Lean Six Sigma for Good – All Episodes
E119: Applying Lean within Municipal Electric and Water Utilities – Interview with Jennifer Peterson / November 27, 2024
In this episode, we interview Jennifer Peterson, the manager of Continuous Improvement at Muscatine Power and Water (MPW) in Muscatine, Iowa. She discusses how she got into continuous improvement (CI) and the impact it has had on MPW employees and customers.She highlights the importance of:Jennifer also shares several examples of successful CI projects at MPW,
E118: Supply Chains for Good – Interview with C.J. Nord / October 30, 2024
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 / October 24, 2024
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
E116: Using Energy Treasure Hunts and Energy SWAPs to Engage Employees and Reduce Costs / September 9, 2024
In March of 2024, the Iowa Sustainable Business Forum (ISBF) and Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) were still separate organizations, and they agreed to host a joint webinar to promote Energy Efficiency and Lean. I was fortunate to connect up with Paul Lemar, Jr. from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), who has
E115: Using Lean to Minimize Waste Within ESG Initiatives / July 16, 2024
Continuing our discussion on Lean Six Sigma and ESG, I brought back last episode’s guest, Erin Bauer (Product Development Manager at ASQE) and added a new guest, Beth Cudney. She is a Professor of Data Analytics and the Program Coordinator for Data Analytics at Maryville University. She received her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from North
E114: Sustainability Benchmarking Studies with Erin Bauer / July 2, 2024
I had a great interview with Erin Bauer, who is the Product Development Manager at ASQE, which is a trade association created by ASQ to provide benchmarking assistance to corporations within ASQ. One of their key products is the Insights on Excellence® (IoE) Benchmarking Tool. The benchmarking survey results are available to members and nonmembers
E113: Applying Lean Six Sigma within Nonprofits and Life Coaching with Aleshia Jordan / May 16, 2024
I had a great interview with Aleshia Jordan a few weeks ago, to discuss how she transitioned from finance to Lean and Six Sigma consulting, and how she is now taking her Master Black Belt skills and over 20 years of experience into her firm Virtualocity, LLC to help organizations, nonprofits and individuals in their
E112: Applying Lean Six Sigma to Healthcare and Career Development with Sarah Tilkens / May 6, 2024
Making a real difference in your organization can be a struggle, but there is a way to leverage powerful tools and strategies to drive positive change, while also boosting your own career development. In this episode, I introduce you to Sarah Tilkens, a former biologist turned operational excellence leader, who cracked the code on impactful
E111: Apply Lean to Nonprofit Boards with Sally Toister / April 8, 2024
Sally worked many years in the hospitality industry applying Lean Six Sigma, and she shares her experiences to improve the guest experience. She also shares an example of a project that determined the optimal reward points to get customers to agree to reduced or no housekeeping, which was good for the environment, resulting in less
E110: Lean for Community Projects with Lean Portland – Lean Global Connection 2023 / February 20, 2024
In this podcast, I share the presentation given by my peers who helped us create the Lean Portland group back in 2015. They gave this presentation at the Lean Global Connection on November 30, 2023. It is a free annual online event put on by the Lean Global Network (LGN). The event took place over
E109: Applying Lean Tools to Environmental and Social Challenges – Lean Global Connection 2023 / February 14, 2024
In this podcast, I share the presentation I gave virtually at the Lean Global Connection on December 1, 2023. It is a free annual online event put on by the Lean Global Network (LGN). The event took place over a 24-hour period. All the presentations were recorded, and I encourage you to check out all
E108: Interview with Maria Grzanka and Reed Harrison / December 21, 2023
In this podcast, I share an interview I had with Reed Harrison, Executive Director of Mind Matters Portland, and Maria Grzanka, a process improvement expert and prolific volunteer in Portland, Oregon. Reed worked in Supply Chain management and Operations with major companies like Adidas and Columbia Sportswear, but ended up as Executive Director at Mind
E107: Lean Methods for Sustainable Businesses – ISBF Webinar Series / December 12, 2023
In this podcast, I share a presentation that was Part 1 of a 2-part sustainability webinar series sponsored by Iowa Sustainable Business Forum and Iowa Lean Consortium (part of CIRAS). It was geared towards introducing those in sustainability roles to Lean methods, which have become some of the most popular improvement methods used in high-performing
E106: Lean and Green Case Study – Prefab Home Manufacturer Saves $300K / November 27, 2023
In this podcast, I share a “Lean and Green” case study I supported for a prefab home manufacturer in California in 2020-2021. I was asked to speak to the Industrial and Systems Engineers class by Professor Corey Kiassat at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT. He contacted me after my presentation at the Lean Global Connection
E105: Improving Government Services to Protect Children and Elections with Kerry L. Bass / September 15, 2023
In this podcast, I interview Kerry Lewis Bass, who has many years of experience improving processes in the corporate world and within government agencies. He has recently launched his consulting business to assist leaders in an organization to “develop, and successfully implement, assess and improve operational strategy and initiatives.” We discuss his work in government
E104: How Process Improvement Can Help Address Climate Change with David Saunders / August 24, 2023
