Online training is brilliant

March 8th, 2010

But since the advent of the internet, the whole idea of training has got so much easier for employers to cope with.  There is now a wide selection of courses available.

This type of training regime is a world away from previous methods and helps employers to keep their businesses running smoothly and efficiently during an employee’s training period.

Online training is a brilliant idea and it is all so easy to organise. It is convenient for employers, morale boosting for staff and far less expensive than you would think.

When clients in one of my group courses asked me for online training instead of travelling to workshops please I said yes, gulped hard and started to find out how to do it.  That was late 2004 and by 2005 I had online training up and running.

I enrolled in a wide range of different courses, mostly in marketing and internet management and all in the USA and spent the next 12-18 months getting up around 3am several days a week to fit US Eastern Time midday training sessions.

One course had a teleconference “Graduation Ceremony” with an academy awards style virtual red carpet walk.  I was asked by a “reporter” to describe my gown for the event which was white towelling over PJ’s and I was being careful to avoid any “wardrobe malfunctions”.

You will find that the 2010, Ver 7 result is a series of very successful, simple and effective training programs to help your business become sustainable as you identify and minimise your environmental, safety, customer satisfaction and other risks, build in a feedback loop and save your self time, money and hassle.  Many but not all my clients choose to become certified to internationally recognised standards like ISO 14001, ISO 9001 or AS/NSZ 4801

At last you can have online sustainability training!  This is a brilliant idea, easy to organise, convenient for employers, morale boosting for staff and saves you more than it costs.

You can discover just how easy it is when you join the online group starting at the end of March and be the first group using Version 7 which also includes videos as well as audios and PDF’d PowerPoint slides.  You are supported by a weekly coaching teleconference and email answers.  You can choose whether you want to do environmental, ISO 14001; quality or customer satisfaction – ISO 9001; occupational health and safety, AS/NZS 4801 or even an integrated system including more than one system.

Or you can even Do-It-Yourself with a choice of programs to suit your business.
Fax 61 (08) 8311 5233 or phone me 61 (08) 8311 5232 to make a time to discuss what would suit you best

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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The Person Who Never Made a Mistake

March 8th, 2010

Ok let’s face it we are all human and sometimes we make mistakes.  The person who never made a mistake never made anything and you don’t want them around.

The important thing is to admit you “stuffed up”, sort out why you did and fix it.  Be open and honest and don’t blame.

A very few scientists in the IPCC stuffed up, and tried to hide it.  Well that is plain stupid. An error is excusable – the lie is not.  It was found out when some emails were stolen from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit in the U.K.

The flow on from this has been ammunition for the climate change skeptics.  Pity about that because the science of climate change is strong and we need to all start doing something practical about it.

The mistake of exaggerating to make the case stronger has actually had the opposite effect as skeptics and ultra conservatives ignor the bulk of evidence and confuse the politics.

There is no doubt regarding the following key points:
The global climate is changing.
Human activities produce heat-trapping gases.
Heat-trapping gases are very likely responsible for most of the warming observed over the past half century.
The higher the levels of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, the higher the risk of potentially dangerous consequences for humans and our environment.

The national academies of science of 32 nations, and every major scientific organization in the United States whose members include climate experts, have issued statements endorsing these points.

You must have been reading the news reports describing the stolen e-mails from climate scientists and the errors in the IPCC reports.  Some aspects of climate change impacts have been overstated, but this does not undermine the conclusions that humans have taken over from nature as the dominant influence on our climate.

So why am I talking about this?

Do you know what happens in your business when a mistake happens?  Does it get reported and sorted out?  Or does it get covered up, ignored and repeated again and again.

Are your staff wasting time and money as mistakes get ignored and covered up but the errors go out the door, goods need reworking and your customers get upset.

You will discover that the really big benefit of having an ISO management system in your business is a simple and effective feedback system plus a culture of admitting mistakes and sorting out how to prevent them.

It does not matter whether you are doing ISO 14001 or ISO 9001, when you build a management system; you build a feedback system and culture of admitting and correcting mistakes.

I know some of you worry that this will increase your red tape but this idea is wrong!

I keep it really simple and use communication forms instead of non-conformance or corrective action forms.

I discovered that more people use them when they have a “friendlier” name.  A fisherman sorted me out on that one around twelve years ago when he asked “what the **** is a non conformance form”.  I have called them communication forms and found that really works, ever since.

For more information on how I can help you reduce mistakes and change the culture in your business, go to www.enviroaction.com.au

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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Ignoring known safety hazards again

March 2nd, 2010

I was in Brisbane last weekend and while I was there I heard about a very large WorkCover claim.  This was a building industry union official who contracted skin cancer and received a record financial claim.

