PROJECT MANAGEMENT: THE BUSINESS OF GREEN
Being Green is not just Kermit's theme song anymore -- it's everyone's. Green tips are top of mind, everywhere we turn. So, when we think of project management, how can we apply some "green thinking" to our projects?

Here are our top 5 ways to bring some green ingenuity to your every day project management.

1. Green Materials Maven. Are you using materials that have been recycled and are you recycling the materials that you're currently using? Regardless of what industry that you work in, just a little research can make a big difference, in your project's carbon footprint.

2. Packing Green. Packing materials for products can produce a lot of waste. Can you use recycled materials for packing, like old newspapers? There are also biodegradable packing peanuts and environmentally friendly soft foam.

3. Green Team. There are hundreds of ways to make your office greener here are just a few to get you started:

• Use coffee mugs instead of paper or Styrofoam.
• If you are a small or home-based office, you can produce your own energy. Visit www.cheetahpower.com for more information.
• If you can't produce your own energy, look for a supplier that is producing green energy in your area.
• Put automatic timers or sensor lights in your bathroom, conference rooms or spaces that are not occupied the majority of the day.
• Use as much natural light as possible in the design of your office space.
• Use energy saving light bulbs.
• Switch off computers, photocopiers and other equipment when not being used.
• Buy office equipment with the best energy ratings.
• Use green materials when building out a new office, like bamboo instead of wood flooring.
• Use refillable vs. disposable pens.
• Buy green products for your office – everything from toilet paper to recycled paper for printing.
• Promote a "reuse" mentality and lead by example.
• Promote "think before you print."
• Use environmental or natural cleaning products.
• Support and buy the products of other vendors and suppliers who are eco-friendly.
• Support virtual office employees or support car-pooling and ride sharing if in a suburban area.
• If you're in a rural area, can you create a wildlife trust around your company's property?

4. Make a Commitment to Green. When you make green more than a passing fancy, you show your team, and your customers that you mean business. You're not just being trendy; you're making changes that impact the world around you.

5. PR with heart & soul. Let's face it, there's a lot of bad news out there. Your customers do want to hear about the good things that you're doing. So, if you have a green initiative or a project with a green heart and soul, talk about it. Get the buzz going. Green PR is only bad, when it's insincere.

So, when it comes to greening up the planet, who better to lead the charge than Project Managers? Who knows better than you about tackling something large with small milestones that make a big difference! So, Kermit, it can be easy being Green. Just bring a project manager on board to get it done.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: GREEN IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT
Once upon a time, the act of saving the environment seemed to be limited to a yearly celebration called Earth Day where, like New Year's Eve, people made resolutions that they wouldn't necessarily keep.

For decades, the idea of saving the environment and contributing to a healthier world seemed like a great idea, but it was either too big a task for one individual to handle, or a seemingly time-consuming activity that would cut into money-making time.

Then things started to change at work, at school, and at home. From unthinkable gas prices and a tough job market to skyrocketing health care costs, many folks came to a similar conclusion: to become more resourceful and live better.

There has been a rise in eating local, for example. Not only does it taste better than the grocery store, but buying local and eating what's in season saves money, and the resources that it costs to transport food to one-stop-shopping nationwide. 
Businesses are looking more closely at their waste: paper, energy to power an office 24/7, and throwing dollars away on everything from disposable coffee cups to plastic packaging for products.

There are many ways to kick-start your green initiative at work and operate your business in an eco-friendly and sustainable way. At Cheetah Learning and Cheetah Power, we are committed to growing virtually with all of our employees working out of their homes. It's saved us tremendously on real estate costs and also made our carbon footprint smaller.

The good news is that there are many ways to be greener. Let's take a look at how other businesses are doing it.

DOING IT AND DOING IT WELL
To get your juices flowing, here are 6 businesses that are doing it, and doing it well. These multinational businesses received Natural Health Magazine's "Green Choice" Awards in 2009 for their excellence in leading by example across the globe.

