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Understanding Six Sigma and Its Role in Reducing Carbon Footprints
The United States currently has one of the highest carbon footprints in the world. Environmental waste takes a toll on the efficiency and profits of organizations and results in a high carbon footprint which creates a negative effect on the environment.
According to the EPA, a carbon footprint refers to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere each year by individuals, households, buildings, organizations, and countries. It is usually measured in pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents and includes direct and indirect emissions.
The desire to reduce an organization’s carbon footprint and use green technologies are common goals today and the government is offering incentives to organizations that take this seriously. They can benefit greatly in terms of cost savings in addition to helping save the planet.
Define phase
Energy experts agree that excessive carbon emissions reveal inefficiencies in an organization’s operations. A Six Sigma team may work in an organization with environmental concerns to lower its carbon footprint and increase savings.
Six Sigma certification offered by 6Sigma.us gives trained professionals the methods and tools to do this by adding an environmental focus directly into existing Six Sigma process improvement initiatives in order to eliminate waste and conserve resources.
Calculating an organization's carbon footprint offers a better idea of how operations affect the planet and shows which of its operations are most damaging. For example, cutting the carbon footprint may need to start by using more energy-efficient equipment, including everything from computers to printers. An organization’s goal may be to reduce its carbon emissions by 15%.
Measure phase
Measuring an organization’s carbon footprint would offer data on its consumption of key resources such as electricity, fuel oil, natural gas and water. Green waste includes pollution, air emissions, consuming water unnecessarily, excessive utilization of energy and materials etc. Measuring the data would help to establish the levels of waste produced and the metrics would act as a baseline for measuring success once improvements were made.
Analyze phase
The team would brainstorm several potential causes that could impact energy and resource use and affect the carbon footprint. Analyzing the data could show where to make improvements to reduce the amount of carbon used.
For example, electricity wastage could be occurring through the use of inefficient light bulbs and outdated equipment. Gasoline could be wasted due to improperly maintained vehicles. The right approach taken would be to make improvements in one category at a time and measure the impact on the overall rating after making each set of improvements.
Improve phase
This phase would include testing out solutions and deciding which ones to implement. Which ones would fit the organization’s objectives most and be easiest to implement? For instance, maintaining vehicles properly and regularly could be easy to implement.
Other ways organizations could reduce their carbon footprint would be to use eco-friendly vehicles and light bulbs, invest in solar power and wind turbines, and encourage green practices in employees. Wind energy is increasingly being used to produce energy and recycled materials are also being used in many materials, from toilet paper to packaging.
Control phase
If proposed measures weren’t followed, the reduction in carbon emissions would not be realized and there would be no cost savings. Six Sigma can help organizations to close the gap between their current carbon footprint and where they want to be. It can help them to start introducing and using green technologies.
The improvements would need to be monitored on a monthly basis. Carbon footprint readings would help to determine if gains were being maintained, and plans could be ready to address any dips in performance speedily and ensure sustainability of improvements.
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