This should not be a surprise because the bronzed Aussie is a careless of his health Aussie.

We have been having cover up and slip slop slap messages for several years now.  Twelve years ago when I was working in the fishing industry in Port Lincoln the guys were all issued with long sleeved shirts, broad brimmed hats, soft broad brim add-ons for hard hats and huge jars of sunburn cream.

I remember visiting prawn farms in Queensland and seeing the guys rushing about on quad bikes in only a pair of small “stubbies” and even bare foot.  I was told that it was too hot and too hard to get them to wear anything more.

I was amazed as it is often hotter in South Australia in summer and the lack of shoes is plain stupid on a worksite and skin cancer has been known about for years.

Hopefully this huge claim will scare employers into enforcing sun smart behaviour.

We have seen the results of management failure to enforce safety procedures and training with the insulation scandal and this is just another case of ignoring known safety hazards and paying for it.

Occupational health and safety is the responsibility of individuals to comply with the rules, work mates to look out for each other and employers to enforce a safe working environment

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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Why Systems?

March 1st, 2010

As I child my father often moved which meant that I went to six different schools in different states and even countries.

From the age of nine when the moving started, I found that I was good at writing the lists and organising the packing for moves and holidays because my mother found it all very stressful.  So in effect I have been developing management systems since childhood.

Learning to work with systems plus living in so many different places produced a very adaptable, lateral thinking person who can fit into a wide range of environments and as a consultant; it means I work effectively with clients from a very wide range of industries.

I guess thinking very laterally enabled me to move away from the typical consultancy model that left clients dependent on the consultant.

I developed training programs to enable clients to have their OWN management systems and to manage them without ongoing consultant overheads.

Then, because clients asked, I developed ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAMS that allow busy businesses to access my help WHERE THEY ARE regardless of geography and only have a one hour per week fixed time commitment.

When you build a simple system you reduce waste, you save money, save time, reduce stress, you help the environment.  This is what sustainability is all about and if it is not simple it won’t work.

AND this is what I help you to do in your business.

You can reserve a place in the next online group course, or even Do-It-Yourself.

Both will get you ready for certification if you implement the simple and effective training and templates that I give you.

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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What is Australia’s Carbon Policy?

March 1st, 2010

The federal government’s planned emissions trading scheme is now on the parliamentary backburner after the Senate on Wednesday refused to debate the draft laws until May.

I think this is wise because the current proposed scheme gives too much to the polluters and apparently ignores small business among other flaws.

The evidence around the world is that carbon pricing works in the long term

What we need are incentives to waste less energy for investment into renewable energy.

I am not convinced that nuclear energy is the way to go because it builds up yet another form of pollution for future generations to cope with, it takes a long time to implement and it is very carbon intensive to set up.

We need our leaders to rationally discuss how to find the least economically disruptive and fairest possible way to ensure our way of life against the risks of climate change.

We need sufficient incentives for businesses and consumers to change their behaviour in a way that can de-link economic growth from emissions levels, and in an acceptably fair way.

This problem will not be solved with political posturing and televised temper tantrums.

There is a definite global trend emerging and that is: mandatory action so we cannot do the ostrich thing and bury our heads in the sand nor can we have leaders turning into robotic and expressionless creatures repeating the same word-perfect nonsense again and again

27 European Union member states have had emissions trading since 2005, and New Zealand will start one in July this year. Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, 16 US states and four Canadian provinces, and even the US congress, are at various stages of legislating their own cap-and-trade schemes. The Norwegians and Swedes (and the French, Irish and Spanish soon will) have direct carbon taxes for certain economic sectors not covered by the EU’s ETS.

I think that the Coalition’s stand is buying us time to have rational debate but we will need a price penalty to give a firm incentive.  We do need to be flexible, prepared to learn from mistakes and get the policy design right to create incentives for those long-term structural changes.

Recent studies of the EU ETS, suggest that despite some significant flaws in the way the ETS was initially designed, the evidence points to the following conclusions.
1.    The trial phase did significantly reduce emissions.
2.    The trial phase highlighted the importance of government initially auctioning emissions permits to industry. The study noted that where big business received free permits, they gained windfall profits. They reap a reward for no abatement from the free allocation.
3.    Auctioning a high proportion of permits also allows government to realise a double dividend with the revenue. Other taxes can be removed; deficits reduced; workers in strongly affected industries can be compensated and retrained; and public investments in complimentary emissions reductions that are not suitable for carbon pricing can be made.