Wal-Mart: Although many have been skeptical of this retailer's green practices in the past, Wal-Mart now has a very large-scale environmental plan of action to power each of their stores with 100 percent renewable energy. Wal-Mart plans to set aside $500 million a year to increase fuel efficiency within their truck fleet, decrease energy consumption in their stores, decrease solid wastes from their stores, and a number of other environmental endeavors.

Starbucks: With the company's "bean-to-cup" motto and approach to business, Starbucks uses environmentally savvy methods at each stage of production. Made from post-consumer goods, Starbucks' recycled cup-sleeves saved more than 78,000 trees in 2006.

Verizon: Its HopeLine initiative saved more than 5.6 million cell phones from ending up in landfills and were, instead, used to fund more than $6.3 million in cash grants to domestic violence agencies. Verizon has played a leadership role in encouraging customers and shareholders to choose paperless options. In addition, Verizon Wireless signed agreements to deploy smart power grids, and continues to upgrade its fiber optic network with equipment that is 4 times more efficient and reduces cooling costs. This is equivalent to keeping as many as 16,000 cars off the road annually.

Whole Foods: This organic food chain was the first company to buy the amount of wind-energy credits to compensate for 100 percent of the electricity they consumed. Whole Foods has eliminated their use of disposable plastic bags and replaced them with reusable bags for customers. These reusable bags are made from recycled plastic bottles.

Aveda: This natural-beauty product manufacturer uses primarily organic rather than man-made materials in their products. Aveda also employs wind power in their manufacturing facility to reduce electricity consumption, and they use 100 percent recycled packing materials. On top of these commendable business practices, Aveda funds wildlife preservations, and since 1999 has raised $8 million for environmental causes.

Discovery Channel: This company is not only green in the information it communicates through its many environmentally informative television shows, but through its company actions and practices. The Discovery Channel has compensated for their carbon dioxide emissions through making equal contributions to environmental feats and projects, and using energy-efficient lighting, architecture, and water systems in their company headquarters. In August [2009], Discovery Channel took over the leading environmental lifestyle website, treehugger.com, as part of their initiatives to inform people about important environmental issues. Most impressive of all, the company set aside $50 million to create green television programming, beginning with a show entitled Ten Ways to Save the Planet.

SMALL STEPS FOR A LARGE FEAT
I often hear people talk about the enormity of being green, and then the Project Manager in me comes alive and I have to remind them that anything is possible with a project plan that can break the most monstrous goals down into doable and realistic parts.

Develop a "Green Business Check List" to get your company thinking about ways it can behave in a greener and more sustainable manner. Here are a few areas to consider with a sample question to get you started. There are plenty more for you to go through, but this can serve as a useful thought starter.

Corporate and Environmental Social Responsibility
Do you only invest in environmentally conscious companies?
Use your investment portfolio to only support business organizations or industries that operate in an environmentally conscious way.

Energy, Water, and Heat
Do you make use of natural light by keeping windows and skylights clean and clear?
Don't turn lights on in the middle of the day if you have sufficient natural light coming into your office.

Do you regularly check and fix any leaking taps?
Over the long term a leaking tap can waste a significant amount of water. Post a number to call near sinks so someone may fix it right away.

Do you keep radiators free of office furniture?
Make sure that furniture does not block the radiators as otherwise the heat will be wasted.

Environmental Policy
Have you set up a 'Green Team' or 'Eco Champions' team in your company? By getting your employees involved and part of the greening process, they will feel valued.

Housekeeping
Do you have a collection point for Aluminum, Glass, or Plastic?

Information Communication Technology
Do you have a green IT infrastructure?
There are now over 1.1 billion computers in operation worldwide, collectively producing about one billion tons of CO2 through their electricity requirements. Also contributing to the Earth's pollution are outdated computer equipment, mobile phones, and electronic gadgets that make up 5% of the world's garbage. Considering our continuing demand to have the latest and greatest in mult-itasking phones and so on, that's an alarming amount of products to be tossed aside each year.

Office Supplies
Do you have a printer that can print on both sides?
If you don't have a printer that can print on both sides, then consider investing in one once your lease for the existing one is up for renewal or when your existing one no longer works.

