Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
Jane Abernethy is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Humanscale, an industry-leading designer, and manufacturer of sustainable, high-performance ergonomic workplace products. Since 1983, Humanscale’s award-winning ergonomic products have helped improve the health, efficiency, and quality of work life for millions of professionals. At Humanscale, Jane leads the company’s efforts to create a net-positive impact on the company’s products and operations by closely collaborating with the company’s executives, designers, and engineers. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design and Industrial and Product Design from Carleton University and multiple green business certifications. She regularly volunteers her time to various committee boards, including BIFMA and the American Society of Interior Designers.
Jane joins me today to share what drove her to focus her career on sustainability and climate-friendly products. We discuss how taking care of our planet is an extended form of self-care and how Humanscale defines the term ‘sustainability.’ We discuss what it means to be a net-positive organization and the impact of ‘green-washing.’ We discuss the primary issues that often prevent people and organizations from creating a net-positive change and how making small changes can lead to creating a bigger impact on the environment. Jane also shares how she cultivates gratitude in her daily life, the benefits of regularly expressing gratitude, and her top three tips for developing a resilient mind.
“You can’t be there for the planet and actually make a difference if you’re not actually taking care of yourself and living a healthy lifestyle.”
– Jane Abernethy
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The pragmatic aspects of sustainability
- The connection between taking care of the planet and taking care of ourselves
- How Humanscale perceives sustainability
- Understanding what it means to be a ‘net positive’ organization
- How ‘green-washing’ leads to confusion
- The key issues that often prevent individuals from making a net-positive change
- Small steps you can take to create a big impact on the environment
- Jane’s personal self-care practices and the advice she’d give to her younger self
- How Jane actively cultivates gratitude and the benefits of expressing it
- Jane’s top 3 tips for developing a resilient mind
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Connect with Jane Abernethy:
- Humanscale
- Humanscale on LinkedIn
- Humanscale on Instagram
- Humanscale on Facebook
- Humanscale on Twitter
- Jane Abernethy on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