In this episode, I speak with David Saunders, who is a retired Quality consultant and has focused his next career on using improvement tools to reduce the impact of climate change. He is a Certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P) through the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), and volunteers with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
E103: Applying Lean and Social Responsibility within Interface with Billy Ingram / June 5, 2023
In this episode, I speak with my good friend Billy Ingram, who is the Director of Lean Product and Process Development at Interface. We discuss his process improvement background prior to Interface, then talk about his current work that is extending the environmental sustainability vision provided by founder Ray Anderson. He has helped developed more
E102: How Massport uses Lean to Achieve Sustainable Airport Operations / April 20, 2023
In this podcast, I share a webinar held with Dr. Luciana Bardi and Darcy DeGeorge from the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). MassPort is a state authority responsible for three airports including Logan International Airport, four maritime facilities as well as real estate in Boston. They give an overview of Massport along with the lean engineering
E101: Applying Lean to Healthcare and Nonprofit Boards with Katie Anderson / April 13, 2023
In this interview, I talk with Katie Anderson, a leadership coach who has extensive lean experience in healthcare, and author of the award-winning Lean management book, “Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn.” She lived in Japan for many years, where she learned directly from John Shook‘s former manager, Isao Yoshino, and the book is a
E100: How Lean Six Sigma Professionals Can Make The World A Better Place – Orlando March 2023 / March 24, 2023
I’m very excited about episode 100, it’s a great milestone in any podcaster’s journey. Thank you for listening! It has taken many years to get to this, but it’s a sustainable pace that has worked for me, and why I feel that I can get to #200 someday. In this 100th podcast, I share a
E099: Rethinking Humanitarian Aid with Andrew Parris / February 24, 2023
In this podcast, I share a video of a speech given by Andrew Parris, Process Excellence Manager at Medair. The presentation was given at the Berlin Science Week 2021 that was organised by ETH Zürich. Andrew discusses how continuous improvement and Lean can make nongovernmental organization (NGO) money go further. He also mentions there are
E098: Lean and Green Interview with The Lean Effect Podcast / November 22, 2022
In this podcast, I was interviewed by Mark Dejong on his The Lean Effect Podcast back in June 2021 (episode 34). We talked about my journey from statistician to Principal Lean consultant, and how Lean Six Sigma is beneficial for the environment, and applicable to our personal lives. We also discuss wastes we normally don’t
E097: Using Six Sigma to Address Racial Equity with Joy Mason / November 11, 2022
In this podcast, I talk to my friend, Joy Mason, CEO and founder of Optimist Business Solutions, and the founder of The Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute™ (SSREI), which is an innovative leadership program designed to upskill Black Women to be complex problem solvers. We discuss her background in continuous improvement, why she started Optimist
E096: Interviews from IISE Annual Volunteer Service Project at Southcenter Store near Seattle / October 1, 2022
In this podcast, I extract the audio from a published video by IISE that recapped our last volunteer service project in Seattle in May 2022. We have been conducting these volunteer events prior to each annual conference since 2012, and this was the first one we’ve had since the pandemic. You can read about prior
E095: Applying Lean Six Sigma to College and K-12 Education with Jenelle Zito / September 14, 2022
In this podcast, I interviewed Jenelle Zito, who is the Director Of Continuous Improvement at Racine Unified School District (RUSD). Prior to joining RUSD about 5 years ago, she implemented process improvement at Gateway Technical College as a Quality Champion, after earning her Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belt certification. She shares examples of
E094: Applying Six Sigma at the YMCA with Jorge Perez / June 17, 2022
In this podcast, I interviewed Jorge Perez, who is the President & CEO of YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. Early in his career, he helped students into college and keep them from getting into drugs, gangs and dropping out of school. He realized that getting to the root cause of the issue (not having a support
E093: Lean and Green Project to Reduce Wastewater in State of Washington / June 5, 2022
In today’s episode, I share a presentation from the IISE Seattle conference on May 23, 2022. Joshua Fowler from Romac Industries starts off the presentation by giving some background on the project that I was involved with as the lean consultant, and Michael Johnson from Lean Environment Inc. discusses the technical solutions applied to reduce
E092: Process Improvement in Nonprofit Daycare with Elisabeth Swan / February 20, 2022
In today’s episode, I interviewed Elisabeth Swan, who has over 30 years of process improvement experience with a great background working for consulting firms like Rath & Strong and Pivotal Resources. She has lots of experience working with nonprofits, government, hospitality, healthcare, entertainment (including work on “Saved by the Bell”), and the for-profit sector. She
E091: Process Improvement in Not-for-Profit Sectors with Tracy O’Rourke / February 8, 2022
In today’s episode, I interviewed Tracy O’Rourke, who has over 20 years of process improvement experience, working with nonprofits, government, education, military and the for-profit sector. She teaches Lean and Six Sigma at the University of California-San Diego (UCSD), is the co-host of the podcast and video series, Just-in-Time Cafe (with Elisabeth Swan), and is
E090: Guest Interview on Environmentally Conscious Nation Podcast from Aug 2021 / January 12, 2022