Travel and Transportation
Rather than traveling to meetings have you invested in suitable technology for conference calls?
It is worthwhile investigating alternatives such as using iChat or SKYPE for meetings that require face time.

Wildlife and Biodiversity
Have you created a wildlife area around your office?
Even if you only have a concrete courtyard you can still create a wildlife area by planting some native plants and flowers in plant pots. This will be beneficial to the planet and much easier on the eyes than sterile office files.

GET WHAT YOU NEED
"Opie, you haven't finished your milk. We can't put it back in the cow, you know." (Aunt Bee Taylor, The Andy Griffith Show)

Taking what you need or making use of what you have is an easy place to begin your journey to contributing to a greener you. How do you see your organization becoming more resourceful with materials and money? How will you continue to evaluate its progress towards being an eco-friendly company that you can feel proud of? Take a small step towards this victory… and then another small step… and then another. Each step is for the generations that follow us. Walk on!

BUILDING A GREENER WORLD, ONE BUILDING AT A TIME
With ongoing concerns about rising energy costs and conservation, green building is a reality that speaks to the project manager within us all. Networks like Planet Green and HGTV have been dipping their toes into how to "green your home" with simple solutions like switching to different light bulbs or choosing an interior paint with a low VOC. That is a great start to a greener lifestyle, but let's dig a little deeper.

There are many other things to consider and execute to fully renovate your home or to even consider when purchasing a new home. A big one for most people is to find ways to identify and correct energy leaks through insulation.

The Whole is Greater Than Its Parts
People often think of insulation in parts (i.e., insulating one room or one area of the home), but to truly spend less energy heating or cooling your home, you need to look at your home's insulation as a whole. For example, you may want to insulate an unfinished attic. All measures may be taken to ensure that energy does not leak from the attic, but your efforts will be fruitless if you do not also properly insulate your walls and your basement.

If your project is not a gut-renovation, there are few options to serve as a band-aid in the interim.

1. Air Leaks and Quality

Air Leaks
Stop the air leaks in the building envelope (perimeter walls, unheated basement ceiling and roof). An air leak usually occurs around windows, doors, outlets and small cracks in the floors and the walls.

Paint It Green
We've all heard about hazardous fumes that we breathe in from interior paints, and household cleaners. Switch to zero VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint. You can find these paints in a wide variety of colors and they are available in both interior and exterior grade. A lot of brands are offering a zero VOC line. Make sure you pay attention to formaldehyde content in millwork and furnishing.

Walls Need to Breathe
Walls need to "breathe" (taking up vapor from the air in humid conditions and release vapor into the air if it is dry inside) in order to handle the captured moisture content of the air. Gain control over the air movements to increase the benefit of the costly insulation.

If your home is standard wood and sheet rock, consider introducing a whole-house mechanical ventilation program to protect your insulation investment.

Ace the Test
Try the "blower door test" to identify leaks. This should be done by a professional, and will would take out the guess work from your plans and help greatly in the contractor's bid evaluation process.

Throwing Money Out the Window
If your house is drafty, old windows could be your biggest problem. This should be in balance with the total insulation value of the house. Replace drafty windows that have low insulation value.

Retire Your HVAC Systems
If the HVAC system in your house is more than 20 years, you should consider replacing the system. There are very sophisticated furnaces that run on 90% efficiency. After going through the previous steps, you may find that your house requires a smaller system, which could save big bucks in the long term. If you live in a cold climate, it is a good idea to install an Energy Recovery Ventilator that transfers heat from the warm air that leaves the house to the cold air that enters the house in case you have mechanical ventilation.

2. Save Water

Consider installing dual-flush toilets, low-flow shower heads & faucets. These low-cost options significantly reduce water usage. If a new water heater needs to be installed, consider choosing a smaller on-demand water heater that is close to the point-of-use. This way you reduce the amount of water that goes down the drain while you are waiting for hot water to reach the upper bathroom for a quick rinse.

