These Members are a Force for Change
Net Impact is thrilled to recognize the winners of the 2011 Force for Change Award. While most awards congratulate efforts initiated by corporate heads, university administrators, and other usual suspects, the Net Impact Force for Change Award recognizes the unsung individuals working in the field.
Undergraduate Category
Daniel Hill and Dave Hussey | James Madison University
Students at James Madison University’s Net Impact chapter have already helped small businesses save roughly $16,000 in annual utility costs, and saved the planet from nearly 90,000 lbs. of carbon emissions (and counting).
The Green Impact Campaign is a community outreach project that offers small businesses and nonprofit organizations free energy efficiency and sustainability services and opportunities to reduce operating costs, lower environmental impact, and promote sustainable business. The campaign offers two opportunities to local organizations, both free of charge: the Green Impact Pledge and Green Impact Surveys. The Green Impact Pledge demonstrates an organization's public commitment to environmental sustainability.
Green Impact Surveys are simplified energy and sustainability audits that identify low-cost and no-cost recommendations throughout a facility that will optimize the energy performance and sustainability features of the building space. Net Impact has decided to help bring the Green Impact Campaign to chapters across the country, by asking all undergraduate chapters to join.
Graduate Category
Katie Brennan and Cassidy Williams| University of Oregon
The Bike App helps bicycle commuters measure the positive impacts of biking using GPS, smartphone app technology, and a web interface to track miles biked and convert that data into carbon saved by avoiding driving. Users can also translate the number of miles biked into the amount of carbon stored by trees, energy used by light bulbs, money saved, and even cupcake calories burned. The app can also be used by skateboarders and walking commuters, and users can share their results on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.
This groundbreaking app allows users to visualize the positive effects of their lifestyle and provides an interactive sustainability program using games, stories and competition among groups to increase carbon savings.
But the Bike App provides an additional value-add to the UO Net Impact chapter by giving members an platform for collaboration to incubate, develop, and strengthen a variety of technology, sustainability, marketing & business strategy skills.
Professional Category
Darren McGann, KPMG | Minneapolis Professional Chapter
Grassroots efforts by KPMG’s employee-driven Living Green teams drive innovation and make a difference through the creation of sustainable business practices.
To demonstrate the impact of sustainable business practices, KPMG employees collaborated with various internal process owners including IT, travel and procurement, along with external vendors, to develop a tool which engages employees during travel booking transactions and influences them to make responsible decisions around travel alternatives including video conferencing and green hotel solutions.
KPMG’s Green Travel Advisor increased HD video conferencing as a travel alternative by 95 percent — that's 3.9 million air miles never traveled! And those for whom video conferencing wasn't a viable option ended up booking 31,771 nights in green hotels.
