This week’s Spotlight features Gabby Hanna, Enplug’s resident sustainability advocate, dog lover and house mom. Gabby is part of the original Enplug crew, having joined in May of 2013. Besides being an incredible web developer and designer, she’s also a rap battle champion and kickball enthusiast. Gabby earned her B.A. in both architecture and geography from UC Berkeley. Read on to learn more!
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What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a designer?
The best way to start is to start.
Is there a specific item on the website that you’re proudest of?
The pieces that use the jQuery or Javascript I built since I’m still a bit of a noob in that department.
What song is stuck in your head right now?
“Iron Man” -Black Sabbath
Which team member is the cleanest?
Martin.
Who would win in a web design-off: Kuzco, Yzma, Kronk, or Pacha?
I believe that under pressure Kronk would be able to deliver if he really set his mind to it. Have you seen how much care and craft go into his spinach puffs?
Who’s your childhood hero?
Mia Hamm
Favorite lyric?
“And so today my world it smiles, your hand in mine we walk the miles.”
Does your car have a name?
Nope. I generally don’t assign names to non-living things.
One piece of technology that you can’t live without?
Electricity.
What’s the most beautiful thing in the world?
It’s hard to choose just one! The aurora borealis, desert thunderstorms, or the Grand Canyon.
Favorite That 70s Show character?
Kitty.
When did you first start working with Enplug?
May 28th, 2013.
What’s your best recipe?
Brigadeiro – a Brazilian chocolate dessert!
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
The answer to this cannot be published on the Internet.
Secret birthday wish?
If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret.
What’s an unexpected fact you learned since living in the Enplug House?
Adult males eat a lot of food.
Kickball, volleyball, basketball, or soccer?
Soccer.
Finish this sentence: Humans are…
Capable.
Spirit animal?
100% dog.
What would you bring on a one-way trip to Mars?
A spaceship.
If you weren’t a web designer, what would you be?
A person who is not a web designer — probably another designer of sorts or an environmentalist.
How much huff could a hufflepuff puff if a hufflepuff could puff huff?
If a hufflepuff could puff huff, a hufflepuff would puff as much huff as a hufflepuff could puff.
Pick a Spice Girl.
Sporty Spice.
Without context, what’s the punchline to your favorite joke?
You matter.
Three desert-island books?
Siddhartha, The Fountainhead, and The Blank Slate.
If you could have a rap battle with anyone, who would you challenge?
Snoop D-O-double G.
Favorite person on social media?
The individual who moderates @dogsofinstagram.
Hardest part about working with Enplug?
Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone daily.
Best part about working with Enplug?
The team.
Favorite question so far?
“Finish this sentence: Humans are…”
Where does your love of all things sustainable come from, and do you have any advice to other companies who are young but interested in going green?
Funny story. When the 2000 election finally became the inescapable topic on every news channel just a few days shy of voting day, I was watching TV with my dad. He had expressed his preference for Al Gore, and curious, 9 year-old me asked him why he liked Al Gore so much. His first response was, “Because he cares about the environment.” My train of logic of that age went a little something like this: if it’s important enough for my Dad to care about it, I should care about it too. It stuck with me ever since and became a passion the more I learned about the surrounding issues and how I could personally make a difference.
To young companies interested in staying green, I recommend equipping your team with more information about sustainability. Knowledge is power, and the more awareness, the more people are likely to care and take initiative. As far as physically impacting your workspace, DIY projects (like Enplug’s partitions!) that use recycled materials reduce economical and environmental costs; providing real dishware and utensils helps cut back on the waste of paper and plastic; keep all files stored electronically as opposed to stored in multitudes of filing cabinets; say no to bottled water; and much more!
Combining your love of web design and The Emperor’s New Groove, who do you think would be the better web designer: Kuzko, Yzma, Kronk, or Pacha? And why?
Yzma, by far and large. Kronk is a tad lost in the clouds. I’m not sure if he’d be able to keep focus. Cooking seems to be his real passion. Pacha has a great heart but isn’t huge on technicalities, as observed with Kuzko’s “handshake” on the bridge during their journey back to the palace. Kuzko has had everything handed to him his whole life, so I think he’d prefer to hire someone to design a website for him. Harsh, I know, but that’s my honest opinion. Yzma, while a tad power hungry, knows how to get things done. She’s a tactful, motivated visionary. Also, did you see the redesign of the palace after everyone thought Kuzko died? I was pretty impressed.