3. Let There Be Light

Make the best use of natural light in your home and you have an everlasting, free solution. The best lighting conditions exist if you install at least two windows per room. Place them on either two walls or a wall plus ceiling combination. Introducing natural light will save you money, look beautiful and, best of all, it reduces interior heat from electric lights which then reduces the need for air conditioning.

Swap your current lights to an efficient fluorescent or LED type of fixture. There has been a great improvement with LED technology; you can now find a wide selection of fixtures that use LED lighting. It is recommended to analyze your home or work environment carefully to make sure that you get the same or better luminosity than before. Changing only bulbs for CFL of LED bulbs could be a good retrofit if you don't want to touch the ceiling design.

Another incentive is that most of the energy improvements needed are eligible for tax credit through government and local programs.

4. Materials

Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle
Whatever you call it, repurposing materials you already have in your home saves money and gives new life to something useful.

Reduce waste to a minimum by sorting out structural materials, hardwood flooring, doors and windows that could be relocated somewhere else according to your new design. This could save you on dumpster fees, materials cost, and time. What comes out of a demolition is a potential gold-mine for a wise contractor. There are places that you can sell or donate unwanted materials. Think about how much you can save from the waste that goes into landfills from demolition.

New Selections
Use a flooring material that is quickly renewable, like bamboo and cork. There are a huge variety of salvaged flooring materials on the market from various sources. These can add to your design. For countertops, consider one with large recycled content. For cabinets, try to refinish your functional existing ones. For example, just by replacing the doors, you give your cabinets a new face, and save a great deal.
   
Investing in the long-term benefits of all the improvements implemented will serve you well in the long run. Lowered energy bills, increased value on your home, not to mention the health benefits of being around natural materials will all contribute to a positive impact on your life. Unless you have deep pockets and unlimited resources, it's understood that you may need to take this one step at a time. Have a plan and think about the various stages that need to happen first, second, and third and then break those down into smaller steps. Treat it like the priority project that it is for both your wallet and your well-being.

About the Authors

Michelle LaBrosse, MSME, PMP, Founder Cheetah Learning and Cheetah Power
Michelle LaBrosse is an engineer and an entrepreneur with expertise in both aerospace and mechanical engineering. She started her career as an Air Force officer in the field of aircraft structures and vibrations; a challenge that resonates today with some of the technical challenges encountered with wind power.

For her mechanical engineering master's degree thesis project, she participated in a Department of Energy grant to help older factories become more energy self-sufficient.

Michelle has been creating courses using accelerated learning principles for the past 15 years. She is the founder of Cheetah Learning, a firm of over 100 people worldwide that specializes in combining accelerated learning and project management to help people achieve their goals faster than they ever before imagined.

The Project Management Institute recognized Michelle as one of the top 25 most influential women worldwide in Project Management. Her company, Cheetah Learning, was named the 2008 Project Management Institute Provider of the Year in recognition of its accelerated learning in project management education.

Michelle is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Owner President Management Program. She is also the founding board member of the Center for Advanced Learning Concepts (CALCO). She brings all of this experience together to help herself and others become energy self-sufficient.

Erica Edmond, CAPM, Cheetah Green Team
A marketing intern for Cheetah Learning and Cheetah Power, Erica is Cheetah's go-to resource for all things green. She researches and writes the Cheetah Power newsletter and is also a research assistant for a communication professor at the University of Portland.

In 2008, Erica began her first Cheetah internship and wrote an ongoing green feature article for the monthly Cheetah Learning newsletter, as well as educational green articles that showed Cheetah employees how to become more energy efficient in their offices and at home.

During the summer of 2007, Erica worked on a catamaran in Haines, Alaska, as a deckhand/purser. Prior to that, she was appointed by Alaskan senator Ted Stevens to work as a senate page in the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C.

Born in Soldotna, Alaska, Erica has traveled to Costa Rica through an AFS exchange program to take Spanish language and culture classes. She also attended a summer session at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

A senior at the University of Portland, Erica is majoring in organizational communication. When she's not studying or working for Cheetah, she can be found exploring with Rambo, her Chihuahua.

What’s your take on this subject? Leave a comment and get the conversation going.