In today’s episode, I share the interview I had with D.J. Vagnetti, host of the Environmentally Conscious Nation podcast. I don’t think his podcast is still active, otherwise I would recommend listening directly to the episode. This interview assumes that the audience doesn’t know much about process improvement or Lean or Six Sigma, so if
E089: 2021 Lean Six Sigma for Good – Year in Review / December 29, 2021
Today I recapped the last year, and give some insights into my plans for 2022. It’s a shorter episode than usual, so hopefully you have time to listen to it during the holidays. I recap the past podcast episodes that I released, along with ones I was interviewed on. I also discuss the LeanSixSigmaForGood.com and
E088: Using Toyota Kata to Help Local Food Banks with Hugh Alley / November 2, 2021
Our guest is Hugh Alley, an experienced lean practitioner and industrial engineer, who has experience with the Toyota Kata method of improvement. He has recently applied this approach to a nonprofit food bank in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada called Loaves and Fishes. This approach was based on the KataLab approach developed for the food
E087: Applying Lean to Nonprofits and Healthcare with Matt Horvat / October 25, 2021
My good friend Matt Horvat is the founder of Lean Portland, and has extensive experience in process improvement in various industries like Construction, Healthcare, Insurance and Consulting. He discusses why he set up Lean Portland, and shares his first pro bono volunteer projects with a nonprofit in Portland. We discuss: his background in Industrial Engineering
E086: Helping Nonprofits with Process Improvement through Consulting and Volunteering with Lauren Neder / October 6, 2021
In this podcast, I talk with Lauren Neder, Industrial Engineer and lean consultant working with nonprofit organizations as a consultant and volunteer. She shares her experience working with a nonprofit in Haiti (in person and virtually), and how she is learning how to approach nonprofit organizations with process improvement. We discuss: how she transitioned from
E085: Applying Lean and Agile for People and the Planet with Brad Jeavons / August 31, 2021
In this podcast, I talk with Brad Jeavons, lean and Agile consultant with SA Partners. He is the host of the Enterprise Enterprise podcast. An episode we did together for his podcast will be released soon. Brad and I got along great, as we have similar passions around sustainability, the environment and social issues. During
E084: Everyday Innovation and Ideas Programs in the State of Colorado / July 9, 2021
In this podcast, I facilitated a webinar on engaging employees to gather innovation and improvement ideas with two agencies within the State of Colorado. The event was hosted by the Colorado Lean Network. You will first hear from Corey Niemeyer from the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) about their IDEA center, which stands for
E083: Kata for Good and #RootCauseRacism with Deondra Wardelle / June 22, 2021
In this podcast, I interview Deondra Wardelle, whom I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the past year. She is a strategic thinker and consultant based in Indianapolis (Indiana) who focuses on coaching, empowering and developing individuals towards achieving their personal and professional goals. Her passion and life’s calling is using Continuous Improvement
E082: Improving Government, Healthcare and NGOs with Clare DiFrisco / May 28, 2021
In this podcast, I interview Clare DiFrisco. She is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and owner/co-founder of Cannsult, a consulting firm based in the US and Australia that also offers an e-learning platform on Leadership and Lean Six Sigma. She is a hands-on practitioner, leader, coach and facilitator with many years of experience
E081: Lean Implementation at the University of Michigan with Lisa Earls / May 2, 2021
In this podcast, I interview Lisa Earls, who is the Senior Operational Improvement Consultant at the University of Michigan. She spent almost 5 years at the University of North Dakota before taking this new role in 2019. We discuss how she is helping teach and coach staff at the University of Michigan on lean principles
E080: Using Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to Transform Government and Nonprofits with Michael Areola / March 27, 2021
In this podcast, I interview Michael Areola, who is a Product Development consultant and Agile Coach at Cenmic Management in Katy, Texas (near Houston). He uses Agile processes and frameworks to streamline development processes, increase team efficiency, drive collaboration and reduce wasted time. He is a Project Management Professional and Agile Certified Practitioner from PMI,
E079: Lessons Learned in Applying Improvement Methods to the Public Sector with John Corliss / February 1, 2021
In this podcast, I shared a presentation that I moderated at the 2020 IISE Annual Conference. I am the Sustainable Development Division President for 2020-2021. Due to the pandemic, we originally delayed the in-person conference from May to November, but ultimately had to go 100% virtual. It was originally scheduled to be in New Orleans,
E078: Importance of Leadership Systems for Improving Nonprofits and Government / January 17, 2021
In this podcast, I interview Daniel Edds, Lean Leadership consultant and author. We discuss his work with nonprofits, government agencies and manufacturing companies. His recent focus is the importance of creating a strong leadership system to create proper structure and support of your continuous improvement methods. You can watch the full video here… Links Daniel
E077: Applying Lean Six Sigma to a Sustainable Business in Micronesia / November 8, 2020
In this podcast, I share a presentation I gave at the IISE Annual Virtual conference on Nov 2, 2020. I explain how I helped apply Lean and Six Sigma methods to this small sustainable business making eco-friendly wallets, business cards and other paper products on the island of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia.
