Microsoft

• Name: Microsoft, Inc
• Founded: 1975
• Stock: MSFT (NASDAQ)
• Address: One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
• Chief Executive Officer: Steve Ballmer
• Chief Environmental Strategist: Rob Bernard
• Employees (2008): 90,000 (approx.)
• Customers: 1 billion (approx.)

Contents 1 Business Segments 2 Mission for the Environment 3 Strategy and Principles 4 Goals and Actions for the Environment 5 References

[edit] Business Segments

Microsoft Corporation provides software and hardware products and solutions worldwide.

• The Client segment offers Windows Vista comprising Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business, Enterprise, and Starter editions; and Windows XP, including Professional, Home, Media Center, and Tablet PC editions.
• The Server and Tools segment develops software server products, as well as software developer tools, services, and solutions consisting of Microsoft SQL Server, Visual Studio, Silverlight, System Center products, Forefront security products, Biz Talk Server, Microsoft Consulting Services, and Premier product support services.
• The Online Services Business segment provides online advertising platform; online information offerings; and email and instant messaging services. This segment’s product line comprises Bing; Microsoft adCenter/adExpert; Microsoft Media Network; MSN portals, channels, and mobile services; Windows Live suite of applications and mobile services; Atlas online tools; MSN Premium Web Services; and Razorfish media agency services.
• The Microsoft Business Division segment offers Microsoft Office system products and Microsoft Dynamics business solutions, including Microsoft Office; Microsoft Office Project; Microsoft Office Visio; Microsoft Office SharePoint Server; FAST ESP; Microsoft Exchange Server; Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services; Microsoft Office Live Meeting; Microsoft Office Communications Server; Microsoft Office Communicator; Microsoft Tellme Service; Microsoft Dynamics ERP products; Microsoft Dynamics CRM; and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.
• The Entertainment and Devices Division segment provides Xbox 360 console and games; Xbox Live; Zune; Mediaroom; consumer software and hardware products, such as mice and keyboards; Windows Mobile software and services platform; Windows Embedded device operating system; Windows Automotive; and the Microsoft Surface computing platform.

[edit] Mission for the Environment

• Be a leader in environmental responsibility
• Reduce carbon emissions per unit of revenue by at least 30% over the 2007 to 2012 period.

[edit] Strategy and Principles

Microsoft recognizes that climate change is a serious challenge that requires a comprehensive and global response from all sectors of society. They are committed to reducing the impact of their own operations and products and to providing software and technology innovations that help people and organizations around the world improve the environment, particularly the pressing issue of climate change.

Guiding Principle for the Environment

• “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation."

- United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

• Be in full compliance with international environmental regulations and the specific environmental requirements of each country/region where we do business.

[edit] Goals and Actions for the Environment

• Reduce the environmental impact of Microsoft's operations and products
  • Operating systems that features advanced power management tools (Vista, Windows 7 and (Windows Server 2008)
  • Provide low-cost software licenses for refurbished computers (Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher (MAR) and the Digital Pipeline (DP) programs)
  • Committed to purchase and produce computing products that meet specified power-efficiency targets towards the goal of reducing global computer CO2 emissions by 54 million tons per year by 2010 (Climate Savers Computing Initiative)
  • Restrictions on substances and materials used in the manufacture of hardware products and equipment, including packaging or shipping materials. Microsoft audits our suppliers and manufacturers to evaluate product and packaging compliance with our specifications through the use of independent and certified third-party test laboratories. Restrictions do not apply to software products, packaging or optical media (CD-ROMs and DVDs).(Internal policies, Sustainable Packaging Coalition, European Union Directives, and the China Management Methods for Controlling Pollution by Electronic Information Products) [1]
  • Require all its vendors to abide by the applicable environmental laws and follow environmental practices that reflect the spirit of those laws.
  • Fund the collection and recycling of consumer electrical and electronic goods. (Recycling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Vehicles Act 2007) To find out where you can recycle hardware products visit thispage.
  • Participation in the US Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program for sustainable ecological buildings and application of this standards worldwide.[2]
  • Corporate events meet initial certification standards set by the British Standards Institute (BSI) for sustainable events. (Sustainable Events Initiative)
  • Data center hardware and technology suppliers are required to provide environmental statements and policies. The company aims to improve energy efficiency of new data centers by 2012 to 1.125 in Power Use Effectiveness (PUE), an industry metric of data center energy efficiency. The datacenter industry average for PUE is currently 2. (The Green Grid industry partnership)
  • One-quarter of the total energy purchased comes from renewable sources including water, solar and wind. (2009)
  • A transport pooling system in its Washington Campus that eliminates approximately 30,000 miles of travel per day. (Microsoft Connector Service)

• Apply technology in solving environmental challenges
  • Developed virtual presence technologies that reduce physical documents and business travel (Exchange Server, Office Communications Server, Digital Workflow, Microsoft® Office Live Meeting, SharePoint®, InfoPathand Microsoft Office Groove® 2007)
  • Developed an energy and emission tracking and reporting tool that meet the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (Microsoft Dynamics Environmental Dashboard)
  • Provide calculator tools to hardware and component suppliers to allow them to utilize GHG emmissions data collection methodologies.
  • For software products, the use of CDs, web-based downloads and online instructions is promoted whenever possible to reduce the use of plastics and paper (Digital by Choice distribution program)[3]
  • Developed a web-based Emissions Tracker tool for cities to monitor and manage their energy efficiency and carbon emission (Project Two Degrees by Microsoft and the Clinton Foundation's Climate Initiative)
  • A new traffic and routing software that integrates up-to-date traffic information attuned to current traffic patterns on both freeways and side streets into Live Search Maps directions. Clearflow

• Support environmental research efforts
  • Develop tools and methods to predict and mitigate the rapid changes occurring in the earth’s life support systems. (Microsoft Research (MSR)-Computational Ecology and Environmental Science Program)
  • Advance the science of climate change modeling. (Fluxnet)
  • Build a "Digital Watershed” for understanding historic conditions on key watersheds in California. (Microsoft Virtual Earth technology)
  • Testing the use of embedded networked computing to monitor energy use in homes and data centers, ecological changes in soil and indicator species, and environmental impacts on harsh conditions. [4]
  • Understand changes in the natural behavior of animal species as responses to environmental changes such as climate, pollution and human activity (MSR-Cambridge collaboration with University of Oxford, England and the Freie Universität, Berlin) [5]
  • A tool for the general public to contribute their firsthand knowledge of the world around them (Eye on Earth with the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)]
  • Partner with UNEP in various programs such as Research4Life's OARE, UNEP Global View for Environment's online mapping service,

• Produce transparent reports on response to climate change
  • Microsoft got the lowest score on achieving emissions reduction goals but got 3 out of 4 in reducing GHG impact associated with the use of its products. (Climate Counts)
  • annually submit reports to Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
  • Provide onsumers with a one-stop resource for the latest environmental news and tools that enable them to take action on the environment. (MSN Green)

[edit] References

• Microsoft.com/Environment
• Carbon Disclosure Project
• UN Environmental Programme Microsoft-Company Profile
• BusinessWeek