People, Planet, Profits & Projects

Photo: Getty Images, via The Economist

Have you ever seen a photo of three screaming monkeys and thought, immediately, “wow – what a great idea for a blog post!”?   Nah.  I didn’t think you would.  But it happened to me while reading an article in The Economist about Colombia and its BIO program.

As background, you may be familiar with Colombia’s long history with FARC. The acronym FARC is Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia. 

FARC was a revolutionary military organization which you can read about in detail in this BBC article.

They were founded in 1964 as the armed wing of the Communist Party and follow a Marxist-Leninist ideology.

Their main founders were small farmers and land workers who had banded together to fight against the staggering levels of inequality in Colombia at the time.

While the Farc have some urban groups, they have always been an overwhelmingly rural guerrilla organisation.

A peace treaty between Colombia’s government and FARC was signed in late 2016. 

So, I hear you asking, what does any of this have to do with project management and screaming monkeys?  Quite a bit.  I think you can imagine that the FARC was not exactly ‘welcoming’ to visitors in its vast territories in Colombia.  Because of this, per the featured Economist article,

As a consequence, areas they controlled, which amounted at their height to about 40% of the country, are often more or less pristine from an ecological point of view. They are also, as far as flora, fauna and fungi are concerned, poorly catalogued.

Now, let’s think about project initiation and value.  Projects are initiated because they bring value to stakeholders.  Colombia has an unknown amount of resources worth an unknown amount of money, needing an unknown amount of protection.  Now, they have a way to get to this area and determine what’s there, what needs protection, what value may be extracted (sustainably, we hope), and in general – getting a handle on a huge chunk of their country once again.

Enter BIO.

BIO is an attempt by the government to take advantage of the FARC’s departure and to explore what is living in the recently vacated habitats. So far, since 2016, the project has sponsored 13 expeditions staffed by botanists, mycologists, entomologists, ornithologists, herpetologists and many other sorts of biologists. The figure should rise to 20 by the end of the year.

So it really is a program (or portfolio) of expeditions (projects) to explore this area.

Colombia BIO is the brainchild of the country’s president, Juan Manuel Santos. Just as, in the 19th century, many countries set up geological surveys to assess their mineral assets, so Mr Santos aspires to survey, in a comprehensive and systematic way, Colombia’s biological assets.

The potential is gigantic. Colombia’s biodiversity is second to Brazil’s. What Colombia does not yet know, however, is what sort of value they have in this 40% of their land. For example, without knowing what sort of potential water power they may have in certain areas, the government does not know the effect of deforestation on the potential of hydroelectric power generation. When the President talks of turning Colombia into a “bioeconomy”, the government’s aspiration is that biodiversity itself might be harnessed as an economic resource, and that this might contribute as much as 2½% of Colombia’s GDP by 2030.

You can learn about some of these projects from the Kew organization, part of the Royal Botanical Gardens – see the image below.

And, you can learn more about BIO, especially if your Spanish language skills are good, at this Colombian government site which describes the entire BIO Program.

In Part II of this blog post, I’ll discuss some of the specific projects (because they’re interesting and the way in which they connect to the sponsoring organizations’ overarching objectives is also interesting).  I’ll also discuss some of the existential threats to BIO that are tied to the Colombian election cycle.

Last month, Apple made a rather startling announcement.  Its global operations were now (and will be henceforth) run 100% on renewable energy sources.

What’s behind this?  Apple decided, under Steve Jobs’ “Green Apple” initiative, to consciously focus on its environmental impact.  This story, called “Why Apple was bad for the environment (and why that's changing)” from Macworld provides excellent background on the ‘sustainability evolution’ of Apple. It’s worth a read as context for this post, but you can read on if you wish.

As part of its evolution, Apple hired Lisa Jackson, the former EPA administrator in the Obama Administration, as its vice president for sustainability and government affairs, and early last year and issued a $1 billion bond to finance green energy products.

So what’s all this about ‘smelting’?  It has to do with aluminum – a big part of Apple (and many other!) products.

Have a look at the old (130-year-old) process and a new process for smelting aluminum, using these ridiculously short videos:

The Old Way (since 1886)

The New Way

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How are they different?  Let us count the ways.

From a very recent story in the Washington Post:

… the classical process (of smelting aluminum) is viewed with some disdain by environmentalists, because it takes about half a pound of carbon to make a pound of aluminum, and half a pound of carbon converts to about a pound and a half of carbon dioxide,” explained Donald Sadoway, a materials scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has worked on aluminum.

“Even though Alcoa evidently had this technology for making aluminum without the greenhouse gas emissions, they were in such a situation with respect to profitability that they couldn’t afford to make the transition to the CO2-free process,” Sadoway said. “Because you know, nobody pays a premium for green aluminum.”

