A wonderful example of using personal interests outside of
work to help promote an important initiative comes from Paul Westbrook, at the
time a project manager of worldwide construction at Texas Instruments. Paul is
passionate about sustainable practices in companies out of concern for
environmental degradation and a long-standing distaste for waste. There was a
modest movement growing in the United States around these concerns, but many
enthusiasts within companies had trouble getting anyone in power to respond.
Texas Instruments had a significant number of environmental and sustainable
efforts at its facilities around the globe, but Paul wanted to find the lever
to move the company to the next level. Meanwhile, his passion had also led him
to use green techniques when building his house, which used passive and active
solar energy.