Just back from two keynote addresses at the PMSA (Project Management South Africa) Conferences in Durban and Johannesburg, we’ll share with you some experiences and findings in some upcoming blog posts.  There was simply too much ‘good stuff’ to try to encapsulate all of this in one post.

We’d like to start with something fundamental and impressive: the South African Constitution.

An organization – or in this case, a large country – has to start somewhere.  Clearly, South Africa still has problems, but at least there is a vibrant vision in place.  In fact, their vision is somewhat, well, visionary.  In fact, it’s one of the few, if not the only country that states environmental rights so explicitly in their Constitution.  It’s right there, Section 24 in Chapter 2, under the Bill of Rights.

Even the US State Department recognizes this in their “Background Note” on South Africa.

It gets very personal.  In fact, one of the speakers at the “Good in Green” conference in Durban specifically indicated that she – as a director of a company which is involved in construction in South Africa – is legally responsible for her actions with response to the environment and can personally face stiff fines and time in prison for irresponsible environmental actions.  You can read more about how the Constitution becomes “active” in this document called “EnviroCrimes“.

In this document, the government answers the question, “what are we protecting?”:

The environment extends from our everyday surroundings to our whole beautiful country. South Africa’s rivers and wetlands, its mountains and plains, its estuaries and oceans, its magnificent coastline and landscapes all contain an exceptionally rich and varied array of life forms. In fact, our country ranks as the third most biologically diverse country in the world and is the only country to have an entire plant kingdom within its national boundaries.

And they also answer the question, “why is it important to prosecute offenders?”:

Environmental crime has serious social and economic impacts on the daily lives of our people.  For example, the pollution of groundwater can cause cancer in adults and children, while illegal fishing can cause the stock of a particular fish species to fall, resulting in job losses for honest fishers.

So, let’s get to it.  Here it is, directly from the South African Constitution:

Section 24: Environment

Everyone has the right to:

• an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being
• have the environment protected for present and future generations

The government must pass laws that:

• prevent pollution and damage to our natural resources
• promote conservation
• make sure that natural resources are developed while also promoting the economic and social development of people

You can read more about this element of the South African Constitution at this site.

So, you’re asking, maybe, what’s the connection to project management?

There are several that come immediately to mind:

• As mentioned above, this is a bit of a wake-up call to project managers doing business (and projects!) in South Africa; there is this legal connection, traceable to the Constitution, which makes them literally responsible for their actions.
• The Constitution can be used to help justify many infrastructure projects.  While at the conference I was impressed by some hefty projects to rid the country of invasive species, projects which employed many South Africans – including many project managers.
• The consciousness of the environmental rights is an ever-present reminder for project managers to think sustainably.  Perhaps it is no coincidence that South Africa was sponsoring this Good in Green conference!

One look at the huge ship (612 feet long) and you knew it was something special.  It was backed up to the middle bridge of the Piscataqua River and loomed over the roadway.  How to handle the ship and its cargo is a project.  The Port Director at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, considered the project as a new opportunity, and we considered it as spawned from a Green by Definition (GbD) project.  First a little about the GbD project.  Granite Reliable Power Park is a wind farm project in northern New Hampshire.  It consists of 33 Vesta V90 3 Mw wind turbines, only the second U.S. wind project to deploy these turbines.  It will generate 330,000 MWH, enough to power 40,000 homes and offset 332 million pounds of carbon dioxide.  In addition, the project will generate more that 200 jobs.

The port project itself; offload the cargo to be used for the wind farm from the Salmaagracht, a Swedish registered massive vessel docked at the State Pier in Portsmouth.  The cargo:

• 22 nacelles (gear housing) measuring 32 feet long and weighing 81 tons each, about the weight of two humpback whales.
• 69 fixed blades, each measuring 149 feet long or about the length of 4 school buses and weighing 17 tons.
• 22 hubs (part of the rotor assembly) and 22 spinners

What makes the ship special are the 3 huge cranes that can lift up to 120 tons.   Further logistics for the project included one tractor trailer for each blade, 80 workers, and 45 minutes to unload each blade.  It was a pretty amazing project that had never been done before in Portsmouth Harbor, unique, one time effort, consumes limited resources, has a fixed start and end date, you know, a project.  What we didn’t see is the greenality of the port project itself.  Yes, it was related to a GbD project, and we bet that by now, you know the questions to ask to evaluate the greenality of the project itself.  So here is the challenge.  Tell us the questions you might ask by commenting on the post.  We’ll start you out with one.  What kind of lighting do they have at the State Pier?

