Intel's Lorie Wigle recognized for sustainable leadership

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Lorie Wigle, who manages eco-technology for Intel, leads a number of sustainability initiatives including the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

Ask anyone in Oregon’s sustainable business community about Lorie Wigle’s impact and the results elicit some revealing feedback.

• A visionary leader who shows up to get the actual work done.
• A tenacious and thoughtful strategist who’s also nice and actually funny.
• A user-friendly expert.

“She’s very quiet and unassuming so one might underestimate her contributions in this space,” said Nancy Hamilton, business development director for McKinstry’s Oregon operations. “A lot of people in this space match their really big ideas with big egos. Not Lorie.”

A native of Bandon, Wigle joined Intel Corp. 27 years ago, shortly after she graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in English.

Fresh out of college, she started out in basic information technology, teaching people how to use personal computer. She pursued an MBA through night classes at Portland State University and set her sights on Intel’s giant marketing arm. She cut her teeth on Intel’s first branded product line, PC Enhancements, launched in 2003. From there she moved through the organization working on entrepreneurial projects and eventually became entrenched in the growing need for data centers.

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From there she was drawn into the business of sustainability through one simple factor: the limits of electricity.

“Power became the issue that drew us into sustainability,” said Wigle, who is Intel’s general manager of eco-technology. “We all started to look at this as an obstacle to growth.”

Leading toward impact

The finite resources of power gave birth to the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, Intel’s foray into the green building industry and range of other efforts to curb energy use emanating out of Intel, all of them with Wigle at the helm.

She serves as president of Climate Savers, an effort launched in 2007 as a partnership between Intel and Google. It has grown to a 700-member global consortium with some of the biggest names in technology working toward the goal of cutting emissions.

“We set out to save 54 million tons of carbon and can already document 36 million tons of carbon saved,” Wigle said. “I’m pretty proud of that.”

That such a significant global effort is based out of Oregon and has such a global impact is somewhat typical of Intel. Wigle plays a key role in connecting the world-class expertise at Intel with the world-class sustainability work going on in the state that’s home to the company’s single largest concentration of employees.

Case in point would be the proposed Oregon Sustainability Center.

The still-conceptual building, which, if built, would be among the first high-rises to meet the ultra-green Living Building standard. The project has benefited greatly from Intel’s early and unwavering support.

“Intel was one of the first companies to engage in a meaningful way as an industry partner,” said Clark Brockman, who as principal and director of sustainability resources at SERA Architects is a key member of the sustainability center team. “Between in-kind services and cash, Intel will give millions of dollars to the project. Intel showed leadership and that’s a huge credit to Lorie.”

The 98 Percent

Within Intel, Wigle is known as the “Queen of Green.” But her status as a thought leader within one of the leading global companies should not be diminished by a cute moniker.

Wigle’s sights are trained steadily on the big impact — the 98 percent. Not familiar with the concept? The green technology movement maintains that the technology industry is responsible for about 2 percent of greenhouse gas emissions — and many other industries have their own 2 percent.

“Nike worries about their 2 percent — and that’s important — but technology can have an impact on that other 98 percent,” Wigle said.

That is, technology can be put to work reduce emissions across all industries.

“We have that opportunity to contribute,” Wigle said.

The eye on that bigger goal is what makes Wigle such a compelling champion for sustainable business, especially when it comes to technology. A conversation with her pivots gracefully from the “fantastic sustainability benefits of cloud computing” to the role of technology in “empowering the occupants” of green buildings with detailed and real-time consumption information.

She’ll also probably touch on Intel’s involvement with smart grid development, an effort she’s spent the last three years submerged in.

As Wigle delicately puts it: “It hasn’t moved at the pace our industry moves.”

Jill Eiland, Intel’s corporate affairs manager, said Wigle has been very strategic in where she has focused her efforts — which she credits for being a big part of her effectiveness in promoting sustainable practices.

“She is very steady and tenacious and thoughtful and she’s done a very good job of connecting the dots,” Eiland said.

While working in Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s office, Hamilton tapped Wigle’s expertise in sustainability for the state’s Green Jobs Council. The group’s recommendations — which included improving access to capital and improved marketing assistance, among many others — were submitted to the Oregon Legislature last year.

Hamilton said Wigle’s perspective was a key part of the group’s efforts.

“She shows up and actually does the work,” Hamilton said. “She’s not a diva. What she has is rare and really valuable.”

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