Dell today announced an environmental strategy designed to make the computer maker the "greenest tech company on the planet." The most-far reaching aspect of its Zero Carbon Initiative is a requirement that its suppliers publicly report their greenhouse gas emissions. "Suppliers risk having their overall scores reduced during Dell quarterly business reviews for not identifying and publicly reporting GHG emissions," the company stated. "A supplier’s volume of Dell business can be affected by the scores earned on reviews. Dell will work with suppliers on emissions reduction strategies once data is collected." The idea is that such disclosures will encourage manufacturers of computer components – many of which are in China – to compete to reduce their contribution toward global warming. Coming on the heels of Steve Jobs’s disclosure last month of toxic chemicals present in Apple (AAPL) computers and plans to reduce or eliminate them, Dell’s (DELL) move ratchets up the pressure on the computer industry to go green. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Sun Microsystems (SUNW) are also undertaking various green computing initiatives. In addition, Dell proposed that companies be rated on their "carbon intensity," which measures greenhouse gas emissions per dollar of annual revenue. The Texas computer maker promised to reduce its carbon intensity 15 percent by 2012.
Past Dell programs – like it’s Plant a Tree for Me carbon offset program – have been derided as being more about greening the company’s image than about actually reducing its environmental impact. But today’s initiatives indicate Dell is making efforts to directly cut its greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, Dell said a pilot power-management program for more than 50,000 of its corporate computers saved $1.8 million in electricity costs annually and eliminated the equivalent of 8,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Adding a Web 2.0 twist to its enviro campaign, Dell is soliciting its customers’ ideas on how to green up the company’s operations at its IdeaStorm site.
Green Wombat 
Carbon Emissions, that’s all that’s “dangerous” about computers?
Still nobody is talking about the toxins and cancer causing substances that are used in the electronics manufacturing process.
What about reduction of brominated flame retardants. Some are “voluntarily” regulated, but the most commonly used, is not.
There are ways to reduce toxins, carcinogenic substances, flame retardants (by as much as 95 to 97%) all of the above already. An overall cleaner manufacturing process also avoids that oil from the stamping process ends up in the environment, etc.
All these processes are not new, not rocket science, and have been around and proven for many years.
We have a Free E-Class on our website at http://greenmachineshop.com/eclass that talks about those substances and how to avoid them and what they do to the environment and you. You might check out our blog, too. There are some articles about toxins and how they work in our bodies.
more garbage from the ‘feel good’ marketeers who are attempting to scare the public into buying their wares.
The science that investigates carbon emmissions affecting climate temperature is at a minimum, unsettled, and potentially, is credibly debunked.
http://www.greatglobalwarmingswindle.com/co2_temperature.html
it appears that Dell is trying to make themselves look good by pointing fingers and policing others. It’s always someone else’s fault!
Zero Carbon Initiative by Computer Maker
Todd Woody of the Green Wombat blog reports that Dell announced today their Zero Carbon Initiative.
Flowing with the green word of the day, in this case Global Warming and Zero Carbon Initiative is the easy ste…
wow, disappointing comments
two “i post the same thing everywhere comments” and one who seems to not understand the power of the supply chain.
great news by Dell. The high-tech biz is making huge strides and is developing replicable, quantifiable systems to achieve environmental improvement while maintaining share-holder value.
The only aspect of this topic that is disappointing is the notion that companies (like Dell) feel the need to establish a ‘feel good’ policy upon a very unsettled foundation of scientific study in order to solicit new customers. I would respect the company who admits that the science is unsettled, but, who takes effective action to curb “known-to-be harmful” activities within their supply-chain. To seek out incremental business with zero factual backing is dishonest, to say the least.
Dell Aims to be the Greenest Tech Company
Dell today announced an environmental strategy designed to make the computer maker the “greenest tech company on the planet.”
I’m not sold on the whole man-made global warming that’s being force-fed to all of us. Consensus on Global Warming by top scientists?… I think not:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8f8v5du5_ag
This is a good stance by Dell. It can use its purchasing power to put pressure on otherwise uninclined suppliers to change their practices.
To those of you who suggest we should do nothing because the science is not conclusive regarding human effect on the climate are acting foolishly. Science is a slow process (just look at how little scientists understood about the whales stuck in the California river recently). More times then not we understand certain actions have certain effects, however, we cannot explain why this is the case. For instance, I work in the drug industry. For most drugs that are being sold, scientists really do not understand the science behind the drugs.
Putting the science aside, common sense tells you a surge in human activity could have an effect on the climate. Just because we cannot prove the link exists, doesn’t mean it is not true. Moreover, just because you cannot prove something, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take action to correct something if it is possible that certain activity is causing harmful effects.
That YouTube video was silly because 1) it just shows sound bites, 2) has scientists rehashing views from twenty years ago, 3) doesn’t tell you who pays the peoples’ salaries, and 4) doesn’t refute factually based conclusions of its opponents. Moreover, it is by far the minority view. When you have CEOs of big oil companies claiming there is a problem, you might want formulate a plan. Here is real information on the topic:
http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/
Most scientist agree the Earth is warming up because of the increased on CO2. There will be always be people who believe the Earth is flat.
A great website which describes in scientific terms our global warming is http://www.climate 411.com
The more businesses go for cleaning up their act, the better. You just can’t go wrong with cleaning things up to restore back to the natural world as much as possible.
I don’t understand those that seem to want to wallow in the pollution that can be put out by companies when manufacturing products, if the companies don’t try to control their waste products. Don’t they realize that it doesn’t hurt anything to not pollute? Do they LIKE pollutants to accumulate in their bodies and the bodies of their families?
What is wrong with them that they don’t see this?