We’re currently in the midst of reading Getting Green Done by Auden Schendler. What we found so far, we like.

We’re particularly thrilled with the elegantly simple way the author has defined sustainability – a common tripping-up point for those who want to understand our message….what the heck do you guys even mean when you say sustainability.

Here it is:

Sustainability means staying in business forever.

That’s it.  Well, of course there’s more, but that gives the flavor of sustainability in a simple, to-the-point sentence.

For us as project managers, we like to talk about ‘sustainability thinking’ – so we take this sentence and expand it to something like “manage your project as if you will be on the operations team dealing with the PRODUCT of your project, forever”.

Below we found a snippet from an Interview with Vision Magazine in which Auden expands on this a little more:

“When I started out, I found that at every conference, the keynote speaker would stand up and say, “What is sustainability? It’s so hard to define.” And then they’d use that United Nations Brundtland Commission definition: “to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” But it’s not that complicated. Sustainability means staying in business forever—with whatever your business is. If your business is parenthood, you need to solve climate, make sure your kids can have jobs, clean water and shelter. Essentially, how can parenthood last forever? If you’re a business, it’s the same thing. We’re a ski resort; part of our forever business model is that we have to solve climate.”
We expect to do a full review of the book in the near future.  But we had to share that definition with our project management audience which is often asking us to define green and to define sustainability.

Project Managers: May the Force be with you.

Take a look at this document. (Click here).  Then come back here when you’re done.  We’ll wait…

Dum de dah….dee dee dum…dum…. OH, you’re back.  Good.

Okay, we know that many of you (you know who you are)  have not actually read the document, even though we told you it was short.  So (alas…) we’ll summarize it for you.  The “it” is a fine summary of how Sustainability is tied to innovation, and it’s provided well-respected consulting firm called Deloitte.  Perhaps you’ve heard of them.

“Sustainability helps drive innovation through design constraints – the need or desire to reduce or substitute resources used, such as energy, carbon, water, materials, and waste. This focus on reduction or substitution can create a powerful driver for developing  innovative products and operating models.

Examples of how Sustainability Strategy 2.0 thinking drives innovation include:

• Commodity and raw material availability and use. Can we procure all inputs for our production operations? How are environmental events affecting biological stocks? Is consumption depleting nonrenewable resources?

• Energy consumption and cost. Are significant fluctuations in the price of carbon-based fuels likely to continue? Can we reduce our energy intensity to maintain or increase production but use less energy?

• Emissions and waste. Will legislation cause us to account for the cost of greenhouse gas emission? How would the rollout of packaging or waste disposal taxes affect our business?

• Water availability and quality. Will increasing water scarcity affect our ability to use water in production and manufacturing? Will stricter regulations require us to rethink production?

• Demand for sustainable products. How much do consumers and our extended value chain care about the sustainability attributes of our products? Are they willing to pay more for “greener” offerings?”

The report ends with this – in gigantic font:

Conclusion: A broader view of sustainability leads to value creation.

We like this report.  It echos what a lot of leaders are saying.  We just blogged about Ford’s leadership, and prior to that we have quoted Marvin Odom of Shell, in an excellent report from Sloan MIT, in which the Shell Oil President says that sustainability is a major engine of innovation for his company.

And here’s where the Force comes in.

Think about it.  If you’re in electronics, as a project manager, what did the transistor, the chip, the processor do for your career?  How many tens of thousands of projects were launched only because of those innovations?  If you’re in IT, think about the microprocessor.  Or Agile software development.  You know that these innovations have either launched or facilitated millions of projects.  And on and on, with the laser, new developments in pharmaceuticals, materials… the list is nearly infinite.