Until now, that is.

“Apple swoops down and says, we are prepared to buy aluminum made here in Canada to build our phones and our computers and whatever … if that aluminum is made in a sustainable manner,” he said. “So these two competitors sit down and say, let’s make a deal. It was fantastic.”

It’s a great example of how the mission and vision of a company – actually several companies - can drive project initiation decisions.  This is at a large, sweeping level.  However, I’m willing to bet that you can find microcosms of this scenario in your projects.

A lot of it has to do with connecting statements at the top level of the company – public statements, such as those found on the “About Us” sections of the organization’s web page or in their shareholder reports, and weaving a ‘golden thread’ through the organization so that everyone understands the priorities at that mission/vision level.

Here is one such statement from Apple:

"We strive to create products that are the best in the world and the best for the world. And we continue to make progress toward our environmental priorities. Like powering all Apple facilities worldwide with 100% renewable energy. Creating the next innovation in recycling with Daisy, our newest disassembly robot. And leading the industry in making our materials safer for people and for the earth. In every product we make, in every innovation we create, our goal is to leave the planet better than we found it."

I also suggest you take a look at Apple’s 2018 Environmental Responsibility Report.

For some of you, this may seem like fluffy stuff about saving the planet, subtracting from a for-profit’s goal to just go out and make stuff, sell stuff (and services) and generate cash for shareholders.

But is it really only about Planet?  Nope.  There’s a (valid!) profit motive here as well:

From an article on this topic from Metal Bulletin magazine:

“The aluminum industry currently generates 12 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per ton of aluminum at the smelter, analysts estimate.  Environmental benefits aside, it will boost the anode life by 30 times plus cut operating costs by 15% and increase productivity by the same amount, something that no smelter is likely to turn its nose up at either.”

So this makes economic sense!

The article goes on to say:

Changes in aluminum production and suppliers transitioning to renewable energy have meanwhile already cut Apple’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2.6 million tons. Similarly, it has already prioritized aluminum smelted using hydroelectricity rather than fossil fuels, re-engineering its manufacturing process to reincorporate the scrap aluminum.

As a result, over the past three years Apple has reduced emissions associated with every gram of aluminum in its iPhones by 83%. For the enclosure of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, it’s a 47% reduction compared to that of the previous-generation MacBook Pro.
It won’t be just Apple that will be interested. Automakers in particular are increasingly using aluminum and are looking to reduce their emissions through the supply chain as the result of government-mandated programs and regulations across the world.

From a People, Planet, Profit, and Projects perspective, this news cross-cuts all of those aspects, from the people brought into Apple to help guide it along its environmental mission, to the reduction in environmental (planetary) impact brought about by this investment, to the profit it will generate for those who are investing in the initiative, and of course to the initiatives – the projects – themselves. 

How about you - and your organization?  I realize you may not be involved in the smelting of metals.  But as a project leader you can facilitate this connection between organizational aspirations (and public statements!) and how - and sometimes even :::if::: your project is connected to those aspirations.  If you have done so or see some ideas as to how to do this - share those ideas and/or accomplishments here!

A recent article in the New York times discusses the possibility of sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere in existing rock in the Oman Mountains (see Google Earth image). 

As a rockhound myself (I mined my own collection of Herkimer Diamonds - actually just doubly-terminated quartz crystals, example above), I find any story that involves minerals and rocks to be anything but boring (excuse the pun).

When the story intersects with project management and sustainability – now you really have may attention.  Let’s see if it gains any of yours.

Let’s start with a short video that explains the process of Mineral Carbonation:

What is Mineral Carbonation or Carbon Mineralization?

Now let's go to the New York Times story that got my attention.Here's a brief extract:

Scientists say that if this natural process, called carbon mineralization, could be harnessed, accelerated and applied inexpensively on a huge scale — admittedly some very big “ifs” — it could help fight climate change. Rocks could remove some of the billions of tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide that humans have pumped into the air since the beginning of the Industrial Age.

And by turning that CO₂ into stone, the rocks in Oman — or in a number of other places around the world that have similar geological formations — would ensure that the gas stayed out of the atmosphere forever.

Direct-air capture, as it is known, is sometimes described as a form of geoengineering — deliberate manipulation of the climate — although that term is more often reserved for the idea of reducing warming by reflecting more sunlight away from the earth.

The “rocks” being discussed in the article look a little like the photo below, and are part of the Hawasina Nappes in Oman, which are excellently preserved examples of deep-water Mesozoic basins developed on the southern Tethyan margin. Jurassic to Cretaceous successions consisting of radiolarian cherts, shales and carbonate gravity-flow deposits are beautifully exposed.¹

Some organizations have focused on this technology of carbon sequestration, knowing that simply reducing CO2 emissions alone will not get us to the numbers needed to prevent climate change from accelerating.  One of these organizations is The Center for Carbon Removal.

