E057: Lean Six Sigma for Good Presentation at Rose-Hulman

In this first podcast renamed as “Lean Six Sigma for Good” (formerly called “Earth Consultants”), I explain the change in podcast title and purpose. In the audio, I share a presentation I gave at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN in early December, to share my experiences apply Lean and Six Sigma to

1992 Earth Charter key to driving Toyota’s environmental efforts

If you’ve studied Lean methods, you know that Toyota is the company that is responsible for developing the infrastructure behind almost all of the methods. But what I found very interesting is that they are also a leader in sustainability and corporate environmental leadership. Coincidence? I don’t think so… Over the last decade, most major

EC 054: Lean and Sustainability at Portland Business Alliance Sustainability Roundtable

In this podcast, I share the audio from a presentation I gave to the Portland Business Alliance (our local Chamber of Commerce). They have a Sustainability Roundtable each quarter, and I was asked to talk about my application of Lean to sustainability efforts. You can watch the video below to see the slides that accompany

EC 052: Integrating Sustainability Into Your Lean Six Sigma Program Initiative at Dallas AME

In this podcast, I gave this presentation at the AME Annual Conference in Dallas in October 2016 called “Integrating Sustainability Into Your Lean Six Sigma Program Initiative” I discuss adding green into improvement initiatives, how to communicate sustainability to existing improvement personnel, how existing tools can be modified to consider environmental impacts, how organizations and

How “walks”​ can help reduce the environmental footprint of your company

My first job out of college was working for a large aerospace company as a full-time process improvement specialist (called a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt) to help the company solve problems and save money. Most of my work involved improving the quality and speed of manufacturing a product. As I started to learn more

EC 047: Lean and Energy Efficiency with Kjell van Zoen of Energy 350

In this podcast, I share a presentation given by Kjell van Zoen, who was a lean consultant and small business owner, and who now runs the Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program for Energy 350. He explains how there are strong overlaps in SEM and Lean principles, and how he is applying his lean skills to

Reducing Energy Through Behavior Change Requires Multi-Pronged Approach [ASQ]

This is an article I wrote that was published by the Energy and Environment Division of ASQ in Sept 2018 When evaluating energy reduction ideas within your organization, employee behavior changes are usually the most cost-effective solutions.  These require less approval from management, very little up-front investment, and can engage employees in ongoing improvements. However,