From the University of Southern Miss' green blog

I'm speechless:  "Why Don't They Get It? Or, To Be or Not, That's the Real Question."

"Saving the World at Work" by Tim Sanders

Looks like I found a new book for everyone to start handing out around their offices. This was part of the earlier story I linked to about the fleet manager at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters challenging his drivers to reduce their use of diesel fuel due to idling.

The author Tim Sanders is the former chief solutions office at Yahoo. He uses three rules for change- 1) teach, don't preach; 2) follow up relentlessly; 3) welcome skeptics into the fold when they convert.

Man does that sound like Lean 101 to any one else!

Here is a link to his book on Amazon including some editorial reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Saving-World-Work-Individuals-Difference/dp/0385523572/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227544734&sr=1-2

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters- They just get it!

For all you Java heads out there make sure you check these guys out. Not only are they one of the most inventive coffee companies out there. They understand and embrace eco-friendly concepts.

Here is a link to their website and ways they go about protecting the environment:

http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/ContentPage.aspx?Name=BBW-Protecting-The-Environment

Also here is a link to the main page:

http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/

From all indications they are a very well run company and have a hit on their hands with the Keurig single cup brewers they are selling.

I just wanted to add one more link for Green Mountain as I came across this story from Investor's Business Daily this morning. Talks about a fleet manager at GMCR focusing his drivers on reducing their use of diesel fuel. Good stuff.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/081121/managing.html?.v=1

The "Slow Home" Movement

I came across a fascinating web site dealing with sustainable homebuilding: Slow Home.

The name initially interested me. 'Slow' Home? According to the web site, it...

"...takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. Suburban sprawl is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast lifestyle that is bad for us and for the environment. In the same way that slow food helps us to avoid the processed food industry and make healthier and more sustainable choices about the food we eat"

Also from the web site, their Three Principles for sustainable living: Close, Simple & Light. Read more about it on their site. These principles pretty much represent how I feel about how we should design our communities and homes.

If you have time, check out their series of videos: Slow Home Report.

University of Southern Miss Goes Green

Mississippi is definitely behind the times, as evidenced by the fact that my employer, USM, just created an Office of Sustainability this fall and there webstite just went livet this week. You can imagine where businesses are at in the state, if universities are just now catching on to green. Nonetheless, it's a move in the right direction and I'm gld for it.

Here is the Office of Sustainability's site: usm.edu/green

Our goals at Southern Miss are to be the model of sustainable thought and practice within our state and region. While we can “do” projects to “go” green, the end-game of our entire initiative is to “be” green. To do so, we have to affect the cognitive processes of our institution on every level. Every plan we make and every action we take should begin with consideration of the tenets of sustainability. As the first dedicated office of sustainability in the state, with the first full-time professional sustainability staff, we strive everyday to make such a cultural transformation a reality.