E076: 2020 Excellence in Sustainable Development Award Winner – City of Fort Collins / October 5, 2020
In this podcast, I interview Pete Iengo and Jamie Gaskill from the City of Fort Collins (Colorado, USA). The City of Fort Collins in Colorado (USA) has been on a continuous improvement journey since 2010. They made great progress on their Income-Qualified Assistance Program (IQAP) to help residents pay their utility bills, and were recognized as the
E075: Saving the Timber – Henry Ford’s Today and Tomorrow / September 17, 2020
In this episode, I share chapter 11 of the 1926 book, “Today and Tomorrow” by Henry Ford. In this chapter, he discusses how they reduced their use of wood while still increasing production. He also talks about minimizing fuel usage and reducing metal scrap. He applied his improvement methods to all aspects of his business,
E074: Setting Up a Lean Six Sigma Volunteer Group in Your City / September 16, 2020
In this episode, I provide more details for anyone interested in setting up a local volunteer group to provide process improvement consulting to nonprofits in your area. You can find a list of existing volunteer groups on LeanSixSigmaforGood.com I cover the following recommended steps: Find an organizer Find a small organizing group Hold kickoff meeting
E073: Reuse Organization Performance Metrics with Chris Pletcher / August 23, 2020
Chris Pletcher is the Business Developer (and “Jack of all trades”) at Finger Lakes ReUse. I met him at the 2019 Build Reuse conference in Pittsburgh, PA and saw a presentation he gave about the metrics and data he uses at the reuse store to improve sales and manage expenses. We had a lengthy discussion
E072: Food Systems Projects Between Schools and Nonprofits / August 15, 2020
For the 2020-2021 year, I am the President of the IISE Sustainable Development Division. The mission of the group is to help align Industrial and Systems Engineers with organizations working on the UN Sustainable Development goals. This is the 2nd interview we’ve done this year, the first one was with Bradley Miller from the University
E071: Interview with Brad Miller from University of Houston / July 19, 2020
In this podcast, I interview Brad Miller, who is Senior Professor of Practice in the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, and teaches courses in Supply Chain Management. He shares his success with teaching students how to apply lean and Six Sigma methods in their homes and at their part-time jobs, including
E070: Interview with Tim Turner with CQPO / June 13, 2020
In this podcast, I interview Tim Turner, who used to work at Toyota in Kentucky (TMMK) for 22 years, and has done a lot of work with nonprofits and not-for-profit organizations. He was also a co-author on Volume 2 of the Lean Six Sigma for Good book series (still in process, but available for download),
E069: Interview with LSS Master Black Belt Amanda Zimmerman / May 20, 2020
In this podcast, I interviewed Amanda Zimmerman, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt here in Portland, who has a wide and extensive background. We worked together briefly at a local not-for-profit, and have stayed connected for the past few years. She talks about her journey from history major to learning about Six Sigma, her
E068: Applying Lean Six Sigma to Nonprofit Organizations on ISSSP / May 18, 2020
In this podcast, I share a webinar I gave for the International Society of Six Sigma Professionals (ISSSP) in March 2020. Lean Six Sigma methods have been proven to be effective in corporations and businesses, but how does this discipline apply in the nonprofit world? This webinar will discuss how nonprofits use Lean Six Sigma
E067: Can Six Sigma Help The Recycling Problem With China? / May 3, 2020
In this podcast, I read a recent article I wrote about the way Six Sigma methods can be used to address recycling contamination rates in the United States, which has halted the flow of recycling into China. Included in the article is a video summary of a Six Sigma project I worked on at a
E066: IISE Podcast Interview with Liz McCartney about Disaster Recovery / April 16, 2020
In this podcast, I repost an interview I had with Liz McCartney, Executive Director of St Bernard Project (SBP), a nonprofit organization she founded with her husband Zack Rosenberg to rebuild homes and help victims recover from natural disasters. They moved from DC to New Orleans to help out after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005,
E065: Book Review – Why Governments Don’t Think They Make Widgets / April 12, 2020
In this podcast, I read a book review I wrote recently about the book “We Don’t Make Widgets” written by Ken Miller. His book discusses the challenges and myths of process improvement in Government. Links Ken Miller Bio Examples of Lean Six Sigma in Government Books We Don’t Make Widgets: Overcoming the Myths That Keep
E064: Lean Startup Intro for MFA Students / April 5, 2020
In this podcast, I share a presentation about Lean Startup methods that I gave to students in the Masters of Fine Arts program at Pacific Northwest College of Arts (PNCA) in Portland. Lean Startup helps you get rapid feedback from your potential customers before spending too much time, money and effort on a new product
E063: Using Pareto Charts to Reduce Water and Energy / April 2, 2020
In this podcast, I read an article I wrote many years ago in response to data reported in the local paper on residential water usage. The topic is very pertinent at any time, so I thought it would be good to share with those that haven’t read it yet. The paper published the names of
