April 24, 2008
Empowering people for the greener good
Every day at the office, employees at your company face choices with implications for the environment and the company budget. "Am I going to power down my PC during my lunch break -- or leave it running?" "Should I print this entire twelve-page document, single-sided and in color -- or just print the four pages I need, double-sided and in black and white?"
A surprising assortment of factors will influence their decision, and many of them may be based on groundwork you've laid for them.
Yes, there are good technology solutions out there, such as PC-power management tools and print-monitoring software, that can force employees to make some prudent green choices. Ultimately, though, technology can only do so much to combat the kind of wasteful tendencies that become ingrained in employees' daily routine. More often than not, those tendencies result from a company's culture more than a person's aversion to be greener.
Fortunately, companies are finding ways to encourage employees not only to be more mindful of the choices they make but to truly drive change that leads to a meaningful corporate-cultural shift toward sustainability.
"People are inspired and intrigued by a culture that they see as having creativity and meaning and a higher purpose," says Christina Page, director of climate and energy strategy at Yahoo. "You can inspire your employees by tapping into their creativity and desire to make the world a better place."
Waste scales
At first blush, it might seem that the environmental effect of printing a couple of extra color copies is unimportant or that leaving a system or lights or A/C on for a few extra hours is negligible.
Thing is, small acts of waste can scale significantly. Let's say a non-green choice costs 50 cents, be it in paper, ink, watts, gasoline, whatever. If you have 500 employees, and each makes just one non-green choice per day, you're looking at $250 being tossed in the can daily. At the end of the year, that's $62,500 worth of wasted resources (assuming 50 five-day work weeks). That affects your bottom line and your company's impact on the environment.
Planting green seeds
So what are companies doing to foster a greener mindset among employees? Let's look at Fujitsu. The company last year launched an internal program called Eco2Cost, through which the company trains employees on the environmental and financial impact of conservation measures, then encourages them to submit specific proposals to cut waste through reduction, reuse, and recycling.
The program is based on a concept called Mottainai, used by Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. It means "how wasteful that we do not take advantage of the full value of things."
According to Richard McCormack, senior VP of marketing at Fujitsu, employees' proposals aren't ignored, set aside, and forgotten; rather, they've resulted in a meaningful cultural shift where individuals feel empowered to speak up and implement good ideas, resulting in greener, less wasteful practices.
For example, one employee announced to his peers and managers that he would no longer print out color PowerPoint slides for meetings; rather, they were told to bring their laptops to follow presentations. The effort has snowballed, and the result is a reduction in paper waste and expensive color ink throughout the company.
What might happen at your own company if, out of the blue, you told a manager, a VP, or someone higher on the totem pole that you weren't going to print up slides anymore? Or, if you happen to be a VP or manager or atop the pole, what would you think or do if someone who reports to you politely told you to bring a laptop to a meeting instead of expecting print-outs? Sure, it might fly. Then again, without a policy or support from higher up to encourage that kind of behavior, the proposal might never hit the table to begin with, or it might result in some snickering, a definitive "No, you'll do it the way we've always done it," a reprimand -- or worse.
Tapping knowledge from the trenches
The implications of fostering a greener mindset among employees throughout your organization can be substantial. Someone in the IT trenches, for instance, might have insight you don't. Who would (or could) know better than someone in IT if 20 percent of your servers could simply be unplugged? Yet without being encouraged to hunt down and reveal that kind of waste, he or she might not think to offer up that information-- or might not feel comfortable doing so.
Similarly, someone in the facilities department could have insight as to where you're wasting money -- say, cooling the datacenter -- yet again, might not think to advocate changes. Whoever is responsible for ordering supplies such as paper and printer ink might notice that consumption of pricey color ink has steadily risen but wouldn't think to mention it. You get the idea.
Rewards for reducing waste
You may see your bosses fight once in a while -- but how often do they don inflatable body suits and engage in a Sumo wrestling match? If you work at Yahoo, the answer is, "Once, at least."
