Microsoft Aims At 30% Emissions Reduction by 2012

Microsoft is doing a lot to focus on emissions reductions. We talked last month about their push for energy efficiency of data centers, but the company is looking to do a whole lot more to make a tinier carbon footprint.

The company has set a goal to reduce carbon emissions per unit of revenue by 30% of 2007 levels by 2012. That's a pretty significant goal, but with all the company can and should be doing, definitely attainable, and perhaps even a bit small.

Rob Bernard made the announcement in a blog post on Wednesday, and said that some of the steps they'll take include reducing energy use in buildings and operations, reducing air travel, and upping the amount of renewable energy used.

Features in new buildings at the company's headquarters may already be helping. Microsoft is still working on a $1 billion campus expansion. Some of the new buildings include environmentally friendly features. For example, they feature under-floor cooling systems, which save energy because they blow cool air from the ground up, rather than forcing cool air from the ceiling through warmer air that naturally rises. They also include lights in offices that turn on automatically when someone walks into the room and off when the room is empty.

There are countless other small things they can implement to reach this goal, but with these steps on top of the energy efficient data center work they're doing, we're hoping that they sail past this goal and set the bar far higher in 2012.

Microsoft, we're rooting for you!

Via PC World

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