E062: Warehouse Optimization to Feed the Hungry with Rise Against Hunger / March 27, 2020
In this podcast, I interviewed Courtney Hudson, Distribution Warehouse manager with Rise Against Hunger. They were awarded the inaugural “Excellence in Sustainable Development” Award in 2019. She shares the improvements they made to their warehouse operations to increase the number of packaged meals they send to countries in need. They are working to achieve SDG
E061: Lean Journey of Employee Gardens for Nonprofits / March 23, 2020
In this podcast, I share a presentation given by Joe Hnat from Collins Aerospace (formerly Rockwell Collins) at last year’s IISE Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida on May 19, 2019. He worked with his facility using lean principles and methods to find space for an employee garden on campus and make it successful. The fruits
E060: Sustainability Consulting Interview with Vanina Howan / March 19, 2020
In this podcast, I was interviewed by Vanina Howan on her podcast called The Ecopreneur Show. She asked me about my background in sustainability, how I transitioned into consulting on my own, and how I got involved with Recycling Advocates. I’m really proud of how this interview turned out. We delve into a host of
E059: Lean Six Sigma Workshop – Gresham Employees and Green Businesses / March 3, 2020
In this podcast, I share a presentation I gave on Jan 14, 2020 with the City of Gresham employees and Gresham Green Businesses. I was asked to teach them about Lean and Six Sigma methods by Gregg Hayward (who kicked off the event) and Shannon Martin. I’ve worked with both of them in the past
E058: Toyota and the Earth Charter / December 22, 2019
In this podcast, I re-read a recent post I made about the Earth Charter written by Toyota in 1992, which is their commitment to the environment. This is one of the early examples of corporate sustainability, and it happens to come from the company that brought us Lean, with their focus on “respect for people”
E057: Lean Six Sigma for Good Presentation at Rose-Hulman / December 21, 2019
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
EC 056: Applying Lean Six Sigma to Boulder Hospice Care Thrift Shop Donations / November 25, 2019
In this podcast, I share the audio from an interview I did with Lynn McCullough and Joe Wojniak (pronounced why-knock). Lynn runs the TRU Hospice Thrift Shop in Boulder, Colorado. TRU Thrift Shop sells donated household items and clothes to raise money to provide hospice care services for those in need. Joe is her brother,
EC 055: Engaging Staff and Volunteers – Deconstruction and Reuse Conference / November 10, 2019
In this podcast, I share the audio from a presentation I gave to the Deconstruction and Reuse Conference in Pittsburgh, PA on October 29, 2019. The conference was setup by the Build Reuse (formerly Building Material Reuse Association). I was invited to speak based on my work with reuse organizations like ReStore and The Rebuilding
EC 054: Lean and Sustainability at Portland Business Alliance Sustainability Roundtable / October 18, 2019
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 053: Six Sigma Project to Improve Stadium Recycling / August 18, 2019
In this podcast, I share the audio from a presentation I created about a Six Sigma project I setup and facilitated a few years back. The project helped improve the recycling program at the University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium. You can watch the video below to see additional photos and information that does not come
EC 052: Integrating Sustainability Into Your Lean Six Sigma Program Initiative at Dallas AME / August 6, 2019
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
EC 051: Spreading Lean Six Sigma Nonprofit Volunteering Around the World / May 27, 2019
In this podcast, I share a presentation I gave at the 2019 IISE Annual Conference in Orlando, FL on May 19, 2019. For the past 3 years, Lean and Six Sigma practitioners in Portland (Oregon) have been volunteering with local nonprofits to teach and mentor them on process improvement. The focus has been on environmental reuse nonprofits
EC 050: Update on Lean Six Sigma and the Environment Progress / May 25, 2019
In this podcast, I share an update on my recent work to apply Lean and Six Sigma techniques to reduce environmental impacts. I discuss the following topics: Monthly Coaching Calls Green Banana Paper (Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia) IISE Annual Conference Volunteer Service Project Excellence in Sustainable Development Award Clothing nonprofit work Links IISE Sustainable
EC 049: Interview with Erica Stanulis from Follow the Sun / May 24, 2019
In this podcast, I share an interview I had with Erica Stanulis, who runs the consulting firm called Follow the Sun. She has a strong background in Lean and Six Sigma and sustainability, and we met a the 1% for the Planet Global Summit in Portland in April, and realized we had a similar background
EC 047: Lean and Energy Efficiency with Kjell van Zoen of Energy 350 / May 14, 2019
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
EC 048: How 8 Wastes Impact the Environment / May 12, 2019
In this podcast, I share a snippet of a talk from the Master Brewers Association of America Northwest District Spring Meeting. I spoke as part of Lean Portland, along with Matt Horvat and Maria Grzanka. The full presentation is available on podcast and video. Links EPA Toolkit (reference for slide) Master Brewers Association of America
EC 046: Process Improvement Nonprofit Volunteering / April 20, 2019
