Summer 2008

Alumnus Richard Haut makes a Green Career Change

As a 22-year manager for oil giant Exxon, Rich Haut helped leave some big footprints in the global environment. They were steps that were not as eco-friendly as Haut would have liked.

So after a gradual “awakening” to environmental concerns, Haut retired from the energy business in 2002 and went to work for Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), a nonprofit center “dedicated to improving human and ecosystem well-being through the application of sustainability science and principles of sustainable development.” The 1974 mechanical engineering alumnus holds the position of senior research scientist.

Haut still is involved in the energy industry, but now as an adviser helping companies reduce their ecological footprints. He also represents other organizations that support environmentally responsible practices in business and industry.

Moving from private industry to a nonprofit group meant a pay cut, but to Haut, it was a shift worth making. “My true passion all along has been about the environment and reducing the environmental footprint of the oil and gas industry. I basically got to a point in my life where I asked myself, ‘What do you want to be remembered for?’”

As he pondered the career change, Haut reached back in time and took some earlier-provided career advice from his mother who told him: “Always leave the world better than you found it. Don’t take any more than you need. Don’t hurt anyone or anything.”

An example of his current work can be found with the FMC company’s offshore development engineering in Norway. He has been onsite, consulting with the company to help design equipment, systems and processes in an environmentally friendly way. “I’m challenging the engineering and design teams to consider components used, manufacturing processes, volume of material and chemicals.”

Although he has moved to an environmental focus in his work, Haut can still do engineer-speak with the best of them. He moves into a technical focus when discussing the issue of expandable casings when drilling for oil or natural gas. That process leaves a smaller hole in the earth. He also encourages companies to consider the full life of the equipment they use and what impact it will have when no longer used and left at the bottom of the ocean.

His environmental reach extends beyond the oil patch. Recently he worked with the City of Houston to secure federal government funding to analyze how to incorporate solar energy into the City’s energy infrastructure. Over the next two years Rich will lead the team to investigate this market transformation.

Haut has been invited to speak at various conferences, has authored numerous papers, has been awarded various patents and has several patents pending. He frequently speaks about sustainable development, the built environment and the offshore/energy industry. In addition, he has given testimony to the Department of Energy concerning the future of energy security in the U.S. He also serves on the U.S. Green Building Council - National Research Committee where he represents all nonprofits across the U.S., and on the board of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), where he chairs the Environmental Advisory Group. He also was cited in a recent Wall Street Journal article about oil- and gas-industry executives moving into a more environmentally focused career path.

Prior to joining HARC, Haut spent 25 years in the energy industry where he led various projects, analyzed offerings for key technologies or niche capabilities and was responsible for developing synergistic, strategic relationships in the energy industry. He also was instrumental in establishing joint ventures and other joint industry programs, including the start-up of Enventure Global Technology where he was the Chief Operating Officer, over a two-year time period, during which the operation moved from conception to profitability.