Their mission statement:

Our mission is to accelerate the development of scalable, sustainable, economically-viable carbon removal solutions. Our goal is to halt—and then reverse—climate change by restoring atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations to sustainable levels.

In the figure below, from their website, you can see the “technological solutions” are the ones which involve storing CO2 in rocks (or in engineered materials such as cement and other construction elements).

You also note that it has “greater R&D needs”, and this is where the research projects (yes, projects – many of them) are chartered to gain knowledge about the geology, the chemistry, and the processes which could accelerate carbon mineralization.

The New York Times also ran a story about this idea about 4 years ago, involving a material called olivine, and an effort to absorb CO2.  From this story:

UTRECHT, the Netherlands — The solution to global warming, Olaf Schuiling says, lies beneath our feet.

For Dr. Schuiling, a retired geochemist, climate salvation would come in the form of olivine, a green-tinted mineral found in abundance around the world. When exposed to the elements, it slowly takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Olivine has been doing this naturally for billions of years, but Dr. Schuiling wants to speed up the process by spreading it on fields and beaches and using it for dikes, pathways, even sandboxes. Sprinkle enough of the crushed rock around, he says, and it will eventually remove enough CO₂ to slow the rise in global temperatures.

“Let the earth help us to save the earth,” said Dr. Schuiling, who has been pursuing the idea single-mindedly for several decades and at 82 is still writing papers on the subject from his cluttered office at the University of Utrecht.

But these are not only the wild-eyed ideas of individual retired geochemists.  Legendary mining company DeBeers recently announced that they were in this game as well, per this press release from about a year ago:

De Beers Group today announced it is leading a ground-breaking research project that aims to deliver carbon-neutral mining at some of the company’s operations in as few as five years.

The company’s scientists are working in close collaboration with a team of internationally-renowned scientists to investigate the potential to store large volumes of carbon at its diamond mines through the mineralisation of kimberlite ‘tailings’, the material that remains after diamonds have been removed from the ore.

I find this fascinating from a Project Management perspective, from the chartering of these projects, to the considerations of secondary risk (for example, what about the CO2 generated from the processes which are intended to capture CO2?).

If you have any interest in chemistry or geology, I suggest you learn more about the project in Oman by visiting this page from Southampton University, or even by getting updated from their actual project page.

¹https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00392892/

The intersection of project management and sustainability shows up in odd places.  This week, the intersection was pointed out to me by Boston University PM professor Dr. Vijay Kanabar.  We were to have a discussion about planning an upcoming course and he needed a little time to finish watching a segment of “60 Minutes”.   “What’s so fascinating?”, I asked him.

“It’s about farming seaweed”, he said.

I was hooked.

I didn’t get to see it live, but I did go back and found the segment on CBS News’ website: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seaweed-farming-and-its-surprising-benefits/

Take a moment and watch this.  It’s only about 14 minutes.  You can handle it.

The idea is quite stunning.  It posits that farming the ocean can actually help it.  Note the difference – fishing the ocean has definitely HURT it.  But this type of farming may help it, as described in this extract of an article from Yale University, referenced below:

“…his brand of integrated “ocean farming” actually revitalizes degraded or dying ecosystems by creating seaweed groves that become nurseries and sanctuaries for many marine species. It’s a pro-active approach to conservation, he says, that goes beyond the growing movement to create no-fishing reserves. “In an era of climate change, you could set aside the entirety of the world’s oceans in preserves and they are still going to die,” he says. “What we really need is engines of restoration within our conservation zones.” 

Kelp, it turns out, helps absorb the acid in the increasingly acidic ocean.  This led me to investigate the main character of the story, Bren Smith – a fascinating man.  You can (and should) learn more about his story here:

On the academic side, it was also interesting to learn about the research behind this, mainly from Dr. Charlie Yarish. To learn about Dr. Yarish’ work, here is an article from Yale University:

https://e360.yale.edu/features/new_breed_of_ocean_farmer_aims_to_revive_global_seas

In addition, have a look at this short video:

Smith has become a bit of a project initiator himself, having helped launch GreenWave.  Have a look at the work this organization does – which involves launching sea-farming projects.

What is GreenWave?

GreenWave is a non-profit ocean farmer and fisherman-run organization dedicated to building a new blue-green economy that creates jobs, mitigates climate change, and grows healthy food for local communities. We run a farmer-in-training program for aspiring ocean farmers and operate a kelp hatchery to provide free seed to our farmers as they learn the ropes of this farming type and species. We partner with educational institutions and other organizations to expand the body of knowledge around kelp and regenerative 3D ocean farming, and we work to support 3D ocean farming in new regions. We incubate small farmers and small businesses pioneering in this new ocean-farming space.

