This is the sixth post in our "Bite-sized CSR" blog series surrounding our 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report, where we'll pull out little snippets and case studies from across the 100+ pages of our new report.
Tom Cooper is Intel's Worldwide Water Program Manager, overseeing water use and conservation programs on a global scale. Tom has always been a "water" guy; since obtaining his SCUBA instructor certification at the budding age of 17, he has lived most of his life in and out of the water. For the past 14 years, he has worked at Intel, measuring and managing water - potable, waste, and even storm water. He also co-authored two IEEE water footprint papers (available on our Report Builder website), and is currently developing a "best practices" guidebook for all aspects of corporate water use, with recommendations for grease traps and even defrosting snow on sidewalks.
So when Tom was approached by Dennis Nelson, the President and CEO of Project WET just over a year ago to join the non-profit's board of directors, his decision was a no-brainer. The award-winning global organization provides educational materials, hands-on experiences, and other resources to educate the world about water. Intel employees also volunteer locally in classrooms through the organization.
While water education doesn't seem like the most obvious topic for a semiconductor company to be engaged in, water is a key input in our manufacturing processes, and we are continuously evaluating different ways to reduce and reuse water at our global sites, some of which are located in water-stressed areas. Since 1998, we've invested more than $100 million in water conservation programs, saving us nearly 40 billion gallons of water - enough to supply about 370,000 U.S. homes for a year. Working with Project WET gives us not only the opportunity to share our best practices and contribute to a great cause, but also gives us a space in which we can learn from others.
To learn more about our focus on water conservation, download (and read) our 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report, or follow us on Twitter.
Linda is passionate about sustainability and corporate responsibility. She manages communications for Intel's Public Affairs and Sustainability organization. She graduated from the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources with a Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Resource Studies.