Author: Peggy Smedley

Creating a sustainability mission and framework can help the environment—and ultimately the bottomline. Businesses all around the globe are beginning to realize this. Perhaps the best way to better business and sustainability is to learn from others. Today, let’s look at three case studies for sustainability in three very different areas—cities, food, and technology—in order to find the common thread that extends to all businesses. Cities Go Plastic Free In March, The Miami Beach City Commission voted to approve a 10-year nonalcoholic pouring rights agreement with PepsiCo Beverages North America—and the agreement stipulates the company must provide packaged water and…

Many of the headlines appear to be notably echoing the same sentiment these days: residential construction is still booming, but a recession is looming. This doesn’t tell the entire story when it comes to technology; however. If you dig deeper, it’s obvious that much has changed during the past two years alone in the residential construction sector. In fact, while the industry has not experienced a complete facelift, it has effectively given itself a handsome tuck, which has pretty much energized it enough to take the next step forward, regardless of the labor shortage, some might even say for the…

Roughly 91% of Americans and 96% of Millennials engage in spring cleaning, with 76% of the population participating each year. With residential homes using roughly a quarter of the country’s energy, have you considered how spring cleaning might improve your energy consumption? Now I must confess, before we go any further, I am a bit of a neat freak at home. I like things in their place. And yes, I like my home to be tidy. Just ask my three grown children. Although they might have a different word for what they have called their mother over the years, but…

Where are we in the race toward net zero? I am a big believer that we can gain insights from previously unavailable data. When we can look at strategic projects differently because we have that data, then we can make a difference in our world. This is precisely the conversation I had recently with Dawn James, director, global IoT industry strategy – energy & environmental science, Microsoft, as it relates to energy. During our conversation on The Peggy Smedley Show, she compared smart metal versus dumb metal, saying at this stage in the game there is no reason for us…

Here on this blog, we have been giving you tips on how to make your home more energy efficient. Today, let’s put a microscope on how we can make our HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems more energy efficient—with some small and perhaps a few big changes. Before we talk energy, I always like to dive into the numbers for any of those analytical (left brain) by-the-number readers. In the Annual Energy Outlook 2022, the U.S. EIA (Energy Information Admin.) notes that in 2021, electricity use for cooling the interior of buildings (space cooling) by the U.S. residential and…

Are we in the middle of the Great Resignation or the Great Reshuffle? From my perspective, employees are no longer looking to leave the workforce, but are looking to find an opportunity that is more fulfilling. Today’s workers are changing their standards for the types of benefits, cultures, and perks that are desirable. They are looking for appealing jobs with the right amount of responsibility and flexibility. The bigger question now is are you prepared to offer it? Construction companies, then, need to consider what employees are looking for; why finding a fulfilling opportunity is so critical; and how to…

With all that we have witnessed in the world in the past few years, the internet is proving to be the source of power for social change. As we speed into Distracted Driving Awareness Month, there is perhaps no greater place for this than in our vehicles. Let’s zoom into what’s happening behind the wheel. Consider the statement recently given by Oliver Zipse, chairman of the board of management of BMW, at the company’s annual conference. Naturally, he addressed the worldwide suffering happening now and the need for peaceful coexistence of all cultures and global free trade. He also emphasized…

Spring is here. As construction work picks up, it’s easy to forget about good cyber hygiene practices. With geopolitical conflicts and everything happening in the world today, it is more important than ever to pay attention to cybersecurity and best practices. And turning on the news or reading an article it seems breaches are coming faster than ever before. In 2021, there was a whopping 50% increase in overall attacks per week on corporate networks compared to 2020. Additionally, in the fourth quarter of 2021 alone, there was an all-time peak in weekly cyber-attacks per organization, counting more than 900…

Did you know our homes use 37% more energy today than they did in 1980? Those numbers come directly from the U.S. Dept. of Energy. The solution to bring the rapid surge in energy down just might come in the form of technology. By incorporating technologies that help make homes more efficient, ENERGY STAR estimates homeowners can save between $200 and $400 annually on their energy bills—something many homeowners need today as energy costs continue to skyrocket upwards. Today, let’s look at three tech tips to consume less energy in our homes—some of these you might know about and some…

The supply chain is fragile—this is something the world has been talking about for the past two years and those of us in the industry have been talking about longer than that. Now, the conflict with Ukraine and Russia could have a greater impact on global agricultural markets. The Russian Federation and Ukraine are among some of the most important producers of agricultural commodities in the world, playing a leading role in global markets of wheat, maize, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, sunflower oil, and fertilizers. This could expose markets to increased vulnerabilities, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the…