25 Most Influential People in Mobile Technology

#13 Most Influential Person in Mobile Technology

Jeff Omelchuck

Position: Executive director, EPEAT; founder and director, Green Electronics Council
Age: 49
Location: Portland, Ore.

Jeff Omelchuck has a good relationship with nature. “I grew up in Montana enjoying outdoor activities like backpacking, skiing, and mountaineering with an ethic of ‘leave no trace,’” he shared. His environmental interests continually crossed paths with his engineering studies, and in 2005 he founded the Green Electronics Council, which went on to facilitate the launch of EPEAT, a system developed by a team of stakeholders (among them, manufacturers, researchers, and the EPA) that would finally make sense of and standardize the environmental criteria for producing and handling electronics.

As executive director, Omelchuck oversaw last year’s implementation of the system, which has since drawn the attention of virtually every major notebook maker, including Apple, Dell, HP, Sony, and Toshiba. Omelchuck asserts EPEAT has been “stunningly successful,” and plans are under way for international expansion, possible partnerships, and developing criteria for other electronics, including handheld devices.

Did You Know: Omelchuck is green to the bone. “I am a child of the 60s and 70s—flower power, Earth Day, etc.”