Keynote Presentations

April 28 Closing Keynote (PDF, 2 MB)
Nancy Hickey, Steelcase Inc.

April 29 Opening Keynote (PDF, 8 MB)
Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield Farm

Session Presentations

April 28 Concurrent Sessions

Environmental Management Systems
Eric Van Dellen, Amway Corp.

Top management of each company is responsible for providing strategy and direction for environmental compliance and performance. The commitment of officers to achieve a high level of sustainability communicates a performance and accountability message to all employees. This session will cover the key elements for creating a formal environmental management system including policy statements, system audits, designating and empowering internal champions, and other resources needed to maintain a successful management system.


Product/Service Design (PDF, 1 MB)
Jon Miner, Bissell

Industrial designers are usually the first to conceptualize how, and of what materials, new products will be manufactured. Therefore, they have the earliest influence on the sustainability of the product during its life cycle. This session will review the systems and processes design teams use to ensure every product is manufactured with sustainable processes and produced with sustainable materials.


Facilities (PDF, 4 MB)
Chris Pike, Nucraft, and Debra Sypien, Rockford Construction

The environmental elements that affect a facility's operation involve energy consumption, construction materials, and the habitat of the site. This session will cover the tools and processes plant and facilities managers can use to reduce operational costs and improve sustainability in the construction and function of manufacturing and office environments.


Purchasing - Supply Chain (PDF, 2 MB)
Mary Ellen Mika and Tammy Ayers, Steelcase Inc.

Supply chain managers influence sustainability through the selection of suppliers to provide materials and utilities. This session will describe one company’s journey toward increasing the use of renewable energy and enabling the purchase of more sustainable materials. You will learn about the new West Michigan Sustainable Purchasing Consortium (WMSPC), one of the first public/private consortiums to help businesses of all sizes purchase more sustainable products at economical prices, from Steelcase, one of the WMSPC member companies.


Social Responsibility (PDF, 474 KB)
Cindy Moe, Light Corp.

Beyond a company’s economic and environmental responsibility, companies are coming under increased pressure to integrate ethical business practices, employee enrichment opportunities, and community investment programs into their business cultures.


Operations (PDF, 3 MB)
Jeff Remtema, Progressive AE; and Bert Vescolani, John Ball Zoological Gardens

This session will provide a method for developing and implementing a comprehensive sustainable operations strategy. A case study of an organization with extreme operational challenges will demonstrate how cost savings and improved environmental performance can be achieved.


Packaging (PDF, 521 KB)
Mike Westbrook, Shape Corp.

The packaging used to transport products and raw materials can have significant environmental impact. This session will address the issues packaging engineers should consider in designing packaging materials. Tools and processes for creating environmentally friendly packaging - including material reduction, material recyclability, post-consumer recycling, and coordination among product design, purchasing and packaging departments will be discussed.


Delivery and Installation
Les Brand, Supply Chain Solutions, Inc.
Presentation Part 1 (PDF, 2 MB)
Presentation Part 2 (PDF, 7 MB) This is a large file and will take longer to download

Delivery and/or installation bring products or services into contact with customers. Issues like transportation and assembly methods impact the level of sustainability. This session will explore the processes and tools companies can use to improve the sustainability of the delivery and installation process including delivery efficiencies, reducing repackaging, reducing internal handling of products, and improving the sustainability of products and materials used in installation.


Marketing and Sales (PDF, 3 MB)
Eric Albery, Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits

Marketing and sales activities often provide the best opportunity for intimate communication between manufacturers and customers. This session will discuss the role marketers can play in sustainable manufacturing including tracking customer demand for sustainable products, gathering customer feedback, and effectively communicating the sustainable aspects of company performance and products.

April 29 Workshops

Green Materials & Chemistry (XPS, 1 MB)
Bill Stough, Sustainable Research Group
and Gabe Wing, Herman Miller, Inc.
You will need the Microsoft XPS Viewer to read this file. Download the Microsoft XPS Viewer

Has your company ever been asked if its products have recycled and/or biobased content, are low-emitting, free of chemicals of concern, are compostable, biodegradable or recyclable at the end of their useful life? Increasingly investors, regulators, employees, customers and other corporate stakeholders are requesting information about the safety of the chemicals used by companies in their products and manufacturing processes. This pressure is driven by consumer demand for the reduction and elimination of chemicals that have negative impacts on human health and ecosystem health throughout the life-cycle of a chemical, material or product – so called “chemicals of concern.” This session will help your company learn how to tap into the growing market demand for “greener” materials that have a reduced impact on the environment.


Lean and Green (PDF, 1 MB)
Richard Fleming, CI Associates and Jim Brown, Anderson Technologies

This workshop will provide you with an understanding of how lean and environmental processes integrated together can provide tremendous benefits to your bottom line. It will explore how lean principles apply to environmental activities and how environmental principles apply to lean activities. Topics covered include:

• The types of environmental wastes embedded in the seven wastes of lean, savings lost, and the seven questions to ask.
• How to expand the application of value stream mapping to environmental resource flows.
• Tools for incorporating environmental initiatives into 6S.
• How to apply continuous improvement to environmental activities.
• Examples of over $50,000 in bottom-line impacts you can implement now.
  

Carbon Management 101 (PDF, 2 MB)
Clinton Boyd, Sustainable Research Group
and Doug Plesner, Crystal Flash Energy

Concern over climate change has sharpened the focus of the public, private and government sectors on the need to control and reduce carbon emissions arising from our socio-economic system. Many States already have voluntary or mandatory greenhouse reporting requirements. In the near future, a mandatory federal cap-and-trade policy to regulate carbon emissions from the industrial sector is becoming increasingly more likely. What’s being debated are which industrial sectors will be affected by such a system and what will the cap be in terms of allowable quantities of carbon emissions. On the flip side, a cap-and-trade system may represent an economic opportunity for businesses to sell carbon credits. So, how does a business respond strategically to this new landscape? The first step is to measure your carbon footprint and then to manage your carbon emissions. In this workshop you will learn all the elements of a sound carbon management plan for your business. From a basic introduction to the science of the greenhouse gas effect and climate change to how to measure, reduce and offset your carbon footprint. The workshop will help you answer questions such as: What is a greenhouse gas emission? What are likely sources of greenhouse gases from my business? What is a carbon footprint? What information do I need to calculate the carbon footprint of my business? What strategies exist to reduce my carbon footprint? What makes a good quality carbon offset? The discussion will be aided by case studies of actual greenhouse gas assessments of manufacturing firms from various industry sectors.


Green Marketing Guidelines (PDF, 6 MB) This is a large file and will take longer to download
Amy Robertson, True Textiles and
Samia Brown, Cascade Engineering

Green Marketing is mainstream. Presenting the green features and benefits of a product in today’s marketplace requires skill at highlighting the value and the story behind the claims. This is an interactive workshop involving two of the leading companies who have successfully launched “green” products into the market. This session will review the rigor behind the products, and current legislation that impacts green marketing practices. Practical examples of the techniques used to communicate a green message will also be discussed.