In this podcast, I share a webinar that I gave to the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (as a board member of the Sustainable Development Division). The webinar is titled “Process Improvement Nonprofit Volunteering with Local IISE Chapters” I share some background on our Lean Portland group, and how it is connected to the
EC 045: Lean Startups for Social Change with Michel Gelobter / April 10, 2019
In this podcast, I share a webinar that I setup with Michel Gelobter, author of “Lean Startups for Social Change“ The webinar is titled “Experimenting Our Way to Meaningful Change” He discusses the Lean Startup approach, and how it can be used to quickly and efficiently improve social, environmental and community issues (homelessness, climate change,
EC 044: Lean Principles in the Building Reuse Industry (BMRA) / April 2, 2019
In this podcast, I share a webinar that I gave with Matt Horvat of Lean Portland, and Kelly Stevens from The Rebuilding Center. We were asked to talk about our experiences applying Lean to the building reuse industry, which includes work over the past few years with The Rebuilding Center and Habitat for Humanity Restore
EC 043: Lean Six Sigma Successes at Goodwill of the Heartland / March 10, 2019
In this podcast, I interviewed Jess Schamberger, who is the Vice President of Operations at Goodwill of the Heartland in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Goodwill has a contract manufacturing division that most people don’t know about. She discusses some of the lean and Six Sigma improvements implemented in the donation receiving area, as well as the
EC 042: Process Improvement in the Building Reuse Industry / February 12, 2019
In this podcast, I read an article I wrote for the Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the recovery, reuse and recycling of building materials. I share my thoughts on how I hope the reuse industry can follow the path of other industries to embrace the concepts of
EC 041: Lean Six Sigma Success in Government / January 26, 2019
In this podcast, I read an article I wrote for the Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC). The article describes past efforts and successes of Lean and Six Sigma applied to government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), municipalities, and state departments. I also talk about four common principles that Lean and Six Sigma use
EC 040: Reducing Long Lines at Recycling Collection Events / January 16, 2019
In this podcast, I share my observations at a recycling collection event for plastics, batteries and styrofoam held recently near Portland, Oregon called Planetcon. The line to drop off plastic bags and film started to get really long, and extend all the way back to my table. I was at the event for another reason,
EC 039: Applying Lean Six Sigma to a Nonprofit Fundraiser Conference / January 7, 2019
In this podcast, I read my chapter contribution to my latest book called “Lean Six Sigma for Good: Lessons from the Gemba (Volume 1)” My chapter is called “Applying Lean Six Sigma to a Nonprofit Fundraiser Conference.” You can also download this chapter as a PDF file There are 4 other chapters in the book,
EC 038: 2018 Year in Review / January 6, 2019
In this podcast, I recap the year and highlight some of the things I accomplished in my first full year of consulting on my own. We discuss the Wasted Food workshops, additions to the online course, travel to Kosrae and Trinidad and Tobago, a nonprofit award for process improvement, and the Lean Six Sigma for
EC 037: Lean Six Sigma for Good – Interview with Iowa Lean Consortium Radio / November 22, 2018
In this podcast, I share an interview I had with Steven Wilson, who runs Zoned Strategies consulting, and hosts the podcast show, ILC Radio. ILC stands for Iowa Lean Consortium, which is a nonprofit organization that promotes Lean, Six Sigma and process improvement within the state of Iowa and surrounding regions. I have been involved
EC 036: Going Paperless with Lean Six Sigma Training Materials / November 22, 2018
In this podcast, I share an example of how I led an effort at my former company to transition our Lean Six Sigma training material from printed booklets to paperless. I go through the calculations to print each booklet, and calculate the environmental footprint. I also discuss situations when students value the booklets, and how
EC 035: How to Incorporate and Leverage Lean Six Sigma and Sustainability – Gemba Academy Interview / November 6, 2018
In this podcast, I share an interview I had with Ron Pereira of Gemba Academy. We discussed Lean Six Sigma and Sustainability (of course!). We define sustainability for the audience to get them on the same page. They we talked about going paperless at work, the volunteer work with Lean Portland, and how people are
EC 034: Lean Six Sigma Applied to the Portland Zero Waste Conference / October 30, 2018
Summary In this podcast, I share my experience setting up and running an environmental event in Portland in mid-October, called the Zero Waste Conference I discuss ways in which I applied Lean and Six Sigma concepts to the event, such as Lean Startup, Pareto charts, FMEA, forecasting and predictions on attendance, net promoter score (NPS), check-in
EC 033: Lean Six Sigma and Sustainability Presentation at GPSEN Symposium in Jan 2017 / July 14, 2018
Summary In this podcast, I share a presentation I gave at the Greater Portland Sustainability Education Network (GPSEN) Sustainability Symposium back in January 27. 2017. I was still working at Rockwell Collins at the time. I discuss how Lean and Six Sigma techniques have been used for sustainability initiatives, as well as with Lean Portland
