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 to make more sustainable booklets.

* Number of sheets per booklet = 354 @ $0.01 per sheet = $3.54

* Dividers for each module = 31 @ $0.25 per divider = $7.75

* 3 ring binder cost = $4.00

* Total cost per booklet = ~$15.00

* 20 students per class x $15 = $300 per class for booklets

* 20 student booklets = carbon impact equal to 80% of one tree

This price does not include labor for reproduction services or our time to coordinate and hand out booklets, color ink costs, or printer maintenance and storage space costs.

Below is a report of the carbon emissions and impact from one booklet, along with a link to the interview I mentioned.

Links

Gemba Academy (GA) episode #237 – Interview about going paperless

EnvironmentalPaper.org Calculation Summary

EnvironmentalPaper.org Paper Calculation website

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 incorporated into sustainability. I also talk about easy ways to get started.

Thanks to Ron for giving me the opportunity to speak on his podcast. It was quite an honor!

Links

Gemba Academy (GA) episode #237

In the interview, I also mentioned the other episodes they had published that you might find useful.

* GA 232 | How to Embrace the Higher Calling of Lean with Kevin Hancock

* GA 229: How to Run a Sustainable Organization with Dale and Dan Crownover (Texas Nameplate)

* GA 223: How to Apply Lean to the Government with Justin Kenney (Vermont)

* GA 218: How to Harness the Power of A3 Thinking with Captain Brad Brown

* GA 209: How to Address Poverty with Lean-Like Thinking with Jacob Stoller and Mauricio Miller

* GA 191: How to Reflect on the Roles of Fear and Love in Continuous Improvement with Renée Smith

* GA 031: Applying Lean Within the State of Washington with Hollie Jensen and Darrell Damron

* GA 024: Lean and Green with Keivan Zokaei

* GA 015: Lean Healthcare in Tanzania (CCBRT) with Mike Grogan (plus Gemba Live video)

* GA 010: Using Lean to Help NGOs with Steve Bell

TRANSCRIPT

Brion (B):  In this podcast, I share an interview I had with Ron Pereira of Gemba Academy. We discussed Lean Six Sigma and sustainability. First, we defined what sustainability was for the audience to get them on the same page, then we talked about going paperless at work and some of the benefits that may be harder to see initially but can really make it a very cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative.

I also talked about the volunteer work with Lean Portland, of course,

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 incorporated into sustainability. I also talk about easy ways to get started.

Thanks to Ron for giving me the opportunity to speak on his podcast. It was quite an honor!

Links

Gemba Academy (GA) episode #237

In the interview, I also mentioned the other episodes they had published that you might find useful.

* GA 232 | How to Embrace the Higher Calling of Lean with Kevin Hancock

* GA 229: How to Run a Sustainable Organization with Dale and Dan Crownover (Texas Nameplate)

* GA 223: How to Apply Lean to the Government with Justin Kenney (Vermont)

* GA 218: How to Harness the Power of A3 Thinking with Captain Brad Brown

* GA 209: How to Address Poverty with Lean-Like Thinking with Jacob Stoller and Mauricio Miller

* GA 191: How to Reflect on the Roles of Fear and Love in Continuous Improvement with Renée Smith

* GA 031: Applying Lean Within the State of Washington with Hollie Jensen and Darrell Damron

* GA 024: Lean and Green with Keivan Zokaei

* GA 015: Lean Healthcare in Tanzania (CCBRT) with Mike Grogan (plus Gemba Live video)

* GA 010: Using Lean to Help NGOs with Steve Bell

TRANSCRIPT

Brion (B):  In this podcast, I share an interview I had with Ron Pereira of Gemba Academy. We discussed Lean Six Sigma and sustainability. First, we defined what sustainability was for the audience to get them on the same page, then we talked about going paperless at work and some of the benefits that may be harder to see initially but can really make it a very cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative.

I also talked about the volunteer work with Lean Portland,

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 area flow optimization, and customer feedback data.

I also share ways in which we made the event more sustainable. I discuss name tags, event agenda, tickets, food and drink, waste prevention and “pack in, pack out”

Links

* Zero Waste Conference

* Recycling Advocates

* Zero Waste PDX Facebook Group

* Conscious by Chloe

* Tips and tricks for more efficient and effective PFMEAs

* Master Recycler Program

* Bring Your Own Cup (BYOC) coffee cup reduction program

* Stumptown Media Group

Transcript

In this episode, I talk about a zero waste conference I helped set up for the nonprofit I run, Recycling Advocates. The conference was really about trying to bring people together to educate them around how they can apply zero waste principles to their life and also a little bit around how zero waste is being applied to business. We decided to put on a conference as a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization and also start to build the network of people who are really taking on this zero waste lifestyle. It’s really gaining a lot of traction, especially here in Portland.

I just want to talk about how I took some of the Lean Six Sigma concepts and applied it to this conference. This is probably the first conference I’ve really put on of decent size. We had like 100 people there, so it was more than just a training or a meeting and so a little nervous about how this would work out, but just wanted to share with you some of the examples and things we went through and what I learned from that.