A match between Yahoo founders Jerry Yang and David Filo took place on Earth Day last year as a reward to Yahoo employees for cutting waste by 20 percent the week prior. How did they manage the feat? They "turned off lights in conference rooms, took the stairs, made do with less air conditioning, avoided printing or went double-sided, used mugs, ditched their commutes for public transportation or carpools, and ate a little less meat," according to Yahoo corporate blog editor Nicki Dugan. (You can view a video of the match here.)
The lesson, of course, is that rewards can be an effective means of encouraging greener behavior -- and those rewards needn't be monetary. Verbal appreciation, public recognition, or just plain fun can be effective, too.
That Sumo bout is but one example of the various rewarding initiatives at Yahoo aimed inspiring employees there to embrace more sustainable practices, according to Yahoo's Page. Like Fujitsu, Yahoo sets aside premium parking spots for employees who carpool. The company also encouraged engineers to focus on projects that had green or otherwise socially positive implications during it most recent Hack Day -- a quarterly event during which engineers may spend 24 hours working on fun projects of their choice.
Techniques for encouraging greener practices
The Canadian Center for Pollution Prevention has some great techniques to promote greener behavior among employees. Here's a sampling.
1. Set clear targets. Establishing a specific, attainable, measurable goal, such as "cutting energy waste by 20 percent in a week" is easier to get behind than a vague objective such as "Let's cut waste significantly this year."
2. Connect behavior with results. By sharing energy and waste figures with staff, you show how their actions make a difference. One interesting project currently under way at Yahoo to encourage waste reduction among employees: The Green Screen. Set up in the cafeteria in the Yahoo's Sunnyvale, Calif., headquarters, the Green Screen lets users view and compare the energy consumption stats, in real time, of Yahoo's two buildings in terms of watts, CO2 emissions, or costs. "Our hope -- since moving to a period of year where electricity in California gets interesting -- is that we'll be able to link that information on the Green Screen to energy response initiatives on campus," says Yahoo's Page.
3. Provide concrete examples. Offer specific guidance as to what employees should do to cut waste, including printing double-sided and in black-and-white; turning off monitors, PCs, and lights; and unplugging chargers.
4. Put expectations in writing. Add green policies to corporate documents such as employee handbooks and job descriptions (e.g. "Employees are encouraged to report inefficiencies and to suggest improvements"). Remind staff of these policies during orientation and training sessions.
5. Use visual and auditory reminders. Decals, stickers, and signs hung around the office can be effective reminder for employees to turn off lights, reduce printing, and so forth.
6. Make people feel good about their actions. This ties in to rewards, which again, need not be monetary. Public recognition and praise, for example, can be very effective.
What does your company do to encourage greener behavior?
Posted by Ted Samson on April 24, 2008 03:00 AM
February 11, 2008
MS-Yahoo marriage could drive green SaaS innovation
I've been out of the country for over a week, and thus I'm a bit late to the Microsoft-Yahoo party. But I saw that The New York Times had an interesting take on the subject that spoke to my green-tech sensibilities. The idea is, Redmond's not just seeking a bigger piece of the savory search pie; it's looking to build on Yahoo's technology platform and expansive user base to advance its Web-based software strategy and compete against Google Apps.
I'm certainly a firm believer in the SaaS model. For the end-user, it means having the convenience of creating, editing, and sharing documents from anywhere you can get online. For an IT admin, it means fewer headaches maintaining software on user systems. And from a green IT perspective, it means users can get by with less expensive, less resource-intensive machines, since most of the processing and storage is being taken care of on the back end. That means companies get to spend less money on replacing and powering machines.
As it stands, Google has been making rapid advancements in the world of SaaS (software as a service), having just recently unveiled a Team Edition of its Internet-based productivity suite. According to IDG News Services, more than 500,000 organizations have signed up for Google Apps thus far.