So if you buy into the idea that we, as project managers, count on innovation as our lifeblood, you should look forward to new innovations coming from – you guessed it – sustainability thinking in organizations.  We preach that project managers need to pick up this form of thinking for the pure value it brings us as PMs.  But with this post we want you to recognize that it is also a driving force for the very projects that keep us employed in the first place.

Maybe it’s no coincidence that Yoda is green….

While we wouldn’t recommend fly fishing naked, too many sharp hooks flying around, this photo, by J. Johnson, does capture your attention.  This comes from Patagonia’s website.

Those of you who know our book, know that Patagonia is one of those companies at the “Top of Their Game” when it comes to sustainability.  Also, those of you who use the products probably know the story of how Patagonia got started when founder Yvon Chouinard felt that the current pitons were harming the rocks he was climbing and invented a more environmentally friendly piton.  But what you may not know relates to fly fishing.

Well, you may ask, “Why is fly fishing relevant to me?”  It may not be per sec, but while Rich and I are both fishermen, I am a fly fisherman bordering on fanaticism and obsession.  Fly fishing may also be why I was drawn to project management or vice versa.  You see, fly fishing to me is about the process; fly tying, getting ready for a trip, the precision gear, the anatomy of a river, stream, pond or lake, rather than catching fish.  Although I do catch my fair share and practice catch and release.  But that is getting a little off track.

In the most recent edition of Fly Fishing in Saltwater, there is small article about Patagonia continuing there sustainability efforts entitled “Patagonia – Green to the Extreme.”  While I don’t think it is so extreme, more of a necessity, Patagonia is undertaking an effort to eliminatepaper catalogs.  What a great thought!  Tired of getting your mailbox stuffed with catalogs, especially around Christmas time?  Patagonia has published their second e-catalog.  While it does have the feel of a magazine, it can do so much more, especially with its videos.  And, it is not only green, but the way I figure it, helps the company’s bottom-line.

The Environmental Defense Fund’s paper calculator estimates that Patagonia will save 1.5 million gallons of waste water, 220,860 pounds of
solid waste, 1,222 trees, and almost 600,000 pounds of CO₂.  While there are some development costs for the e-catalog, I am sure that the savings far  outweigh those costs; thereby adding to the company’s bottom-line, and fitting well into the Triple Botton Line (People, Planet, Profits).   I for one love the products and proudly display a Patagonia decal on the window of my SUV.  Yes, I told you I tend to lean a little toward the Hummer side of the spectrum.  But I’d have trouble towing my boat to the water or my trailer full of yard waste to the composting facility with a Prius.  Although for trips other than to go fishing/boating or towing I do have a much more efficient vehicle,  trading in a gas guzzler for that.  Anyway, it is not about me, or maybe it is, my being a fly fisherman.

On page two of the catalog there is a “commitment” to fly fishing where they say that they spent untold hours on research and development to ensure that the products they povide are the finest that can be produced so that fly fishermen can concentrate on the sport rather than on the “vagaries of Mother  Nature.”  And, all is done in a sustainable way.  Be assured that the e-catalog is not the only effort to reduce their impact on the environment.  The World Trout® Initiative, is addressing the following issues: “overfishing and destruction of habitat threaten trout populations worldwide.  Humans are the cause, though they may also be trout’s saviors.” Read more about the World Trout® Initiative.  (The picture below is also from Patagonia’s website.)

I can only quote Robert Travers (better known for his novel “Anatomy of a Murder”);

“I fish because I love to. Because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably
beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are
invariably ugly. Because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties,
and assorted social posturing I thus escape. Because in a world where most men
seem to spend their lives doing what they hate, my fishing is at once an
endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion. Because trout do not
lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed, or impressed by power, but respond
only to quietude and humility, and endless patience. Because I suspect that men
are going this way for the last time and I for one don’t want to waste the
trip. Because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters. Because in
the woods I can find solitude without loneliness. … And finally, not because
I regard fishing as being so terribly important, but because I suspect that so
many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant and not nearly so
much fun.”

