Verizon kicked off a new sustainability program in an effort to find practical and innovative ways to reduce the carbon footprint of its global operations.
Some of the initiatives Verizon is launching this year include:
- Adding 1,600 alternative energy vehicles in the Verizon fleet in 2010.
- Verizon has teamed up with Motorola to trial eco-friendly set-top boxes for FiOS TV customers in select markets.
- Kicked off a long-term awareness campaign to educate, encourage and make it easy for Verizon's 220,000 employees to cut energy use, recycle and reuse at work and home. Recent examples include free electronic recycling days, open to the public, at various company locations.
- Verizon's IT, security, communications and network expertise are helping the utility sector ramp up smart grid deployment. The company's intelligent IP and wireless networks provide an ideal foundation for the smart grid's control and metering functions.
"Customer demand for Verizon's broadband and wireless technology is driving the growth of our high-IQ networks, but we're growing responsibly," said James Gowen, Verizon's chief sustainability officer. "We're partnering with other businesses, suppliers, employees and our customers to dramatically increase the sustainability of our supply chain and operations. This approach positions the company for growth in future markets while creating lasting social value."
Verizon noted that last year its energy reduction and recycling measures reduced the company's CO2 emissions by more than 793 million pounds, approximately the amount of CO2 emitted by 46,700 homes in a year. The company also improved its rate of emissions per million dollars in revenue to 60.2 metric tons of CO2 in 2009, from 64.4 metric tons in 2008.
Among the sustainability steps taken by the company in 2009 was the establishment of a new lab in Columbia, Md., for federal customers interested in Optical LAN services and technology. Passive optical network technology can reduce power consumption by up to 75 percent because it requires no additional regeneration of power for up to 12 miles from a campus data center.
In 2009, Verizon also set new energy efficiency standards for the company's suppliers of network equipment, resulting in saving 91 million kilowatt hours and more than 114 million pounds of CO2 avoidance.
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