Microsoft, meanwhile, hasn't made much progress on the Web-software front. Yes, it has its Office Live Workspace program (currently in beta), but that's really just an extension of the processor-hungry, hard-drive-bound version of Office. Yet surely the company can't ignore the success Google is enjoying with Google Apps, which, again, is likely figuring in to its desire to buy up Yahoo.
The future of SaaS certainly doesn't hinge on Microsoft's ability to snag Yahoo. If it does happen, though, I expect we'll see some real Web-app innovation thanks to the combined mindshare of the two companies. In the meantime, I'm curious whether Microsoft, or Yahoo, for that matter, will show us anything that will compete with Google Apps.
Ted Samson is a senior analyst at InfoWorld and author of the Sustainable IT blog. Subscribe to his free weekly Green Tech newsletter.
Posted by Ted Samson on February 11, 2008 02:08 PM
July 04, 2007
Yahoo deems city with three hazardous waste sites "greenest"
Hastings, Nebraska has accomplished an impressive feat: Despite having three locations listed on the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites, it's been deemed the greenest city in America -- by Yahoo.
In May, Yahoo announced the "Greenest City in America" Challenge, through which the search company gave Internet users a chance to earn "green credits" for their respective cities -- mostly by using various Yahoo services. The city whose residents had piled up the most credits (adjusted to reflect population to even the playing field) was to earn the grandiose title, as well as either a fleet of hybrid taxi cabs or $250,000 to go toward green civic initatives.
Well, the winner turned out to be Hastings, which has a population of around 25,000. The city's claims to fame include being the birthplace of Kool-Aid, as well as home to three of the 1,243 EPA NPL sites, a list of locations in the U.S. that are known or that threaten to release hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants.
The most recent addition was at West Highway 6 and Highway 281, added the the NPL in April, 2006. The reason: "Hazardous substances have been released into the environment and have impacted two municipal wells, and some private and local business wells."
"The determined green spirit demonstrated by the people of Hastings, Nebraska, underscores Yahoo's belief that individual actions can add up to significant change," said Yahoo co-founder David Filo in a written statement in regard to Hastings winning the contest. "Cities from the coasts to the heartland rallied together to participate and we're encouraged by how the citizens came together around this important cause."
"Hastings is honored to be a part of Yahoo's 'Be a Better Planet' program and to be crowned as the greenest city in America," said Hastings Mayor Matt Rossen in a written statement. "This achievement has spurred us to become even greener, and we thank all of the citizens in central Nebraska who have supported us and helped promote this great city and state in which we live."
According to Yahoo, the city's green initiatives include "conversion of methane to energy at its pollution control center, local production of Ethanol E85, extensive networks of parks and hiking and biking trails, and installation of energy-efficient street lighting." (There was no mention of cleanup of contaminated groundwater sites in Yahoo's announcement.)
Hastings is opting for the $250,000 prize instead of the hybrid cabs.
The top 10 winners of Yahoo's "Greenest City in America" are:
1. Hastings, Nebraska
2. Pelzer, South Carolina
3. San Carlos, California
4. Mill Valley, California
5. Topeka, Kansas
6. Dover, Delaware
7. Spring, Texas
8. Lawrence, Kansas
9. Walnut Creek, California
10. Fairfax, Virginia
Posted by Ted Samson on July 4, 2007 11:23 PM
May 23, 2007
HP gives WWF $2 million in tech, cash for climate-change research
Partnership another example of big-name IT companies like Microsoft, Dell, and Yahoo investing in environmental causes
"Technology is part of the problem, but it's also part of the solution." That, paraphrased, is one of the comments that Dave Douglas, Sun's VP of eco-responsibility, shared with me earlier this month.
The problem he was alluding to was the environmental challenges the planet faces due to global climate change. (When, and why, did the term "global climate change" replace "global warming"?) The IT industry indeed contributes to the phenomenon as its operations and wares churn out greenhouse gas in the form of carbon dioxide.