Let’s try to keep it that way.

When the going gets tough, the first target that gets shot at seems to be the environment.  Aren’t we really cutting it close, shaving away sustainability.    The new governor of Maine, my governor, Paul LePage, is a “Lightning Rod for Critics” as headlined recently by Jenna Russell in Boston Globe.   And among other things, “…the new governor has offered up a more substantive cause for controversy: a plan to streamline state environmental protections, eliminating or reducing more than 60 regulations on pollution and development.”

I’m not going to get into a political debate, here, and whether or not you are a “tree hugger”, doesn’t really make a difference.  Is this true?  “The governor is not suggesting we turn our backs on what makes Maine great,’’ said Demeritt. “It’s about finding middle ground and the right protections, and why it takes a million dollars to get a project approved.’’ I hope so, but there are some concerns.

“It’s a wholesale retreat from the values Maine people hold dear,’’ Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, a statewide public health organization, said of LePage’s proposal. “Everyone knows the essence of Maine is the quality of its environment. It resonates deeply in the psyche of Maine people, and it’s the backbone of the economy, drawing tourists from all over the world.’’ You have to realize that Maine benefits from tourism to the tune of $15 billion per year, which makes it a leading industry in Maine.  Do we want to jeopardize that?  It’s not tree hugging it’s dollar hugging.

Now I’m all for reducing redundancy within the governmental departments.  I believe there probably is quite a bit of that.  Depending on what statistics you use,  between 34% and 45% of those employed in Maine work for some sort of federal, state, or local government.

There is some precedent for this scrutiny according to Ms. Russell. “In New Jersey, to similar outrage from environmentalists, Governor Chris Christie previously introduced many of the same proposals put forth by LePage: establishing a fast track to approval for development proposals, shifting authority from environmental boards to administrative judges, and prohibiting state standards that are stricter than federal regulations, as well as reducing governmental job redundancy.

Florida’s new governor, Rick Scott, used his recent budget recommendations to eliminate funding for the state’s land conservation program, Florida Forever, and to drastically downsize the state agency in charge of managing sprawl, the Department of Community Affairs, by slashing its budget from $779 million to $110 million, according to Sarah Bucci, a field associate with the advocacy group Environment Florida.”  One size does not necessarily fit everyone.  What one state does doesn’t necessarily meant it is relevant to another.

One of the more controversial remarks from LePage, couched as a “joke gone awry” by the governor’s office, was linked to the “proposal that has received the most attention would suspend the Kid-Safe Products Act, a law overwhelmingly approved by legislators in 2008. The law, which has yet to take effect, would ban the sale of baby bottles and other products containing biphenyl A, or BPA, a chemical compound linked to health concerns in animal studies. Supporters of the law say LePage is catering to out-of-state corporations who helped fund his campaign. Demeritt said the governor simply wants “sound science’’ to be the standard for state regulations, and with BPA, “the science is not there.’’  The worst side effect of exposure to it, he (LePage) asserted at a press conference, might be women growing “little beards.”

“State Senator Peter Mills, who ran against LePage in a seven-way Republican primary last year, said the governor’s deregulation plan contains important, necessary changes at its core, some of which are likely to be approved. But he criticized LePage for taking a “slash and burn’’ approach instead of focusing strategically on key reforms.”  We need to use a pair of scissors, not a straight razor to make cuts.

“You need to get people used to your perspective, instead of throwing everything against the wall,’’ said Mills. “It creates huge resistance and doesn’t get it done. . . . All he did was get environmentalists fired up.’’

We, as project managers, know that change is difficult, but something that is constant, and the primary reason we exist.  Everything we do involves change of some sort.  There is a right way to manage change and a wrong way.  We agreed with Senator Mills, your need to find a way to minimize resistance, not galvanize it.  Perhaps, as John Greenleaf Whittier, a poet who hailed from an almost neighbor of ours, Massachusetts said; “Tradition wears a snowy beard, romance is always young.”  Let’s keep our traditions and continue to woo sustainability.

