Jane Connell – Vice President, Global I/T Operations and Strategic Sourcing, Johnson & Johnson

Meet one of PINK’s Top 10 Women in Sustainability, 2011!

By Rachel Pomerance

Everyone needs some inspiration. For Jane Connell, it comes from Gandhi. Her goal is his mantra: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

In Connell’s world, that means demonstrating the role of I/T in sustainability. And she’s proven it, with dollars and sense. Through strategic partnerships with vendors like Microsoft, Verizon and IBM, Connell and her team have earned Johnson & Johnson more than $300 million in cost savings and value. Connell’s goal is for her mentees to feel “conviction and passion” for their mission. She’s proud to head a global group that is constructively shaping the company and the environment.

Here are a few of her favorite initiatives:

• Greener Printing: Connell’s launch of the Managed Print Services (MPS) program streamlined the company’s print, copy, scan and fax services through energy-saving, networked devices. In other words, out with the personal, inefficient printers, and in with an optimized, high-tech system. The result? Johnson & Johnson eliminated more than 3,200 personal devices, which annually saves 442,000 kWh of energy and 340 tons of carbon dioxide.

• Solar Panel Installation: This year, I/T joined a growing group of Johnson & Johnson sites to reduce its carbon footprint and generate green energy through solar power. To accommodate the solar panels, an elevated canopy over the parking lot was created. The one megawatt system was brought online in August 2010, and is expected to generate 1,336,000 kilowatt hours annually – enough to power 112 homes. The carbon offset of the system equals taking 158 cars off the road or planting 158 acres of trees.

• “Free Cooling”: Chillers with a “free cooling” option are being installed at the company’s New Jersey data centers. By using ambient air during the cooler months, the company already enjoyed a New Jersey Clean Energy Rebate and expects an even greater amount in future energy savings.

What’s next?

• Taking the long, broad view: Johnson & Johnson’s Healthy Planet 2010 exemplifies the company’s comprehensive approach. “We aspire to be the most environmentally responsible company in the world,” and “Our Healthy Planet 2010 goals serve as a roadmap to help us get there,” Johnson & Johnson states on its Web site. Developed in 2006, Healthy Planet 2010 outlines goals addressing issues of transparency, energy use and carbon dioxide reduction, waste reduction, product stewardship, environmental literacy, biodiversity, compliance and more.

• Taking Benefits Global: Connell plans to bring improved management of the eco-system of printing – including optimizing usage and reducing waste – to Johnson & Johnson companies worldwide. She is also planning to participate in global solar initiatives through a “next generation” effort on the New Jersey IT campus.

Rachel Pomerance, a writer and public relations professional, specializes in sustainable transportation at Pomerance & Associates. The all-female firm, which is owned by her mother, Barbara Pomerance, manages the communications for the Washington Auto Show®.