But a growing number of tech companies are owning up to the responsibility and becoming increasingly better environmental stewards, not only by boosting the energy-efficiency of their products, reducing waste, and finding ways to shrink their carbon footprints; they're also teaming up with environmental groups, donating not only money but technology and resources toward solving the problems.
Among them is HP, which today is announcing a partnership with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to allocate more than $2 million in cash and equipment to the non-profit for establishing three projects aimed at addressing the causes and consequences of global climate change. (HP and the WWF aren't strangers to working with one another.)
The projects, which focus on analysis, research and data collection, include:
-- The Epicenter for Climate Conservation – Focused on advancing climate adaptation and resiliency strategies and projects worldwide, the Epicenter for Climate Conservation will be driven by HP technology and led by Dr. Lara Hansen, chief climate scientist of WWF.
-- Information and Communication Technology Innovation as a Driver of Climate Change Solutions – This program will work to identify 1 billion tons of carbon reductions through the use of information and communication technology.
-- Climate Witness – An online forum to raise global awareness of the tangible consequences of climate change, Climate Witness will gather the stories of individuals and communities affected by global warming and share them with the world.
This announcement comes less than a week after Microsoft's big announcement that it would be teaming with the Clinton Foundation to develop a suite of technology tools, both software and services. designed to enable cities to monitor, compare and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Assisting in developing these measurement tools by ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives)—Local Governments for Sustainability and the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Microsoft will build the software using the knowledge base that ICLEI has acquired in developing its Harmonized Emissions Analysis Tool (HEAT).
Additionally, Microsoft recently launched its "i'm" initiative, built around Windows Live Messenger. Users of the Microsoft instant-messaging client can register to have a portion of a Live Messenger session's ad revenue go to one of various non-profit organizations, including The Sierra Club and stopglobalwarming.org (not to be confused with stopglobalclimatechange.org).
The list of tech companies embarking on environmental causes (and other socially responsible ones) doesn't end there, and while I've been, well, a bit skeptical of some of the other efforts I've seen, the fact remains that these companies are making an effort and are certainly helping to raise awareness about environmental issues.
Dell, for examples, teamed up with with The Conservation Fund and the Carbonfund.org earlier this to launch "Plant a Tree for Me" -- a program through which Dell, er, lets people donate money to plant trees in order to "offset" the carbon emitted by their personal computers, laptops, and general lifestyles.
And Yahoo announced its "Greenest City in America" Challenge last week, which I'm still shaking my head over: Essentially, the city that wins is the one whose residents use Yahoo services the most for the next couple of weeks. And the prize is a fleet of hybrid taxis, or else $250,000, which can be used for a eco-friendly project of the winning city's choosing.
While the contest itself is, to me, simply ridiculous (they should have called it "The Yahoo-iest City in the U.S." Challenge), it, too, raises awareness, such as through the info on the company's new green portal -- plus Yahoo is giving out 150,000 energy-efficient CFL lightbulbs to people who participate.
Posted by Ted Samson on May 23, 2007 12:01 AM
May 17, 2007
Using Yahoo makes your city greener?
Yahoo's "Greenest City" Challenge requires more commitment to the company's services than to the environment
It can be difficult to pinpoint the greenest company of them all. There's just so many ways to measure an organization's greenness: its products, its practices, its propensity to spill oil, etc.
It also can be difficult to choose the greenest city of them all. If you want to be thorough, you can look at variety of criteria, such as air quality, electrical usage, environmental policy, as National Geographics or Homestore has done.
But not everyone has the time or inclination to be so thorough. You could take Forbes' approach and simply measure a city's ozone pollution and particles.
Or you might consider the approach Yahoo has devised: See which city's residents can earn the most "'green' credits" from using certain Yahoo services over the next three weeks or so, as part of the search company's "Greenest City in America" Challenge.
I'll explain how spending extra time on your computer and mobile device can earn you green credits in a moment. First, though, the rewards: There are, of course, the bragging rights for being deemed the most eco-friendly U.S. city in eyes of Yahoo. But the company is also offering a more tangible first prize in the name of conservation and environmental stewardship. No, not a green makeover for your local government buildings or schools. Not new trees for your local parks and public lands. Not even supplying new, energy-efficient buses for the local schools.
