We’ve all heard the buzz about alternative energy; clean coal, wind power, tidal power, solar power, and nuclear power to name a few.  Traveling around Ireland last year, there was a noticeable increase in wind farms.  The talk around the county is to try to get most, if not all, of the power from the wind.  Everyone in Ireland and those who visit know that it is a windy country, surrounded by the North Sea, in an area of constantly changing weather patterns.  Power generation by wind is still in its infancy.  It may work in a small, unique area like Ireland, and generally on a smaller scale, we need to look to other alternatives for larger applications.

In today’s article in the Wall Street Journal On-line it states that, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), “Nuclear energy is one of the key low-carbon energy technologies that can contribute, alongside energy efficiency, renewable energies and carbon capture and storage, to the decarbonization of electricity supply by 2050, said IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka. I could provide as much as 25% of world-wide energy requirements by 2050. ” That would mean that “nuclear generating capacity to more than triple over the next 40 years.”

Nuclear energy is a proven technology, unlike some of the alternatives.  Director General Luis Echavarri of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) , a specialized agency within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of industrialized countries, based in Paris, France, says  “Nuclear is already one of the main sources of low-carbon energy today. If we can address the challenges to its further expansion, nuclear has the potential to play a larger role in cutting CO2 emissions”.

To achieve these numbers, there will be a multitude of projects throughout the world requiring project managers.  Beside the project management jobs in the nuclear power plant construction industry, there will be PM jobs in support of nuclear power like plant design, accident prevention and development of safety features.  Just like the oil industry, there will be risks.  Who better to help manage risks than a project manager?

Because we are all interested in the “next best thing” in terms of what the future job market looks like, EarthPm will continue to identify those areas, whether the projects are green by definition, project impact, product impact, or green in general.  We’re not advocating one source of power generation over another, but we do believe that you must be aware of all the alternatives and where the potential future jobs may be.

Of course we are interested in bloggers blogging about project management.  Even though we are about the “intersection of Green and Project Management,” we are also project managers, teachers of project management methodologies (green included), and consultants in the field.   And, we were very proud and excited to read “the-best-project-management-blogs” from Business Computing World.   Heather Buckley, Director and co-founder of IT and business training providers Silicon Beach Training, writes about earthpm.com, “This blog is a recent discovery of mine and it’s quite distinctive, claiming to be devoted to “the intersection of Green and Project Management”. These two areas are surprisingly compatible, with over-lapping themes of saving money by using less resources and getting things done efficiently and effectively. This blog is a great place to head if you get bored of the same old – and somewhat trite – project management subjects and fancy something more stimulating.”   Thank you Heather, we’re working hard to provide that “stimulating” connection between green and project management and we are very happy to be number one on your list.  EarthPm, our proposal to PMI and  our book are our green projects and as you know, every project needs metrics.  Acknowledgment like this is certainly one of those success measures.  Let us know how you feel about anything on the site, especially our proposal to PMI.  We’re always looking for ways to make our projects better.

With apologies to Liza Minnelli and  Joel Grey,  I’ve have to agree.  And there is some great  news here for project managers.  In a recent article in the Springfield (Ohio)  News-Sun headline, Green Legislation Could Lure Projects to State.  ” The Ohio Senate went “green” in a bipartisan way on Tuesday, May 18, voting 28-4 for legislation aimed at attracting renewable energy projects such as wind farms and the jobs they create to the state.” The legislation provides tax incentives for renewable energy projects.  Ohio is lagging in their amount of renewable energy capacity and part of that problem may be that Ohio tax structure for renewable projects is up to 8 times higher than that of neighboring states.  It gives advantage to those other states competing for “green” projects.

The new incentives would apply to wind and solar projects, clean coal technology, advanced nuclear technology and cogeneration ( the simultaneous production of heat and power in a single thermodynamic process) projects.  It could mean upwards of 700 new jobs in this sector. For us, that’s what it is all about, planet, projects, and putting people back to work.  700 jobs don’t seem like a lot, but multiply that by the number of states who have similar or who will have similar incentives and it is an good start toward recovery of the job market.  Couple that with the indirect benefits of a job (the multiplier) and it could mean an additional 4 or more jobs in support of those workers.  After all, we all need to purchase a pair of Earthkeepers®

Of course, the point is, that every project should have a project manager.  Project managers can keep their ears to the ground and their eyes on EarthPM to see how this “Green Wave” is affecting and will affect the future of our discipline.

This week I spent a very worthwhile 4 hours in the above titled workshop.  It was hosted by Heidi Spinella, a sustainability consultant, and Bert Cohen, an adjunct professor at the University of New Hampshire, teaching Sustainable Living and Systems Thinking for Sustainable Living.  Heidi is also a PMP so naturally, excuse the pun, my interpretation leaned more toward projects and how a project manager can lead sustainability efforts by using the tools we have available, one focus of our new book.  I certainly wasn’t far off, as a matter of fact, I think my interpretation was right-on.

One of the definitions of sustainability used in the workshop is the same Bruntland one we use in the book; “Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (United Nations 1987) The workshop was focused on the Natural Step Framework, the framework I believe “frames” the Green Wave. (For more information on the “green wave, please read our book’s introduction.)  In a nutshell, and quoting from the workshop, we need to ‘Begin to reduce what we TAKE (from the earth); Begin to reduce what we MAKE (stuff that isn’t biodegradable or recyclable); Begin to increase what we PROTECT (biodiversity); Begin to increase what we RESPECT (human rights).”

Further, following a project’s lifecycle, and using this workshop as an example, sustainability is a project and we must plan, organize and control the effort.  And as a final step, make sure that we take into consideration the long term effects of what we are doing, or as McDonough and Braungart say, consider “cradle-to-cradle”.

The workshop’s focus is on using the Natural Step Framework as a “practical approach to strategic planning” for a community’s (any community) efforts to advance sustainability.  The example used in the workshop was Portsmouth, New Hampshire, (an eco-municipality) which has made incredible strides in its sustainability efforts.  For more information go to their website.

Bottom-line, at least one of the things I took out of it, is that one person,  like a small ice ball rolling down a snow cover mountain, can unleash an avalanche of success for a project by getting more and more people involved in the project.  That ice ball, no matter what you call it, is a project manager. Using the immense arsenal of skills that project managers possess, will aid in the success of any project.  And I will say it again, projects are where ideas meet reality, and the project manager has to be and is the champion of change.  Thinking “sustainable” is one of those changes.

That was the title of a recent article in our local paper (The Portsmouth Herald).  It was subtitled “Timberland (one of the companies featured in Top of their Game in our new book) achieves profits while helping the environment.”  It is a good news environmental story for a change and it points out what we are saying, green projects make cents.  According to Timberland sources, “broad corporate social responsibility is the essence of good business.”  We can’t agree more.

“Business success, for us, is defined not not only by the return we earn for our stakeholders but also by the positive impact we have on our community and environment,” said Betsy Blaisdell, Timberland’s senior manager of environmental stewardship as quoted in the article.  Further she says, “Bottom-line results are obviously critical – if we cease to be profitable, we cease to exist – but if we earn them at the expense of our values and commitment to be responsible corporate citizens, we’ve failed.”

Projects like reducing energy, chemical, and resource use at Timberland-owned and operated facilities worldwide are being executed.  Timberland’s goal is also to engage employees, the public, and even challenge competitors to do the same.  Timberland continues to grow in spite of a weak economy.  “Success for us comes from a business model in which commerce and justice are inextricably linked,” Blaisdell explained.  Learn more about Timberland’s environmental stewardship.