EC 032: Interview #3 on e6s Methods Podcast about Lean Six Sigma for Good book and website / June 30, 2018
Summary In this podcast, I share a recent interview I had with Aaron Spearin on his e6s Methods podcast. We discuss my book, “Lean Six Sigma for Good,” the accompanying website, and I update him on my recent job change, along with my sustainability efforts. This is the 3rd interview with him, and it is
EC 031: Process Improvement for Social Responsibility – IISE Conference in Orlando May 2018 / June 7, 2018
Summary On this podcast, I share a presentation I did on the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers Annual Conference in Orlando in May 2018. The presentation was called Process Improvement for Social Responsibility and it was with myself and Billy Ingram, who works at Interface in the Lean Development Group. We both went through a
EC 030: Lean and Green and the 8 Wastes – GoGreen Portland Conference 2017 / April 20, 2018
Summary In this podcast, I share a video taken at the 2017 GoGreen Conference held in Portland last October. The presentation talked about how Lean concepts can be used to address the people and planet side of sustainability. I co-presented with Matt Horvat, the founder of our nonprofit volunteering group called Lean Portland. We show
EC 029: Lean Principles within Reuse Organization Nonprofits / April 1, 2018
Summary In this podcast, I share a presentation about the employee-led improvements taking place at reuse nonprofit organizations Free Geek and The Rebuilding Center, with coaching and assistance from Lean Portland, a volunteer Benefit company of Lean consultants in Portland, Oregon. Free Geek is working on a daily management system and trying to increase the
EC 028: Interview with Kelly Singer from Lean Green Institute in France / January 9, 2018
Summary In this podcast, I talk with Kelly Singer. She works at Institut Lean France and she started a group called Lean Green Institute. I talk to her about her experiences starting out in the US. She started in Eastern Washington, moved over to Seattle, and spent some time in Los Angeles, then went over to
EC 027: Year In Review 2017 / December 25, 2017
Summary In this podcast, I recap this year and the things I discussed in podcasts. Topics ranged from reducing hours at work, leaving my job, transitioning into consulting, getting an office, hosting free workshops, discussing wasted food, book release, and more volunteering with Lean Portland. I also talk about some upcoming activities and projects in
EC 026: “Lean Six Sigma for Good” Book (Full Audio Version) / November 12, 2017
New book #2, Lessons from the Gemba Volume 1, is now available! Download the book for Kindle or Paperback. This book is highlighting individuals who have helped nonprofits make improvements. Volume 1 is now complete with 8 chapters. Download a free chapter (audio or PDF). View the photos and references from the book. Kindle/eBook Audio
EC 025: Drawdown to Reverse Global Warming / October 10, 2017
Summary In this podcast, I share my thoughts on a recent book called “Drawdown” by Paul Hawken, which explains “the 100 most substantive solutions to reverse global warming, based on meticulous research by leading scientists and policymakers around the world.” I discuss a few of the top solutions, and how I am supporting them. The book covers many
EC 024: From Corporate Job to Consulting / September 18, 2017
Summary On this podcast, I share my experiences with leaving my corporate job and moving into full-time consulting. I haven’t had a podcast episode in a few months, so I wanted to give an update to everyone on what I’ve been doing, and how I’ve been transitioning into working for myself. Links Business Performance Improvement (BPI)
EC 023: Electric Vehicles / July 24, 2017
Summary On this podcast, I share my experiences with owning an electric vehicle. There are many advantages, but also some disadvantages. Hopefully I can shed some light for you, as there may be confusion about whether it’s a good option for you. From a lean perspective, I talk about the DOE I conducted on the battery
EC 022: Lean Six Sigma and Wasted Food Workshop / July 13, 2017
Summary On this podcast, I share the actual audio from the “Reducing Food Waste Workshop: A Lean and Six Sigma Approach” given on April 28th, 2017, hosted by the Port of Portland, which is located at the Portland International Airport (PDX). I mentioned this workshop in Podcast #20, if you want to hear the background on how
EC 021: Using Six Sigma to Green Your Office Supplies / July 1, 2017
Summary On this podcast, I talk about some work I’ve done recently to try and improve the office supply purchasing decisions, using the Greener Office program through Office Depot. I explain how we took the initial report of our “green score,” and how we have started to apply the DMAIC Six Sigma project approach to tackle
EC 020: Lean Six Sigma and Wasted Food / April 28, 2017
Summary On this podcast, I talk about a recent presentation I gave at the Port of Portland (at the Portland airport). I was asked to present on how Lean and Six Sigma can be used to help reduce food waste. There is a big effort to make reductions in the Portland area, and we had
EC 019: Lean and Sustainable Consortium / March 24, 2017
Summary On this podcast, I talked about a recent trip I made to Wales for the Lean and Sustainable Consortium. This was my 3rd trip to this quarterly event, and it was excellent (as usual)! We toured Welsh Water, to see how they are applying Lean and Six Sigma, along with improving their sustainability program.
