Lean and Green

Book description

When it comes to believing that business can be profitable and environmentally sensitive, cynics abound on both sides. But in Lean and Green, Pamela Gordon proves that capitalism and environmentalism are not mutually exclusive-quite the contrary. She shows how "green" business practices enable organizations to save millions, even billions of dollars each year.
Lean and Gree chronicles over one hundred examples of how people in twenty different organizations around the world-from clerks, farmers, and city employees to chemists and executives-have strengthened environmental practices and the balance sheet. She details waste-saving, profit-building acts as basic as Linda Gee at LSI Logic digging out usable pre-worn shoe covers to wear in the clean room, and as broad as the city of Santa Monica paving residential streets with white top to reduce urban heat and increase surface longevity.
Drawing on her background as a leading business consultant, Gordon shows readers precisely how to sell their environmental ideas to management. She describes how to make the case in no-nonsense business terms, set concrete goals that the new practices will achieve, measure the economic results of the new practices, and make sure the right people hear about the results so that environmental initiatives continue. Each chapter includes a "Making It Easy" list of action steps for implementing lean and green improvements in the workplace easily and immediately.
Lean and Green will inspire employees and employers alike to explore creative ways to simultaneously save the planet and bolster the bottom line.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Preface
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Introduction The Myth That Environmental Practices Are Bad for Business
    1. The Myth That Inspired a Book
    2. Totaling Monetary Benefit from Lean and Green Steps
    3. But How Much Is Spent on Environment Steps?
    4. Four Lean and Green Steps for the Biggest Impact
    5. Competition Is Doing Its Job
    6. You Can Transform Your Organization
  7. Part I The Four Steps for Creating a Lean and Green Organization
    1. 1 Question Wasteful Practices
      1. Notice and Question
      2. Ideas to Spark Your Imagination
      3. Inspired by Model Trains?
      4. Wanted: Radical Notions
    2. 2 Gain Lean and Green Endorsement Using Business Language
      1. Tie Your Heartfelt Environmental Message to Profitable Returns
      2. Speak Business Language
      3. How to Make a Business Case for Becoming Lean and Green
      4. Avoid Being a Lean and Green Detractor
      5. Appeal to the Competitive Spirit
    3. 3 Collaborate to Achieve Lean and Green Goals
      1. Start with Green Direction from the Top
      2. Collaborate on Lean and Green Goals throughout the Organization
      3. Motivating All Employees to Work the Lean and Green Way
      4. Create Lean and Green Synergies throughout the Organization
      5. When Necessary, Collaborate Outside Your Organization
    4. 4 Track Progress for Environment and Profit
      1. How Much Tracking Is Cost-Effective?
      2. What to Track
      3. Tools for Tracking an Organization’s Environmental Impact
      4. Accounting Methods for Tracking Environmental Costs and Profits
      5. Tackling Environmental Auditing
  8. Part II Real-Life Examples of Putting Lean and Green into Practice
    1. 5 Make a Commitment to Being Lean and Green
      1. Tips on Writing an Effective Policy
      2. How to Use Environmental Policy
      3. Three Companies’ Environmental Policies
    2. 6 Set Up an Environmental Management System
      1. What Is an Environmental Management System?
      2. Ten Suggestions
      3. Three Pitfalls to Avoid
      4. Planet-Friendly Plans for Emergencies
      5. Prepared for Emergencies?
    3. 7 Meet and Exceed Customers’ Expectations for Environmental Practices
      1. Customers Are Speaking Up—Louder Than Regulators
      2. Do You Serve the Most Environmentally Demanding Customers—Yet?
      3. Training Customers in Green Practices
      4. Using Eco-Labels to Tell Customers about Green Products
    4. 8 Translate Green Practices into Revenues
      1. Selling Green Products
      2. Revenue from Recycling
      3. A Green Television
      4. Other Revenue Benefits of Going Green
    5. 9 Design Resource Savings into Products and Processes
      1. Designing Process for Environmental Benefit and Lower Costs
      2. Designing the Product to be Leaner and Greener
      3. Training Designers to Think Lean and Green
    6. 10 Reduce: The Best Strategy in the RRR Trilogy
      1. Why “Reduce” Is the First Choice for Profit and Planet
      2. Get Employees Out of Their Cars!
    7. 11 Reuse: The Second Best Strategy in the RRR Trilogy
      1. Reuse Materials to Reduce Waste and Expense
      2. Convincing Management and Employees to Reuse
    8. 12 Recycle: The Third Best Strategy in the RRR Trilogy
      1. Recycle What You Have to Purchase and Cannot Reuse
      2. Motivating Your Colleagues to Recycle
    9. 13 Persuade Business Partners to Be Lean and Green Allies
      1. How to Tell If a Supplier Is Green
      2. Green Suppliers Can Create Leaner Customers
      3. It’s OK to Take a Hard Stance with Suppliers
      4. With Outsourcing, Suppliers Play a Critical Role
      5. Checking Out Suppliers’ Suppliers
    10. 14 Make Your Buildings More Energy-and Cost-Efficient
      1. Let in the Light
      2. Improving Systems for Better Air—Inside and Out
      3. Cold Climate? Warm Climate? You Can Significantly Reduce Energy and Costs
      4. Creative Ways to Reduce Water Usage: Inside Your Building and Out
      5. Get Harmful Chemicals out of Your Building!
      6. Brand New Buildings Offer Brand New Lean and Green Opportunities
  9. Part III How to Make the Most Difference
    1. 15 Become an Environmental Leader in Your Organization
      1. When the Top Leader Is an Environmental Leader
      2. When You Are an Environmental Leader
      3. Providing Vision: A Key Requirement of Leadership
      4. Environmental Leadership Requires Communication
      5. Environmental Leadership Requires Accountability
      6. Finding and Grooming People to Lead
      7. A Leader’s Gravest Error: Failing to Listen to Employees
    2. 16 Work with Your Organizational Culture to Support Change
      1. Study and Adapt to Your Organization’s Culture
      2. Cultures of Geographic Regions
      3. Follow on the Heels of the “Quality Culture”
    3. 17 Be an Environmental Activist Using Tactics That Benefit Business
      1. Tactics Used by Lean and Green Activists
      2. Career Benefits of Being an Environmental Activist
    4. 18 The Fastest Route to Lean and Green
      1. Bottom-Line Words of Wisdom from Lean and Green Champions
      2. The Four Lean and Green Steps
      3. Is This Enough for the Planet?
      4. The Natural Step
      5. Upend the Whole System or Pace Yourself?
  10. Glossary
  11. Index

Product information

  • Title: Lean and Green
  • Author(s): Pamela Gordon
  • Release date: September 2001
  • Publisher(s): Berrett-Koehler Publishers
  • ISBN: 9781605094076