lean waste stream book review

Book Review: “Lean Waste Stream” by Marc Jensen

The newly published book, “Lean Waste Stream:Reducing Material Use and Garbage Using Lean Principles” is full of resources and information that will make you look at garbage from a new perspective. Normally, we cringe at the thought of digging through the garbage due to uncertainty or embarrassment at what might be found, along with the

Use Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEP) to drive sustainability

If you have a small or mid-sized company in the United States (or Puerto Rico), and are in the manufacturing industry, there is a Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) available to help you. MEP Centers are a diverse network of state, university-based, and non-profit organizations, offering products and services that help manufacturers increase profits, create jobs
fostering sustainable behaviors book review

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

Hyundai’s Corporate Social Responsiblity discussion with John Krafcik

In an interview with John Krafcik is best known for coming up with the term “Lean” during his time at MIT, as part of a research team comparing American and Japanese automobile manufacturing. He joined Hyundai in 2004 as vice president of Product Development and Strategic Planning after tenures at Ford Motor Company and the

Green Your Work by Kim Carlson – Book Review

Green Your Work was written by Kim Carlson, who has led several different businesses through a green transformation, and well before all the “cool kids” were doing it. Green Your Work: Boost Your Bottom Line While Reducing Your Carbon Footprint The book is very well organized, into three main section, for a total of 14

Compare airline flights to determine lowest carbon impact

Brighter Planet has created a cool plugin called Careplane (link no longer active, anyone have an update?).  For each flight option that comes up in your search for airline flights, a calculation of the amount of metric pounds of carbon equivalents (carbon footprint) will be displayed below each trip option. The plugin connects to your favorite travel

Top 5 reasons why environmental problems can hide within a Lean Six Sigma initiative

Lean and Six Sigma are established approaches to improving processes to make organizations more successful. It seems only natural that we would be able to reduce environmental problems with these same approaches. Just by having an improvement program, you will naturally improve the environment when you take out waste and inefficiencies in your company. However,

Lean Manufacturing’s Unexpected Windfall: A Lower Carbon Footprint

This article originally appeared in SustainablePlant.com, written by Paul Studebaker, Editor-in-Chief on March 27, 2013. The website is no longer active, so I am re-posting the article. In his presentation, “Lean Manufacturing’s Unexpected Windfall: a Lower Carbon Footprint,” at ABB Automation and Power World in Orlando, Florida, Charles Cohon, CEO, Prime Devices Corp., said he

Toyota Kentucky facility reflects parent company’s commitment to the environment

I was fortunate to take a tour of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) facility in Georgetown, KY. I say fortunate because it is one of the best manufacturing facilities in North America, and Toyota is one of the top companies in the world. When you want to benchmark how a company implements lean and