Green expert Kjell Van Zoen at the Provender Alliance conference in Hood River, Oregon on Oct 6, 2016. We talk about Lean basics (single piece flow, 5S, kaizen, Taiichi Ohno, value and culture) and focus on our personal experiences
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EC 013: Interview #2 on e6s Methods Podcast about Greening Your Lean Event

Summary For episode 13, I’m playing another interview I had with e6s Methods podcast, hosted by Aaron Spearin. We go over tips for greening your 5s events. I also go over this in detail in Episode 9 of my podcast, which you can find at LeanSixSigmaEnvironment.org. In this episode, we go beyond just the green discussion,
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The Wild Side of Heijunka

This article was originally posted in the Lean Green Institute website by Kelly Singer. As sea level rises due to climate change, a significant portion of alligators’ freshwater and brackish marsh habitat may face an incursion or inundation of saltwater. Heijunka is an essential practice of the Toyota Production System to maintain a stable and
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EC 012: Setting up a Green Team at Work

Summary For the next podcast, I wanted to talk about setting up and improving an environmental (eco) green team at your work. This is one of the early activities you can do to improve sustainability at your job, or within organizations you work with. I discuss my own experiences with creating and maintaining green teams at
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Tips to reduce energy at your company

We are in the middle of a Green Belt project, to reduce energy in our company. Our initial efforts to make significant reductions in energy were not funded (LED lighting upgrade), so we’re looking at other less costly ways to reduce energy. This is one reason why I like Six Sigma projects. Typically, people have ideas to
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Lean, Green, and Modular

This article was originally posted in the Lean Green Institute website by Kelly Singer. Traditional vehicle manufacturers have typically developed and produced new models every year to replace old, phased out models.  Perhaps a savvy sales strategy at one point, this practice not only results in a waste of valuable materials from discontinued models and parts,
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US EPA announces new focus and structure for Lean Practices

On June 21, 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a policy statement and memorandum on applying Lean practices within the department. Lean Practices Policy and Memo (6/21/2016) In the memo, the Acting Deputy Administrator A. Stanley Meiburg provides a quick summary of the policy statement, and gives support for the Lean efforts to
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EC 010: Interview on e6s Methods Podcast about Lean Six Sigma and the Environment

Summary For the next podcast, I wanted to play an interview I had with Aaron and Jacob. They run the e6s Methods podcast. We recorded one back in 2015, just a year ago. That was going over Lean Six Sigma and the Environment. It ended up being two different podcasts, so I’m going to combine them
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Lean Green Waste: Linear Materials

This article was originally posted in the Lean Green Institute website by Kelly Singer. Most of the things we extract from the earth and manufacture end up in landfills. An estimated 90 percent of materials extracted to make durable goods in the United States become waste almost immediately in the manufacturing process. Once the product is made,
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