EC 018: Lean Six Sigma and Sustainability Radio Interview / February 11, 2017
Summary On this podcast, I was interviewed by Luke Andersen for a radio show and podcast called Northwest Business, on 1080 The Fan, here in Portland. It is focused on bringing attention to local businesses in the Portland area. He wanted to know more about Lean, Six Sigma and Sustainability. I haven’t really talked much
EC 017: Applying Lean and Green at Plywerk with Kjell Van Zoen and David Hall / January 21, 2017
Summary In this podcast, I conduct my first interview, and it turned out great! I met up with lean consultant and former owner of Plywerk, Kjell Van Zoen, along with Dr. David E. Hall, sustainability consultant for Plywerk and professor at Portland State University. We discuss how Kjell and Dave worked together to make Plywerk more eco-conscious,
EC 016: Employee “Green Bag” Sessions and New Co-working Space / December 31, 2016
Summary In this podcast, I discuss a new approach for employee engagement called Employee “Green Bag” Sessions, which is similar to the concept of the “Brown Bag” education sessions. I explain the topics we’ve covered over the past year, including biking to work, taking the bus, solar panels at home, net zero homes and electricity
EC 015: Tips for Encouraging Environmental Behavior Change / December 16, 2016
Summary In this podcast, I play the recording of the presentation I gave at the 2nd Annual Green Festival Expo in Portland on Dec 11, 2016. I talk about the misconception that education is sufficient to get people to change behaviors. I review a study on getting hotel guests to reuse their towels, and show
EC 014: Lean and Green Workflow Improvement – The 8 Wastes / October 27, 2016
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
EC 013: Interview #2 on e6s Methods Podcast about Greening Your Lean Event / September 23, 2016
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,
EC 012: Setting up a Green Team at Work / September 2, 2016
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
EC 011: Details about the 90 Day WASTE Walk Challenge / August 23, 2016
Summary For the next podcast, I wanted to go into more details about the 90 Day WASTE Walk Challenge that we launched this week! Relevant Links Sign up for 90 Day WASTE Walk Challenge FREE 1-hour WASTE Walks Course on Udemy Transcript No transcript available at this time *Lean Six Sigma and
EC 010: Interview on e6s Methods Podcast about Lean Six Sigma and the Environment / July 16, 2016
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
EC 009: 10 tips for greening your 5S events / June 29, 2016
Summary For the 9th episode, I am going over one of our popular posts, “10 tips to green your 5S events.” I’ve also posted a video of the presentation, so you can view the slides. Relevant Links 5S Powerpoint Training Slides >>> Printer Friendly version of 10 Tips >>> 5S Assessment Tool >>> Tips to Green
EC 008: Using Go and See Events to Reduce Water, Energy and Landfill Costs / June 11, 2016
Summary For the 8th episode, I am posting the audio (and video of the slides) from a presentation I gave at the IISE Annual Conference last month. The video showing the presentation with slides is shown in the transcript, if you want to see the slides with the audio of my presentation. Email me if you would like
EC 007: Greening Your Lean Events / May 20, 2016
Summary For the 7th episode, I am posting an older (but popular) article on how to green your lean event. This episode gives tips and tricks to making your lean six sigma events and meetings more eco-friendly. We also include a link in the notes to download a free checklist of these suggestions. There is also a link
EC 006: W.A.S.T.E. Walks Summary / December 26, 2015
Summary For the 6th episode, I am posting the final part of a 5 part video course, called W.A.S.T.E. Walks. This episode summarizes the Walk process, to help you organize and conduct a successful W.A.S.T.E. Walk. You can view the video version of this course for free by contacting us, so we can send you the free coupon code
EC 005: Energy Walks / December 26, 2015
Summary For the 5th episode, I am posting the 4th part of a 5 part video course, called W.A.S.T.E. Walks. This episode introduces the “Energy Walks” to help reduce and conserve energy usage, which reduces carbon emissions and minimizes climate change. You can view the video version of this course for free by contacting us, so we
EC 004: Dumpster Dives / December 26, 2015
Summary For the 4th episode, I am posting the 3rd part of a 5 part video course, called W.A.S.T.E. Walks. This episode introduces the “Dumpster Dive” to help reduce landfill charges and the amount of trash or rubbish going to the landfill. You can view the video version of this course for free! The following episode will cover
EC 003: Water Walks / December 26, 2015
Summary For the 3rd episode, I am posting the 2nd part of a 5 part video course, called W.A.S.T.E. Walks. This episode introduces the “Water Walk” to help reduce and conserve water usage. You can view the video version of this course for free by contacting us, so we can send you the free coupon
EC 002: Introduction to W.A.S.T.E. Walks / December 25, 2015
Summary For the 2nd episode, I am posting a video course I created recently, called W.A.S.T.E. Walks, to teach people how to use the “gemba walk” lean approach to identify opportunities to reduce environmental impacts of water, air emissions, solid waste, toxins, and energy. These event formats also do a good job of engaging employees
EC 001: Introduction to the Earth Consultants Podcast / December 24, 2015
Summary In this initial episode, I explain the purpose of the podcast, and what to expect with future episodes. The quick summary is that this podcast will be used to educate people interested in using Lean and Six Sigma to reduce environmental impacts. Relevant Links Access our past podcast episodes >>> Transcript The Earth Consultants
