Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

EarthShift Team Founded in 2000, EarthShift is a leading international provider of sustainability solutions, including Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability Return on Investment (S-ROI). A women-owned and operated firm, we provide software, training, and consulting services that allow organizations to engage in informed decision-making about the social, economic, and environmental consequences that flow from their activities. EarthShift's motivation from the very beginning has been to help build a world in which abundance and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive. Our sustainability tools and methodologies help organizations bring the social, economic and environmental impacts of their business into balance, while working within the boundaries of our planet’s resources. Operating from a philosophy of abundance, EarthShift believes that the more people there are using our tools and methodologies, the faster we will reach our goal of a healthy planet supporting healthy people. Our team has industry experience in electronics, food processing, packaging, buildings, Internet sales, sports equipment and software. In addition to seasoned industry professionals, the team also possesses change management consulting experience, and young talent with academic LCA credentials. Our programmer provides customized software solutions focused on our core methodologies. Our Team Lise Laurin, Founder and Managing Director Lise Laurin Lise is a pioneer in the areas of Sustainability Return on Investment (S-ROI) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Founding EarthShift in 2000, she was an early adopter of these methodologies to support industries’ early efforts at sustainability. Lise is always working to develop and leverage EarthShift’s training, simplified LCA tools and S-ROI tools to build organizational capacity and drive large-scale change. Lise has developed the S-ROI methodology for use on a large number and variety of sustainability decisions. She also works with the ACLCA and SETAC on LCA methodology development. Lise speaks internationally on S-ROI and on the pitfalls and limitations of LCA. Under Lise’s guidance, the technical team at EarthShift produces high-quality, high-value assessments for a range of clients. She also directs EarthShift’s software development and support and teaches many of the advanced training courses in EarthShift’s certificate program. Lise is a member of the board of advisors for the ACLCA, a member of the SETAC Steering Committee for the LCA advisory board and an advisor to the AIChE Institute for Sustainability and Engineers for Sustainability. She holds a BS in Physics from Yale University. Melissa Hamilton, Principal and Managing Director Melissa Hamilton Under Melissa’s guidance, EarthShift has grown into an industry leader in Life Cycle Analysis and Sustainability Return on Investment (also known as Total Cost Assessment), two key methodologies integral to sustainable business practices. She guides a diverse and talented team of experts using innovative science and technology who work hand-in-hand with companies to make sustainability part of their infrastructure. Working with Fortune 500 companies, government bodies and institutional clients, Melissa helps them to identify opportunities, define the scope and scale of projects, and design implementation strategies that achieve defined outcomes. Melissa brings more than a decade of LCA experience to guiding clients through the strategic decision-making process. A co-owner of the firm, Melissa has been a consultant to industry for over 20 years, initially as an Organizational Development consultant, and for over a decade in the fields of LCA and S-ROI. She brings a holistic perspective to business, using her training as an anthropologist to maintain objectivity and integrate her understanding of organizational culture into client projects. James Lochran, Sales and Business Development Jim Lochran Jim directs the sales and service of EarthShift’s Software, Training and Consulting offerings, and develops new strategic partnerships and alliances. Before joining EarthShift, he spent 15 years in the software business and 12 years working in the network management space. Jim has also been a successful entrepreneur. Dave Hartter, Senior Sustainability Analyst Dave Hartter Dave provides analysis and project management support to clients to help them understand, communicate and optimize their environmental impacts, utilizing such environmental decision making tools as: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); Sustainability-Return on Investment (S-ROI)/Total Cost Assessment (TCA); critical review; Life Cycle Inventory (LCI); and general sustainability assessment, planning, and guidance. Dave brings extensive LCA, project leadership, and product development experience with Fortune 500 companies to his role at EarthShift. He believes in using quantitative methods to make informed decisions based on data, rather relying on conventional wisdom. Nathan Ayer, Senior Sustainability Analyst and LCA Consultant Nathan Ayer A certified LCA practitioner, Nathan manages EarthShift’s LCA training department. By using LCA, he tries to help clients stop and think about the implications of their new products and processes from a more comprehensive viewpoint. He has extensive experience conducting LCAs and ISO critical reviews. A PhD candidate at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, Nathan’s research is largely centered on alternative technology assessment. He believes that our society has too much faith in technology, and that we often invest in and promote alternative technologies without fully considering their implications. Harnoor Dhaliwal, Senior Sustainability Analyst Harnoor Dhaliwal Harnoor works with clients on LCA studies - from collecting the LCI data and modeling the data in SimaPro, to interpreting the results and writing ISO compliant reports. She has also been actively involved in developing and teaching LCA courses, including Impact Assessment Methods, Environmental Mechanisms and Impact Assessment Methods, and Beginning End of Life. Harnoor holds two masters degrees - in Environmental Management and in Environmental Policy Studies. Shelly Martin, Sustainability AnalystShelly Martin Shelly splits her time between client consulting engagements, teaching in EarthShift’s LCA training programs, and responding to technical support inquiries. A graduate of St. Lawrence University and an avid mountain biker and backcountry skier, Shelly believes that, by educating organizations about the environmental impacts of their choices and their products, we can change the world for the better. Addie Webster, Marketing Manager Addie Webster Addie manages the EarthShift website, newsletter and blog, as well as the social media presence of the company. Addie also coordinates press releases and the development of marketing materials, and manages EarthShift's conference and tradeshow appearances. Addie is a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, with an extensive background in sustainable agriculture and environmental initiatives. print email