Europe is in the process of shifting to auctioning of permits for all but those industries exposed to international competition.

The Australian proposed carbon reduction pollution scheme, does propose to start with full auctioning to all but trade-exposed industry and, for some dubious reason some power generators.

We do need to be flexible, prepared to learn from mistakes and get the policy design right to create incentives for those long-term structural changes.

The emerging evidence from the European Union, the lessons from economic theory, not to mention the global policy trend, is that carbon pricing is an indispensable pillar of equitable, effective and economically responsible climate policy for the long term.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon says believes the best way to tackle emissions is through an ETS but it needs to be an efficient scheme with a higher target and believe we could achieve 15 per cent for the same price as the Government’s five per cent cuts.

At present there is a carbon policy vacuum in Canberra.  A recent survey of CEOs shows that business is looking for direction.

Increasingly in Canberra, more intelligent ministers understand that Labour’s emissions trading scheme smells a bit like the insulation scheme in the list of government disasters.

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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ISO 14001 online training upgrade

March 1st, 2010

One of the large TAFE colleges is now using my ISO 14001 training materials under licence so I recently spent time training the trainers and found this a very valuable experience.  It was great to see what I do through the eyes of other trainers and understand their needs.

The result is some minor extra tweaks to the new version I am releasing this month plus optional videos of the entire program.

I have split some of the sessions where there was more work for you so that you now have an extra week to cover those tasks, giving you five weeks in each module and an extra coaching session is now built in.

This will make getting ISO 14001 and the other management systems like safety and quality even easier for you.  That is part of my continual improvement program.  Version 1 was launched by the then Minister for the Environment, Dr David Kemp, in 2003.  In 2010, I am releasing Version 7 so I guess this is a steady annual review and upgrade based on current trends in business, client and my own audit results and the response of clients during the coaching sessions.

You now have three FIVE week online training modules instead of the four week ones.  There is no more to do but it is spaced so that it is easier for you to manage while you also do all the other things you are already doing full time.

Plus you will have access to streaming videos for each session so that you get:
•    PowerPoint slides
•    MP3 Audio files that you can listen to while commuting or even driving a tractor
•    Videos which combine the PowerPoint slides and the audio into a single presentation
•    Plus of course you get all the simple and flexible templates you need
•    AND a weekly phone conference so that you can get your questions answered

This caters for almost all the learning styles and allows people to fit their training and coaching into their busy lifestyles.  Version 7 makes getting your certification even easier.

The next group starts at the end of March and

YES – you can enrol for any of the systems or even for more than one.  Different choices are enrolled in different materials of course.  Because many of the sessions overlap these are coached as a full group and where your course varies, you will have individual coaching calls.

You can also choose to get started with the Do-it-Yourself programs, which are the same training materials as the coached courses but without the weekly coaching and mentoring.  Some people choose to start with this, then upgrade to the fully coached course, or book in for a few 30 minute coaching calls.  The Do-It Yourself training with an 8 CD pack is available for environment ISO 14001, safety AS/NZS 4801 and also quality ISO 9001.

I do some private consultancy for selected clients but obviously this is more costly and although you have my undivided attention, you miss out on the real benefits to working in a group where you have others who all contribute a variety of experiences and enrich your knowledge.

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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Simplicity and Authenticity

February 28th, 2010

I was just reading the latest of my friend Chen Tay’s truly sensible articles and I loved his line “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

That is not so very different from my regular statement that “If it is not simple it won’t work”

Chen went on to discuss his opinions on the emerging business/financial trend and I think this is worth sharing

He said that “there is a shift going on. Just look around, the world is changing. While the fundamentals will always remain relevant, it’s important to take the best parts of the old economy and learn the best strategies for the new emerging economy.

People are desperately seeking “authentic” people because there are so many sharks out there.

The global financial crisis wasn’t just a financial challenge, but it also revealed the lack of leadership around the world. What the world need is leaders with integrity… leaders who inspire vision, a dream or start a movement.”

One of my main reasons for writing my articles is so that you can get to know me, hopefully understand that I do have more experience and depth than most other consultants in the same space and that I do have the integrity that you are looking for.

I am originally a marine biologist with a deep environmental understanding, I have been involved in my own businesses for the last 20 years, I am a qualified Lead Auditor in both safety (AS/NZS 4801) and environmental management (ISO 14001) and been running quality systems (ISO 9001) since 1990.

I have been helping organisations from single family businesses to companies of over 1,000 people build simple and effective management systems since 1998 and have developed simple tools to make this easier for you.