In the current issue of PM Network, PMI’s monthly magazine, page 30 starts a feature story called “On The Horizon – what lies ahead for the project management profession?”, by Sandra A. Swanson.

In the story, key project managers predict what will shape the future of the profession.

Three items are mentioned.

Guess what’ s listed first, in terms of shaping the future of Project Management?

Well, here’s a hint: the title is “Green Branches Out“, and it mentions “a greater sense of urgency to sustainability efforts”.  Later in the same issue, in an article about China’s adopting and inventing new project managemet practices, “accountability on high” is featured – and in that section, there is mention of “embedding sustainability into project management“.

Everyone agrees, right?

Apparently not.

We direct you to this discussion at LinkedIn’s PMI Credentialed PMPs Group.

Here the entire idea as to whether PM needs to have anything to do with ‘green’ is called into question.  And it is a valid question.  We obviously have our opinion.  But we’d like to have you jump in with yours so that it is a ‘spirited discussion’.

Please, drop into the discussion and let us know whether you see green on the horizon, or if we should see green on the horizon.

Thanks.

It’s almost time for New Year’s Resolutions, and we start with best New Year’s wishes for all of our readers and followers.  Happy New Year!

What will motivate you and your organizations as you move into this new year and set strategy?

In terms of setting projects and programs to become leaner, more efficient, and to reduce your impact on the environment, will you be pushed into this by regulation, legislation, laws, and limits?  Or will incentives from government, or better economics of doing things the right way have a pull on you and your projects?  Or, perhaps, it’s about image – an image that your advertising is projecting, which needs to match your actual way of behaving and performing?

Resolutions are set at the end of December, looking forward towards January.  Just as January is based on the Roman god Janus, with a forward and backward-looking face, the Pushmi-Pullyu, a creature from Dr. Dolittle, is the inspiration for this posting.

This is a good time to think about these forces which pull and push your organization – and thus your projects – in different directions.  Your PMO sits at a key point in the organization’s ability to execute portfolios, programs and projects, all of which should be tied firmly to the enterprise’s mission and values.  In our book (“Green Project Management“, CRC Press) we explore Interface Carpet and the way in which Ray Anderson made environmental commitments and how that in turn drove programs and projects for his enterprise – yielding tremendous savings in reduced waste, improvements in employee morale, and a better product.

Those of you who are sharp-eyed readers will have noted that the word “limits” above is a hyperlink.  And, in typical PM, Type A Personality fashion, you may have already clicked on that link and noticed that it was from a story in today’s Boston Globe.  This was another inspiration for today’s posting – the PUSH side of the equation.  But even in this story, the PULL comes out.  Let’s break it down for you, using some pull quotes from the story:

PUSH:

“Over the next decade, the plan aims to bring greenhouse gas emissions to levels that are 25 percent below those in 1990, the maximum possible limit allowed under the state Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008. That legislation mandates an 80 percent reduction in statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”

PULL:

“Under the new plan, the state would cut at least an additional 7 percent through new initiatives and incentives, including a pilot program to make auto insurance cheaper for people who drive fewer miles.”

This story is interesting enough to read separately from the blog posting and we suggest you do just that by clicking here.

However we also – as is our habit – would like to share a a couple of  resources with you that resonate to this same theme – Pushmi-Pullyu.

Below is a chart from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change‘s Climate Change 101:

Note the large number of “PULL” aspects to this chart – reasons to move towards acting with greenality, based on logic and necessity rather than mandate.  We think 2011 may be a key year for enterprises to realize this pull, and for governments to do whatever they can to accentuate and incentivize based on these pulls, while bringing out the mandates and limits – the pushes - where necessary.

As usual – it’s all about balance.

May 2011 be a very balanced year for all of you.
Cheers!

Various cultures celebrate this season differently, but in just about all of them, gold is considered valuable.

