Verizon Wireless 2011 Annual Report Download - page 22

USING NETWORK TECHNOLOGY
TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
20
Verizon is working with
Duke Energy to provide
the network that connects
the digital meters, signs
and media players used
in “Envision: Charlotte,”
a program to make the
commercial buildings in
Charlotte’s urban core
more energy ecient.
Using data and graphic
displays about energy
consumption and other
sustainability practices,
“Envision: Charlotte”
is driving sustainable
behaviors that will help
change the way we
think about energy use
and the environment.
sustainaBilitY
Technology innovation is changing the conversation about how to cre-
ate a sustainable society. In some ways, the changes are obvious: digital
media replace books, CDs and newspapers; telecommuting and on-
line commerce substitute for driving; videoconferencing reduces the
need for business travel. But the real paradigm shift is just beginning to
emerge, as new technologies — cloud storage, machine-to-machine
telematics, wireless sensors — are incorporated into the energy grid,
transforming it from a one-way system into a dynamic information-
processing ecosystem. Experts believe that the widespread application
of information and communications technology has the potential to
double the nation’s energy eciency over the next 20 to 30 years.
Verizon is exploring how to use the power of technology innovation to
make ourselves a more sustainable company and tackle the challenge
of creating a greener society in new, more eective ways.
Creating a Sustainable Company
Our rst obligation is to manage our own environmental footprint
responsibly, building sustainability into everything we do. By the end
of 2011, about 7 percent of our vehicles ran on alternative fuel, put-
ting us almost halfway to our goal of 15 percent by 2015. We also have
programs to reduce engine idling times and vehicle weight. Together
these initiatives have reduced our fuel consumption by 13 percent over
2010 levels. Through our aggressive network and real estate energy
eciency initiatives and conservation projects led by employee “green
teams” worldwide, we have reduced our carbon intensity by more than
30 percent over the past two years and are well on our way toward our
goal of cutting our 2009 carbon intensity levels in half by 2020.
Beyond making our own operations more sustainable, we are also using
our scale and technological know-how to introduce innovative energy
solutions throughout our supply chain and network infrastructure. In
2011, we completed our largest ever installation of solar panels at two
central oces on Long Island, NY. One of these locations is also home to
one of the largest fuel cell plants in the world. We are also exploring geo-
thermal heat-pump cooling systems for use at cell sites and are working
with Cornell University to install and test one such system in upstate New
York. As alternative energy technology advances, we expect eorts such
as these to be critical factors in our drive toward sustainable operations.
Our product teams are working with suppliers to create more envi-
ronmentally friendly consumer electronics. For example, in 2011 we
introduced our fth “green” mobile phone designed to meet strict
standards for use of sustainable materials, and we are working with
developers on next-generation set-top boxes that will use less energy.
We have also taken the lead in introducing higher benchmarks for
energy eciency in network equipment across the whole communi-
cations industry. Starting in 2009, Verizon has required its suppliers to
improve the energy eciency of network components by 20 percent,
which has quickly become accepted practice across the industry.