14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft's Environmental Sustainability Strategy is based on three pillars, according to Rob Bernard, Microsoft chief environmental strategist. Bernard indicated that the Redmond company saw information technology as an indispensable ingredient of any recipe designed to improve energy efficiency, while at the same time stressing the need for innovation and to “practice what you preach.” April 22, 2009 (Earth Day) served as the opportune moment for Microsoft to emphasize its continued commitment to address climate change while managing resources with increased efficiency in the context of the planet's growing population.
“Information and communications technology (ICT) products are responsible for around 2% of global carbon emissions, according to the analyst firm Gartner. Microsoft is working to create new technologies and improve industry best practices to reduce the energy use of information technology devices,” Bernard stated. “As just one example, Microsoft's own use of our Unified Communications virtual meeting and telework software is already reducing our employee travel by approximately 1 million air miles a year, and reducing our carbon footprint by 17,000 metric tons annually. We have plans in place to further reduce travel and energy use with even greater use of telework.”
Applying ICT to enhancing the level of energy efficiency should allow for triple computing productivity gains by 2020, according to Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. But such a scenario has to involve keeping the level of the energy consumed constant, Turner emphasizes. In this regard, solutions can only come from driving innovation. Bernard pointed out that Microsoft Research focused on resolving environmental issues through the development of new tools, technologies and models that could be applied on a global scale.
“Microsoft is committed to reducing our global carbon emissions per unit of revenue by at least 30% by 2012 (compared with 2007 levels). We have undertaken several initiatives to decrease our environmental impact, from green-building-designs to the introduction of food composting on all our campuses. We operate one of the world's largest company-owned fleets of buses to reduce congestion, emissions and employee commuting miles at our Puget Sound headquarters,” Bernard added.