Sarah O'Brien

“Sarah's expertise in sustainable procurement gives her a unique ability to generate tangible results while simultaneously guiding diverse stakeholders through the challenges surrounding their own policies. She can just as clearly communicate high-level purchasing trends as she can technical details of electronic products' environmental design. In that rare instance where she doesn't have an answer, she can invariably tap into her expansive global network to find someone who does. Sarah always has an eye toward solving problems, and I know I'm not alone in saying her easy-going nature makes her a joy to work with.”

“Sarah O’Brien continues to move the needle in creating a more sustainable world by identifying opportunities for collaboration, introducing strategic partners, tackling gnarly issues, and embodying the integrity, determination and work ethic so critical to her role. Her work with EPEAT and the Green Electronics Council has been integral to the standard’s definition and adoption. I’m grateful to her insights and actions and believe we as the ITC industry have a huge resource in Sarah.”

“Sarah O’Brien has brought a credible, open, culturally sensitive approach to the promotion of Green Electronics Council’s projects in India. Her warmth, honesty and dedication to the mission of reducing environmental harm and increasing environmental benefit from electronics helped Indian business, government and civil society to engage in comprehensive dialogue about these issues and beyond just addressing the problem of E-waste. Sarah’s skill is to educate disparate stakeholders in the sector on the contribution they can make to environmental improvement – through purchasing, providing products and services, managing products at end of life. Sarah’s ability to establish cooperative relationships for GEC with the IT manufacturers association MAIT, CII-CESD, and with my own organization Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), testifies to her skills in establishing trust and collaboration for the betterment of society. The fact that the EPEAT system for procurement of environmentally preferable electronics has become a recognized quantity in India can be attributed to Sarah’s efforts, communication and interaction skills. My best wishes to Sarah in all her endeavours.”

“Sarah's expertise in sustainable procurement gives her a unique ability to generate tangible results for an organization while simultaneously guiding its diverse stakeholders through the challenges surrounding their own policies. She can just as clearly communicate high-level purchasing trends as she can technical details, and she always has an eye toward solving problems. In that rare instance where she doesn't have an answer, she can invariably tap into her expansive global network to find someone who does. I also know I'm not alone in saying her easy-going nature makes her a joy to work with.”

“Sarah O’Brien continues to move the needle in creating a more sustainable world by identifying opportunities for collaboration, introducing strategic partners, tackling gnarly issues, and embodying the integrity, determination and work ethic so critical to her role. Her work with EPEAT and the Green Electronics Council has been integral to the standard’s definition and adoption. I’m grateful to her insights and actions and believe we as the ITC industry have a huge resource in Sarah.”

“Sarah is one of the foundational figures in the world of green procurement. Her work in the space makes it easier to buy greener electronics, greener hospital supplies, and greener office supplies. With deep technical expertise, enthusiastic marketing skills, and a vast network of experts, she's one of the best in the business.”

“I had the pleasure of working with Sarah on a national team assigned the lofty task of establishing a national green standard for electronic products, with an initial focus on computers. As one of the few environmentalists on the team, Sarah handled herself with the appropriate and necessary grace, intelligence, and perseverance. Through her work and that of a small number of other committed professionals, the EPEAT standard was born. That standard is now used worldwide to evaluate the environmental and health score of huge numbers of electronic products and has move product manufacturers to change how the make their products. It was a pleasure to work with Sarah and I would recommend her highly.”

“I worked with Sarah as a co-development group member on the stakeholder team that developed IEEE 1690.1 - the first EPEAT standard for computer products. Although we represented different interests, Sarah always showed interest in understanding manufacturers' concerns. This flexibility was essential to forging a successful compromise. Sarah is always professional, responsive, and a very effective environmental advocate.”

“I have had the pleasure of working with Sarah O'Brien for five years in the development and implementation of the EPEAT electronics product environmental rating system. She has been instrumental in marketing EPEAT and communicating it's success to a wide spectrum of stakeholders. As a result of her highly successful communications initiatives, EPEAT is the leading global eco-label for electronics products.”

“Sarah is conscientious and respectful of the diverse groups she works with in her support of EPEAT, balancing their needs and those of the organization. She is an excellent trainer and communicator of diverse environmental topics and business impacts. A joy to work with.”

“Sarah is a true professional who, even in times of crisis and contention, shows creativity, resolve and commitment. She is incredibly competent and never fails to go above and beyond the call of duty.”

“Sarah's a go to source for technical assistance in health care environmentally preferable purchasing. Sarah is efficient, focused and a pleasure to work with.”

“I worked with Sarah at H2E for several years. I’ve missed her energy, diligence to details and sharp mind. A good partner to have at the table at strategic planning meetings. … And fun to work with.”