I believe in helping my clients to build sustainable business systems and to manage them on their own so that they are not lumbered with lots of paper, gobbledygoop nor a consultant that won’t go away.  Of course I am happy to help if you want changes down the track but I work hard to do myself out of a job and make you independent.

If it is not simple it won’t work so I really cut red tape make things as easy as possible for you both to implement and to maintain.

For more information go to http://www.enviroaction.com.au

I was just reading the latest of my friend Chen Tay’s truly sensible articles and I loved his line “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

That is not so very different from my regular statement that “If it is not simple it won’t work”

Chen went on to discuss his opinions on the emerging business/financial trend and I think this is worth sharing

He said that “there is a shift going on. Just look around, the world is changing. While the fundamentals will always remain relevant, it’s important to take the best parts of the old economy and learn the best strategies for the new emerging economy.

People are desperately seeking “authentic” people because there are so many sharks out there.

The global financial crisis wasn’t just a financial challenge, but it also revealed the lack of leadership around the world. What the world need is leaders with integrity… leaders who inspire vision, a dream or start a movement.”

One of my main reasons for writing my articles is so that you can get to know me, hopefully understand that I do have more experience and depth than most other consultants in the same space and that I do have the integrity that you are looking for.

I am originally a marine biologist with a deep environmental understanding, I have been involved in my own businesses for the last 20 years, I am a qualified Lead Auditor in both safety (AS/NZS 4801) and environmental management (ISO 14001) and been running quality systems (ISO 9001) since 1990.

I have been helping organisations from single family businesses to companies of over 1,000 people build simple and effective management systems since 1998 and have developed simple tools to make this easier for you.

I believe in helping my clients to build sustainable business systems and to manage them on their own so that they are not lumbered with lots of paper, gobbledygoop nor a consultant that won’t go away.  Of course I am happy to help if you want changes down the track but I work hard to do myself out of a job and make you independent.

If it is not simple it won’t work so I really cut red tape make things as easy as possible for you both to implement and to maintain.

For more information go to http://www.enviroaction.com.au

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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Tougher Waste Policies in South Australia

February 24th, 2010

Waste produced in Adelaide will be banned from landfill from September 2012 unless it is first subjected to resource recovery “in accordance with the waste management hierarchy and to the extent reasonably achievable”.

It must be processed “at an appropriate licensed material recovery facility or composting depot” or some other EPA-approved facility.

Councils with three-bin collection services will, however, still be able to dump their residual waste material.

Industry has a two-year reprieve

Some specific materials will be exempt from the requirement, including hazardous waste, medical waste, quarantine waste and wastewater.

Banned from landfill disposal altogether is hazardous and medical waste, lead acid batteries and whole tyres.

Also banned are materials that have been “aggregated for resource recovery,” including glass, cardboard and paper, organics, a range of metals and PET or HDPE plastic packaging.

Other materials to be progressively banned over the next 2-3 years, include mercury-containing fluorescent light tubes, computers and TVs, white goods and other electronic wastes.

It will be interesting to know what people are suposed to do with fluoro light globes because I bet most households will be much too confused to dispose of them properly unless there is a publicity campaign and easy disposal.

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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Go Singapore! 80% Green Buildings by 2030

February 24th, 2010

Singapore is hosting the World Green Building Congress in September and its own commitment is to have 80% of its buildings environmentally sustainable  by 2030.

They have a study that shows a fuel switch from electric storage heaters to gas continuous flow heaters may result in carbon emission reductions of up to 86% at the national level.

Green buildings has a triple benefit
Lower greenhouse emissions,
Lower fuel bills for occupants
And considerably more comfort for occupants

This really is the path to sustainability

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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Disagreement is one thing but bullying is NOT ok

February 24th, 2010

It is hard to believe but Professor Clive Hamilton says that an organised cyber-bullying campaign, including abusive emails, is targeting Australian climate scientists who speak out on climate change.
He feels that this is aimed at driving climate scientists from the public debate.

Professor Hamilton says aggressive, abusive and sometimes threatening emails are being sent to distinguished scientists each time they speak out on the subject.

Apparently it is mostly anonymous and it and looks very orchestrated.   Some have compared scientist’s actions to those of Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot and others are more personal and even directed against the children of female scientists.

Personally I accept that the vast majority of the science says that climate change is real and a threat to many species on earth and also to our children and grandchildren.   I respect other people’s right to disagree because my overriding philosophy  is that I do not care what colour or religion people are or what they believe but bullying is never OK and the new cyber bullying is so totally intrusive

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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