What is 3D ocean farming?

3D ocean farming is a vertical polyculture farming system that utilizes the entire water column to grow a mixture of seaweed and shellfish that require zero inputs (no fertilizer or freshwater) and provide important ecosystem services--such as water filtration, and nitrogen and carbon sequestration.

What I really enjoy about this story is the combination (as in the blog title) of people, planet, profit, and projects.  All elements are in play.  This isn’t only about saving the planet, nor is it only about creating jobs, and it’s not only about making money, it’s about all of those things brought together in an interesting and powerful way.

What do you think about this?

Would you have kelp noodles (instead of fettuccine)?  Are you aware of any other efforts like this in which the result is not only to reduce environmental impact, but to reverse it?

Oh.  And if you were wondering about the reference to the Beatles, well, it's of course in honor of their album not about kelp but about HELP!

In part 1 of “A Complex, Swirling Mess”, I introduced the ideas from a brief story from NPR (link to the broadcast and transcript repeated here for your convenience).  The story discussed how some companies are (in a valid, ethical way) profiting from the effects of climate change, by way of consulting and advising other organizations which need to deal NOW with changes that (whatever their cause) are going to happen in the next 1, 5, 10, 25, or 100 years.  For a short story (the audio is only 3.5 minutes long!) it sent me on a journey of discovery about the fascinating business of actuarial science (see Part 1) and how climate change, in the spirit of secondary risk, is opening an opportunity for some companies.

One of the companies featured in the story is Jupiter Intelligence. Jupiter is featured in this recent story from the Washington Post, entitled, “Climate change could put businesses underwater. Start-up firm Jupiter aims to come to the rescue”.

Before you read about Jupiter, take a look at this report, entitled Risky Business, sponsored by Co-Chairs: Michael R. Bloomberg, founder, Bloomberg Philanthropies; 108th Mayor of the City of New York; founder, Bloomberg L.P., Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Chairman of the Paulson Institute; former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and Thomas F. Steyer, retired founder, Farallon Capital Management LLC.  You can download the full report here. 

The key paragraph in the Washington Post story is:

“This week, a high-powered, well-funded start-up company has barged onto the scene to help businesses and governments confront their increasing vulnerability to climate change and weather disasters. Using cutting edge technology, it could revolutionize how they receive information about weather and climate threats and make critical planning decisions.

Known as Jupiter, the company was founded in 2017 by Rich Sorkin, a serial entrepreneur who has worked with Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk. Sorkin was Musk’s first boss as chief executive of Zip2, a company that provided business directories to online newspapers in the late 1990s.”

If you go to the “Team” page of Jupiter Intelligence you will see that they have hired many top experts in the area of climate science.  Many of these have become available as the ‘difference in philosophy’ between the Obama and Trump administrations about climate change and science in general has become apparent.

The demand is there.  A recent article in Nature describes “The Rise of Demand-Driven Climate Services”.  It’s important to note that this is different – very different – from weather forecasting.  This is about climate – sweeping, significant, impactful change over longer periods of time.

Jupiter offers tools that predict the impact of climate-related incidents in a specific place and accounting for very local issues, Including FloodScore™ and HeatScore™.  They’re built on a platform called ClimateScore™ which “leverages cloud computing to run and link multiple prediction models that ingest data from millions of ground-based and satellite sensors”.

“FloodScore and HeatScore predict not only precipitation and temperature changes, but also simulate their interactions with the built environment and the surrounding landscape and how they’re altered by climate change. In the assessing flood risk in New Orleans, for example, the analytical framework would take into account the convergence of wetlands and concrete and sea level rise”, says Richard Sorkin, the Founder of Jupiter Intelligence.

Below is an example output of one of the analyses for flooding potential in New York City.

Jupiter is also featured in this article from The New York Times.  In it, a key extract is:

As global warming advances, experts say that governments will ultimately have to invest more in their own local climate prediction tools to help cities and industries adapt. But they also see a role for private climate forecasters, much as weather companies have sprung up to supplement the work the National Weather Service does.

“The federal government could be doing a lot more,” said James L. Buizer, who studies climate adaptation at the University of Arizona. “But there’s still an important role for the private sector. If companies are going to benefit from this information, they ought to be paying for it. After all, it’s their infrastructure that’s going to get trashed.”

That private sector, exemplified by Jupiter Intelligence, has a chance to turn a profit on climate change.  As they do so, it also may bring more attention to the issue, but the point here is that – like project managers - long-term planners are best off making decisions from solid data, based in science, and that’s what Jupiter and others such as Coastal Risk are aiming to provide.

Of course, you can read more about Jupiter or Coastal Risk on their websites.