No, Yahoo made quite a bit of noise about the big top prize it's put on the table: a fleet (up to 10) of new hybrid taxi cabs -- perfect for the eco-conscious individual who doesn't want to walk or bike or take the bus or subway or train or carpool.
To demonstrate what a boon a fleet of hybrid cabs can be for a city's environmental well-being, Yahoo donated a bunch of them to New York City when announcing this promotion earlier in the week.
Of course, you might be thinking that more cars on the roads of NYC means more traffic congestion, which means more pollution -- but have you considered that it that might also have the eco-friendly effect of getting a few more people on the subway or bus?
Or perhaps there won't be an increase in traffic, because the hybrids are going to be displacing existing NYC cabs. Those, in turn might be sold off to a cab company in, I don't know, New Jersey, or somewhere in South America. (I found that American school buses go to places like Guatemala to retire.)
The point is, NYC will be a greener city, by golly, thanks to its shiny new gas-sipping hybrids.
Importantly, Yahoo won't make your town take the hybrid cabs. You can opt for $250,000 "to support eco-friendly programs in the city's region."
Also, as part of this promotion, Yahoo is giving out 150,000 energy-efficient CFL bulbs to individuals who participate, a move that I certainly can't knock.
So those are the stakes in Yahoo's search for the greenest city in America. Now, here's how it works: First, you register with Yahoo, providing your ZIP code so they know which city you're representing.
Next, you can check out Yahoo's newly unveiled green portal, Yahoo Green, where you select from a list of green pledges, like recycling or eating less meat or taking shorter showers. Choosing no fewer than one will earn your city 100 green credits. (Don't worry, Yahoo's going to take you at your word; no need to send them this month's and next's water or butcher bill.)
From there, you can mosey over to Yahoo Answers. For every "best" answer you provide to a question in the Environmental section of the site, your city earns 75 more "green" points. Taxing eco-conundrums posed by users include "What are the most effective yet simple ways people can save energy?" (Matt Dillon wants to know!) or "Who owns Marriott Hotels?" (That last one is really in the Environmental section.)
Not an environmental expert? No matter. You can earn 10 green points by simply providing a best answer for any question on Yahoo Answers. Now, you might be wondering why answering questions such as "What is the average life span of a fruitbat?" or "What kind of bear is best?" (Answer: black bear) or "OMG is my bf cheeting on me?!??" should bring your city closer to being deemed the greenest in the nation. Well, maybe it's like a "carbon offset" reward for not providing your answer on a piece of legal-sized paper, written in toxic waste and delivered via a non-hybrid taxi cab?
Finally, if you have a mobile device with wireless access, be sure to keep that battery charged so you can earn green credits performing daily searches for "eco-friendly" terms on Yahoo's oneSearch service. Each search reaps you 10 credits -- but Yahoo is limiting the number of points to 50 per day, no doubt in the name of energy conservation.
Notably, there are only five terms to choose from -- Organic Food, Public Transport, Recycle Center, Bike, and Ride Share (Hybrid Taxi Cab isn't on the list, for some reason), so be prepared for some redundancy. (Hey, no eye-rolling. It's not always easy or fun to be environmentally responsible. But maybe you can mix up the order each day to keep things fresh.)
So there you have it: If you and enough people in your community pledge to Yahoo to do at least one "green" activity in the next year, then spend time each day at your computers on Yahoo Answers, and on your mobile devices performing daily searches for the same five terms on Yahoo oneSearch, your city may just earn the title "greenest in America." Who knew being green was so easy -- and had so much to do with using Yahoo?
(Apologies to Green Wombat. After completing this post, I found your similar take on the contest. Glad to know I'm not the only one who's a bit skeptical.)
Posted by Ted Samson on May 17, 2007 06:46 PM