The first thing that we end up doing with the conference was figuring out if there was interest. We went into the event with some knowledge that there was some interest. And this is, we, I’m talking about a woman named Chloe (Lepeltier), who I had met through some other environmental education programs and she had done a little bit of work for the nonprofit around our Bring Your Own Cup campaign. She has set up a Facebook group around Zero Waste Portland, called Zero Waste PDX, and I’ll put links to these topics and groups in the show notes.

She had done a lot of work and built up a really good network of people. Part of the Recycling Advocates nonprofit I run is really trying to figure out where do we go from just the recycling discussion and how do we get ahead of this discussion around recycling and start to get into waste minimization and prevention, which is something that’s always key in terms of process improvement – how do we get ahead of problems, avoid them in the first place. Recycling is considered kind of the end of the value stream. It’s, “Okay,

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 area flow optimization, and customer feedback data.

I also share ways in which we made the event more sustainable. I discuss name tags, event agenda, tickets, food and drink, waste prevention and “pack in, pack out”

Links

* Zero Waste Conference

* Recycling Advocates

* Zero Waste PDX Facebook Group

* Tips and tricks for more efficient and effective PFMEAs

* Master Recycler Program

* Bring Your Own Cup (BYOC) coffee cup reduction program

* Stumptown Media Group

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 and nonprofit organizations. It’s a short presentation only 10 minutes long, but I pack a lot of information in that time. Thanks to Kim Smith, Executive Director of GPSEN. She was the MC for the event, and introduces me at the beginning.

Links

* YouTube Video Presentation

* GPSEN

* Lean Portland

* Rockwell Collins

* International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)

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 and nonprofit organizations. It’s a short presentation only 10 minutes long, but I pack a lot of information in that time. Thanks to Kim Smith, Executive Director of GPSEN. She was the MC for the event, and introduces me at the beginning.

Links

* YouTube Video Presentation

* GPSEN

* Lean Portland

* Rockwell Collins

* International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)

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 almost 90 minutes long. I really appreciate the support he has given to my work over the years. To learn more about Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management and Design Thinking, subscribe to his podcast at the links below.

Links

* Previous e6s Methods podcast appearances:

* Episode 10: Lean Six Sigma and the Environment

* Episode 13: Greening your Lean Events

* Subscribe to e6s Methods podcast

* Lean Six Sigma for Good – Free book download

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 training program with the Sherpa Sustainability Institute. Within that program, we talk in the presentation around this methodology called Continual Improvement for Social Responsibility (CISR). That program is like a Six Sigma for social responsibility. It uses a model similar to the DMAIC model, something called SOFAIR. In the presentation, I walk through those steps and explain that.

The presentation is around 45 minutes long. The slides will be available in the show notes, as well as you can go right to the YouTube video and watch the presentation with the slides. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Links

* Video Presentation

* Slides from presentation

* Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)

* Sherpa Sustainability Institute

* Interface

* Billy Ingram LinkedIn

* Billy Ingram Personal Page

Transcript

Billy (BI):  If you have any questions, please hold it to the end. I want to make sure everybody has a chance.

Brion (BH): Good morning. Thanks for coming out. It’s the last day of the conference, 8 o’clock. It’s almost as bad as the three something presentations this afternoon, so not the worst spot.

BI:  Don’t we know that the dedicated people are to sustainable development.

Male Audience Member:  Don’t redeem any favors.

BH:  We’re going to talk about process improvement for social responsibility, so really trying to apply these concepts of Lean, Six Sigma, quality improvement around social responsibility issues. Billy and I will talk about some of the work we’ve done around this initiative that we think is pretty cool and wanted to share with you guys.

BI:  My name is Billy Ingram. I think you all already knew that, everybody here did.

I’ve been working with Lean sustainability principles for a long time. I came out of the textile industry, went through automotive, spent about 7 or 8 years there. I learned a lot of Lean and Six Sigma, cut my teeth, and I tried to find a job to do. I tried to get out of there as fast as I could. So anyway, I joined Interface in ’97 as an industrial engineer. I’d like to speak about sustainable design and social responsibility.

I love to learn. I do a lot of opportunistic type of improvement and innovation around carpet manufacturing, which is the industry that I’m in and I’m very passionate about individual engagement. If you want to know more about me or check out my social channels, you can check me out on about.me.

BH:  Have you got an IE degree?

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 a great video from Toyota about applying lean to a nonprofit, talk about the culture of engaging people, discuss the 8 forms of waste (reduced to 3 for simplicity) and practice identifying waste while watching a pizza making video. We also share some examples of work we’ve done with some local nonprofits and then open it up for Q&A.

Links

* Video Presentation

* GoGreen Conference – Portland

* Toyota Meals per Hour – Video #1

* How to Make a Papa John’s Pizza – Video #2

* Lean Portland