Behavior-Centered Design (BCD)

BCD is an approach that blends behavioral science and design thinking to create breakthrough solutions to environmental challenges. It can also be referred to as human-centered design. Design approaches put people at the heart of solutions using a creative methodology and is built with behavior change in mind. The video highlights an 8-step approach, that

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,

Book Review for “Fostering Sustainable Behavior”

“Fostering Sustainable Behavior” was written to provide resources to those designing and implementing sustainability initiatives, such as reducing waste, increasing energy efficiency, reducing water consumption, and altering transportation patterns. (p.x) Fostering Sustainable Behavior >>> Mackenzie-Mohr and Smith promote an effective concept called “community-based social marketing”. At first, I didn’t understand what this meant, and almost

Use post-it notes to change other people’s wasteful behavior!

Where I work, I see a lot of people leaving their computers on, leaving lights on in their office. Those that work in the factory leave the test equipment and other electronic devices on as well. Instead of complaining, I decided to make up some bright green post-it notes, and place them on the device,

Electricity metrics: Driving the wrong behavior!

I am working on some energy reduction projects at work. One potential project is to improve the efficiency of some of our equipment, so it uses less electricity. The problem is that the savings don’t actually reduce our electric bill, but it does reduce the electricity that our energy provider would have to supply to

E123: Driving Lean Leadership into Government with Andrew Rowe

In this episode, I share an interview I had with Andrew Rowe, former CEO and Executive Chairman of AllMed Healthcare Management in Portland, Oregon. After 20 years of leading AllMed through a Lean transformation, he is now focusing his time on bringing Lean and quality principes into the Portland metro area as a community service

E120: Tackling Green with Lean – Lean Global Connection 2024

In this episode, I share a presentation that the Lean Sustainability Global Network (an unofficial team that I’m involved with) gave at the Lean Global Connection virtual conference in Nov 2024. We share how Lean principles can be applied to tackle pressing environmental challenges and improve processes. For example, Lean and Green expands the traditional

E118: Supply Chains for Good – Interview with C.J. Nord

In this episode, we interview C.J. Nord, a passionate supply chain manager and consultant, who shares her journey towards driving societal change through supply chain. As the founder of Supply Chains for Good, C.J. discusses her extensive career in supply chain management, her recovery from cancer, and how that inspired her skills to launch impactful

E117: Transforming Healthcare with Lean Six Sigma – Interview with Sarah Cook

In this episode, I interviewed Sarah Cook, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt consultant from Pepper Foster Consulting in Portland, Oregon. She shares her journey from the VA medical center to becoming a performance engineer in healthcare. She discusses the application of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to healthcare, the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare