Being a Green Business

In many of my previous posts, I've noted that Praecipio Consulting has always taken corporate responsibility seriously and has always been a green company focused on preserving the human experience for generations to come. For years, we've had a similar reputation to Atlassian in that we are a t-shirt company that provides process solutions. Our t-shirts were not only clever in design, but also soft as a cloud – and because of that, they have been highly sought out. However, it comes with a downside -- Worldwide, the textile industry comes at a pretty heavy cost, our human's desire to consume new clothing means that it heavily impacts the environment.

An estimated 20 new garments are created per person per year worldwide1, and that volume is growing. Overall, the textile industry comes in at a whooping 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2e per year. Additionally, as we wear clothes, filaments abrade and litter our environment which contributes to micro-plastics being found literally everywhere (even in that water you're drinking right now).

In 2019, Praecipio Consulting changed our approach to conferences to benefit everyone. We did this through our Pledge 1% efforts. Instead of handing out conference t-shirts to be mindlessly collected, we decided to let booth visitors donate our money to non-profit organizations. Conference attendees channeled some $5000 to TreeFolks, Colorado River Alliance, Flatwater Foundation, and SAFE Austin. It was a great "warm and fuzzy" for us as well as the partnered organizations.

Reducing Carbon Emissions

By not purchasing and handing out underutilized t-shirts (do you really use conference swag to its fullest?), Praecipio Consulting also kept 1 metric tonne of fossil fuel based CO2 out of the atmosphere. While we could purchase a modest number of trees to accomplish the same balance on paper, in practice, we do not believe that does the most good. Humans have already added too much carbon into the carbon cycle to keep the world's climate in a similar state that we are used to. Offsetting fossil fuels with trees does not seem like a net zero proposition to us.

This doesn't mean we don't support offsetting fossil fuels with trees. Just a couple of months ago, we funded and planted trees with TreeFolks. Our goal is to minimize our fossil fuel usage, however, it is impossible today to be modern humans with no fossil fuel usage. Where we cannot cut out usage, we intend to offset that impact in the way we feel does the most good - more on that later.

We were surprised that such a small act, donating to nonprofits that aligned with our goals, made such a big impact. 

Green at Atlassian Summit 2020 

Because of the successful impact, Praecipio Consulting is doing it again – As proud Gold Sponsors of Atlassian Summit 2020, we're giving conference attendees (that stop by our booth) the chance to choose which nonprofit organization will receive our $10 donation (the cost of a t-shirt). Here are the amazing nonprofit organizations we're contributing to: 

Tree Folks is a local organization out of our hometown in Austin, TX that is committed to creating a healthier environment through community building, reforestation, education and growing the urban forest. Their mission is to empower Central Texans to build stronger communities through planting and caring for trees.  

Colorado River Alliance is an independent nonprofit that champions a healthy, flowing Colorado River, which is a vital resource to the community and the state of Texas. With programs that reach 14,000 community members annually, the Colorado River Alliance promotes conservation of the river and advocates for the people, ecosystems, communities, and businesses that depend on this natural resource.

Bamberger Ranch Preserve Located in Blanco County, Texas, is a 5,500 acre ranch that has been restored to its original habitat. For more than three decades the ranch has served as a meeting space for environmental groups, hosted school field trips and workshops for thousands of community members. The mission at Bamberger Ranch is to raise awareness about ethical land stewardship through education and outreach.

We look forward to our future efforts and encourage you to make a small change today as well. If you would like to swap notes please reach out to us.

References

• ¹https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-017-0058-9
• ²https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01828-w

As a Gold Sponsor for this year’s Atlassian Summit, we get it - t-shirts are cool. And at past Summits, we’ve given away some awesome t-shirts but this year when you come by Praecipio Consulting's booth, expect to be given something much more meaningful... Something even life-changing.

Photo Credit

Our Pledge

We got to thinking about what we do as a company and what our customers expect of us. As a consulting company leveraging the Atlassian product suite, we deliver the best in-class technology solutions to our clients. Helping companies run their business seamlessly through processes and technology is just one way Praecipio Consulting improves the lives of those around us. We also seek to be caring stewards of the planet and helping those in need. Three years ago, we joined the Pledge 1% Movement, and since then we've donated 1% of our time, equity, and profit to nonprofit organizations. We contributed to great causes, such as volunteering at an orphanage in Nicaragua, honoring veterans, helping out with a tornado disaster relief, raising money for the Flatwater Foundation, and organizing a Colorado River cleanup.

Our Commitment

Giving away t-shirts this year just didn’t cut it, especially when you think about what it takes to make a t-shirt... Did you know that growing the cotton necessary for one t-shirt requires more than 2,700 liters of water? Many resources are needed to manufacture and transport the product. Additionally, caring for a t-shirt leaves no small footprint. Most of us use 40 gallons of water to wash a load of laundry and 5 times more energy to dry a load.

So, this year, Praecipio Consulting is doing something different. In lieu of receiving a t-shirt, Summit attendees that stop by our booth will choose who we (Praecipio Consulting and Workato) will contribute $10 (the cost of a t-shirt). Summit attendees will choose from1 of 4 amazing nonprofit organizations that are making a difference every day: 

Flatwater Foundation is dedicated to providing those diagnosed with cancer, their families, and loved ones access to mental health therapy and family support, including traditional and non-traditional methods of psychological counseling.

TreeFolks has engaged thousands of volunteers to plant more than 2.8 million trees in Central Texas. Planting trees is a powerful means of connecting people with their communities, as they clean the air and water, provide habitat for wildlife, produce fresh fruit for neighbors, and provide shelter.

SAFE (Stop Abuse For Everyone) serves survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and exploitation, and domestic violence through prevention, advocacy, and comprehensive services for individuals, families, and communities that have been impacted by abuse.

Colorado River Alliance believe that a healthy, flowing river is imperative to the long-term well-being of their communities and state. Their mission is to champion the long-term vitality of the Texas Colorado River through education and engagement.

Our Responsibility

By taking this step to do our part in conserving the environment and fulfilling our corporate responsibility, we do not claim that we'll never print another t-shirt again; we do promise that we'll be judicious when we do. 

We look forward to seeing everyone at Summit, please make sure to stop by our booth 1106 to easily contribute to these causes!

I had the distinct pleasure of traveling to Atlassian Summit Europe 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. Afterward, six of us headed to Cardiff, Wales for a colleague's (read: friend's) wedding. From there, my husband and I hopped from Ireland to England before heading home. Less than 24 hours later, I was back at the airport on a domestic flight to a client site.

While this seems like a lot, my trusty backpack held most of my essentials for the entire trip around Europe and acted as my go-bag when I was ready to hop onto my next flight. I've compiled a list of essentials I carry with me while traveling to keep not only my sanity, but to ensure I'm prepared for most, if not all, situations. 

Quality Luggage

After years of picking up roll-aboards at the local discount retailer, I finally invested in some new luggage. Don't get me wrong, my last roll-aboard traveled over 250,000 airline miles either in the overhead bins or checked and was only retired in August when one of the wheels finally fell off. My new one is soft-sided, expandable, lightweight, and has 360 degree movement. It's already traveled to Indianapolis and Cincinnati and will be in Vegas, Georgetown, Irving, Austin, and probably one more place I'm forgetting by the end of October. While I spent approximately $100 on the one piece of luggage, I am already pleased with its versatility and durability. Check out what I use here.

Shoes

Not just any shoes. Depending on what we were doing at Summit, in the evenings entertaining clients, or even attending the wedding, it is important to have good shoes. However, when packing light, it's important to consolidate when able. While tennis shoes were a must for an 8-hour day of training, they aren't exactly the right foot wear for an elegant Welsh garden wedding or roaming around the streets of Dublin. Durable, stylish, and comfortable: those are my requirements. Our HR Generalist turned me onto some of the best flats I've ever worn. Averaging 15,000 steps per day in Europe, I was concerned about their long-term comfort for traipsing around cities or attending the wedding where I could keep my footing on grassy surfaces and while dancing. I can't tell you how impressed I am with these shoes and how well they have survived the abuse so far. Best part: they're machine washable. A must after walking in...well...not sure I want to think about it. 

Flip flops are an essential for me for plane rides. I'm lucky my feet don't get cold and they allow me to wiggle my toes, arch and flex my feet, and perform other exercises while on the plane to keep the circulation moving. While it takes ~ 1 week of continuous wear to get them just right, once they're broken in, I can walk all day in them (and have). Just ask my buddy and fellow Principal Consultant, Brian Nye: 27,000 steps around San Francisco taking in the sights. In addition, they take up little space and depending on what I'm wearing during that week, I can choose from a load of colors. And they're easily replaced. Check out what I use here.

Reusable Water Bottle

While it may seem like a no-brainer, a quality reusable water bottle is an absolute must. Long plane rides, air-conditioned terminals and buildings, or visiting Jameson's Bow Street Distillery, hydration is key. I was lucky enough to receive one by Praecipio Consulting several years ago and I don't leave home without it. Many airports have bottle filling stations and if the restaurant has a bar, they're usually willing to fill it as well. I use this one because, other than it being free, has survived 200,000 miles in the air, several drops and falls, and keeps water cold for upwards of eight hours. Not that it usually lasts that long before I drink it all. 

Locking Pill Case

Like most folks my age, I have a few medications I take during the day as well as supplements to keep my body happy. On more than one occasion, the weekly pill case in my backpack has decided to open several days worth of pills into the bowels of my bag. While I was at my local drug store picking up a second case for the 16 days I would be out, I came upon a locking pill case that maintains my daily regimen. I can't tell you how thrilled I was and promptly bought two. I no longer had to worry about where I stashed the cases in my bag for fear I'd be picking fiber out of the bottom of my bag or, god forbid, the fish oil gel capsules were crushed. Traveling with my medications securely stowed in my backpack was a little extra relief as we moved from city to city. 

Travel Umbrella

While I have no preference on brand, the weather in Barcelona reminded me much of home: wait 5 minutes and it will change. It would go from absolutely sunny and gorgeous to rainy and back within a 20 minute period. I stashed this handy piece of equipment in my backpack about a year ago and promptly forgot about it. It has come in handy more times than I can count. When collapsed and stowed, my umbrella is approximately 8" long and weighs less than 6 ounces. It fits beautifully in the bottom of my bag and the wrist strap makes it easy to loop over my arm or clip to my bag when not in use. Mine also has a slip-cover, so stashing a damp umbrella in my backpack won't cause any problems. 

Travel Adapter

When headed to Europe and spending time in both Spain as well as Wales, Ireland, and England, switching or carrying multiple adapters and remembering plugs and cords and and and...ugh. Also, most adapters will offer you the ability to plug one item in then ask you to daisy-chain items to that one. For example, when plugging my laptop into the adapter, I might have to plug my phone and tablet into my laptop to charge those as well. Instead, I found a world adapter with USB charging ports. It also has a fuse for surge protection and each plug is retractable. It's lightweight, relatively compact, and mine survived planes, trains, automobiles, and boats. 

Portable Power Bank

Let's face it. When at a conference or on vacation, you're in for some long days and nights. There's also a significant amount of phone usage for pictures, posts, tweets, etc. It's not always convenient to carry the adapter, a cord, and a power bank. In fact, that puts me right back in the dilemma of "Do I really need a whole backpack to carry everything?" My husband found this one and I ordered one right before I left for Spain. While it's by no means light, it was compact enough that with an octopus (multi-use cable set), not only did it fit in my relatively small purse, I was able to keep my phone charged as we galavanted around the various cities. Best part: it has a solar charging option for the power bank itself. I tested this one sunny afternoon and was delighted to see the flashing LED indicator turn solid indicating it was fully charged. 

While I have many more things I keep in my backpack (probably too many things, to be honest), these items were and are a must when traveling domestically and abroad. If I have only one item to add, it would be something non-electronic to stimulate the mind. My preference is coloring, but a good novel (paperback), crosswords, Sudoku, or the compact multi-puzzle books are all good options. It should provide you the ability to disconnect from the world for an hour or two because, let's face it, travel can be exhausting and you can't pour from an empty cup.

Discover how making the move from Perforce to Git at Expedia lead to standing room-only training sessions abundant with high fives. The move to Git improved Expedia's software development with faster development cycles, deeper integrations, increased transparency, and a more unified development platform. 

Five major announcements at Summit 2014 weren't enough for Atlassian co-founders Scott Farquhar and Mike-Cannon Brookes. Sneaking in a "Number 0" announcement after such crowd pleasers as Jira Service Desk agent-based pricing and HipChat for Server and iOS8, the San Jose Convention Center nearly exploded when Mike introduced the world to Atlassian's newest addition:

Since Jira first hit the marketplace in 2004, usage has gone through the roof with worldwide adoption of the popular issue-tracking product by industry giants with enterprise needs. In ten years, Jira has only gotten better with age, as Atlassian continuously pushes to improve products based on user feedback. That kind of user response- from Atlassian Experts who implement Jira, to stakeholders looking for a larger return on their investment- drove the design, development, and release of Jira Portfolio. Designed for maximum traceability, projects can be easily viewed to enable strategic planning, provide project reporting, and link work amongst teams for greater consistency in realizing business initiatives. Jira Portfolio adds value to every Jira instance in your organization: from stakeholders needing at-a-glance analytics, to technical leads scheduling project delivery, to team members who need to see how their work fits into a larger context. 

ONE SOURCE FOR ALL

Standardization across teams is important in your business processes, especially in organizations with cross-functional team projects! Leveraging Jira Portfolio across your organization fosters collaboration amongst teams and provides supreme visibility. Jira Portfolio makes use of the integrative power that we know and love in Atlassian products, seamlessly communicating with your other tools including Jira Agile and Confluence, making it a major force of functionality in the world of technology solutions.

ON TIME, EVERY TIME

Jira Portfolio is a centralized home for business development projects that unifies your organization, allowing for project tracking in real-time across teams for incredibly accurate strategic planning. Never miss the mark on a scheduled release again! With Jira Portfolio, you can track projects (Yes, more than one project at a time!) from proof-of-concept to delivery thus cutting cost-of-change and continually improving business processes through the use of dashboards and workflows.

TELL BETTER STORIES

Keep your team fully informed with the integration and cross-team collaboration you get with Jira Portfolio. When builds grow from business initiatives, you can keep your devs clued into the strategy by linking projects with themes. With Jira Portfolio, your user stories have more narrative power, as epics and stories can now point to business initiatives and themes. Your dev teams can build products informed by the business initiative that outlines its place in the market. Your business team can see the development of the product they're marketing and advertise its upcoming release.

ALL OF THE FRAMEWORKS

Want Jira Portfolio but don't know how it will work in your framework? Atlassian washes those worries away with Jira Portfolio's Framework-Agnostic compatibility. No matter what framework your organization uses, Jira Portfolio will always be a perfect fit. 

LOW COST POINT

Jira Portfolio makes your Jira instance even more robust by driving down development costs, but your savings don't end there. Jira users can expand their Atlassian product suite to include Jira Portfolio, gaining the highest functionality of strategic planning software available at a fraction of the cost of competitors. 

With Atlassian's new Jira Portfolio, you can achieve your best business processes. Drive costs down with strategic planning, easy cross-team collaboration, and high-level reporting to take your organization to a whole new level. At Praecipio Consulting, we're just as excited about Jira Portfolio as our clients! And...we're thrilled to offer a first look inside the hot new offering in our upcoming Jira Portfolio webinar on November 5th. Join one of our Solutions Architects and Certified ScrumMaster, Amanda Babb, to learn how to unlock the power of Jira Portfolio.

Wherever you want to go with the Atlassian product suite, we'll take you there.

Atlassian shot into the Enterprise with the release of their revolutionary JIRA Data Center in July, followed by Confluence Data Center in August. Major companies worldwide relying on Enterprise-level, mission-critical processes rejoiced- and now, they have even more reason to celebrate! Now Stash, the popular source code management for Git, is the newest Data Center offering from Atlassian. Currently in its beta version, the first and only platform of its kind to provide a highly available, scalable solution to collaborative Git teams of unlimited sizes with countless products and processes, Stash Data Center brings optimal uptime, the utmost reliability and unlimited scalability. It's only been a week since Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes introduced us to Stash Data Center in the Opening Keynote of Summit, but the IT community is already buzzing over the newest addition to the Atlassian Enterprise family!

Let's meet Stash Data Center!

AVAILABILITY

Using active-active node clustering, your Stash instance is always up and running! Should a node go down, the load balancer distributes the processes of the failed component to keep your workflow moving and kick off node repair. Once the node is fixed, Stash Data Center automatically updates your data with rapid re-indexing so you never miss a beat.

SCALABILITY

Whatever size your instance, Stash Data Center scales to your needs. The platform ensures your Git repository can be accessed quickly, efficiently and at all times- no matter how many users and functions are running concurrently. Have more data than you can handle? Just add another node to your instance to help share the load

SECURITY

Control who has access and permissions within your Git repository with Stash Data Center's robust security options, as well as customizable workflows to get the right code to the right people. Operating on premise and behind the firewall and using global, project, repository and branch level permissions, Stash Data Center provides the safest way yet to run mission-critical Git processes.

Atlassian thrilled new and existing users across the world with their six big product announcements and Enterprise teams everywhere cheered over Stash Data Center!