The book Green to Gold was one of our original inspirations when we started Earth PM, and wrote our book.  So we, of course, follow Andrew Winston’s excellent blog.  And he just put up a real nice posting.  We’ll be very lazy (getting in the holiday spirit) and simply send you there (a link is provided at the end of the list).  However, we ask that you take the time to follow the links he provides, and not just to read the list.

1. The climate bill dies in the U.S. Senate.

2. Nature strikes back/Climate change is real.

3. Resources get very tight.

4. China, China, China.

5. Renewables are for real and moving fast

6. Supply chain pressure continues to rise (a.k.a., Wal-Mart doesn’t slow down).

7. Zero is the new black.

8. Big goals were back.

9. Electric vehicles storm the market.

10. Small guys can do it too.

11. (Bonus!) The Military gets serious about green.

Click here for the top 10 (really 11) green business stories of 2010.  Again, we implore you to check out the well-assembled links that Winston has made available!

To our many subscribers, followers, and readers: thanks for your support, and have a great Holiday Season – may you find some green gold yourselves!

Taking advantage of a re-cycled Newsweek magazine of 25-October-2010, we discovered a treasure trove of good green project and green business info in that issue which we’d like to share with you.

Two articles deserve your attention, and we provide here for you links to their on-line counterparts for your ongoing reference.

The first, and their cover story, was a feature regarding 10 radical ideas to save the planet.

The first idea, and the reason for the giant hamburger on the cover of the issue, regards the greening of beef (not literally!).  Here’s a quote that caught our attention:

“No one has been more a target of environmentalists’ ire than Blairo Maggi. Though known as a soybean tycoon, Maggi became Big Beef’s best friend as a two-time governor of Mato Grosso, the frontier state that boasts Brazil’s largest herds and has helped make that nation the world’s No. 1 beef exporter. But this “developmentalista,” who in 2005 won Greenpeace’s Golden Chainsaw award for the havoc he had wreaked on the Amazon, has become Brazil’s latest tree-hugger. The talk in Maggi’s corral is all about “sustainable development,” “carbon credits,” “avoided deforestation”—and green beef. After signing on to a 2006 moratorium on selling soybeans harvested from recently deforested lands, Maggi last year extended the ban to Amazon beef cattle. He has urged ranchers and Brazil’s giant meatpackers to clean up their act, and is even using satellites to monitor illegal clear-cutting and burning of forests. Why Maggi’s change of heart? It’s smart business.”

This conversion that Maggi underwent, not unlike that which occurred for Interface’s Ray Anderson, focuses on the business sense involved in green choices.

Here’s a summary of the 10 ideas (intentionally given intriguing names):

• Make a Greener Burger
• Invest in the Improbable
• Get out of the Gulf
• Catch a Wave
• Hug a Nuke
• Turn Smoke into Rocks
• Drink your Garbage
• Hire a Microbe
• Shout it Out Loud
• Lighten Up

You can see all of the ideas by clicking here.  The Project Management angle is indisputable. Threaded through each of these ideas are triggers for new projects – in some cases, pilots of wacky ideas, in some cases ongoing actual investments.  But clearly – the more a PM knows about this type of thinking, the better-positioned they are for the job market.

The second feature in the issue is the Green Rankings.

The printed magazine’s detail actually pales in comparison to what you find on line.  So we’ll point you to the online feature instead – click here for that.

We think you will find some interesting trends in the listings.  For example, in the US listings, of the top 10 companies, only TWO are outside of the IT world, one from the Consumer Products sector (Nike at number 10) and one from the Pharmaceutical sector (J&J at number 4).  The other 8 (oh well, we may as well list them for you: Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, SprintNextel, Adobe, Applied Materials, and Yahoo) are all tech companies.

Again, this amplifies (or at least echos) our contention that one does not have to be in the oil and gas or wind power segment to have an effect on your company’s greenality.

Visit the site for their methodology and rankings, which go way beyond what we’ve listed here or even what you’ll find in the magazine.