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Corporate Social Responsibility at Intel®
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Beyond the Luster of Earth Day

Sydney_Huerta
Employee
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It's one of my favorite times of year - not because much the world is finally defrosting, Spring has sprung, or the trees are blooming - but because April 22 is Earth Day! The amazing work of many of my close colleagues is suddenly trendy again, and the world wants to know what Intel is doing to address climate change, water scarcity, and many other critical environmental challenges of our time.

For the next couple of weeks I'll be roaming around the office, smiling from ear-to-ear and reminding my environmental sustainability colleagues that we have the attention of many people who don’t usually ask about their impactful work and accomplishments. So if Earth Day has piqued your interest in us, you've come to the right place!

Here are the quick facts about our efforts to reduce our environmental footprint:

    • Energy Conservation. Since 2012, Intel has invested in more than 2,000 energy conservation projects at our facilities worldwide, resulting in cumulative energy savings of over three billion kWh.

 

    • Water. We estimate our water conservation efforts have saved over 60 billion gallons of water and, we currently  return about 80% of the water we use back to our communities. In 2017 we announced a new goal to restore 100% of our global water use by 2025; you can read about our progress here.

 

    • LEED Buildings. Building design is important to us, and last year we received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification for our newest office building in India. Overall, we have achieved certification for over 14.5 million square feet of space in 46 buildings.

 

    • Waste. We take managing our hazardous and non-hazardous waste seriously. We are working towards our of 2020 goals to send zero hazardous waste to landfill and recycle 90% of our non-hazardous waste. In our office buildings, we remind our colleagues to properly sort, recycle, and compost, and we have been piloting café programs to donate unused food before it becomes waste.



These are just a few of the highlights we'll elaborate on in our upcoming Corporate Responsibility report. But we always say every day is Earth Day for us, so we'll continue our strategy to conserve, collaborate, and create long after the luster of Earth Day wears off.

There is another reason that makes this time of year extra special - Intel employees in action! We volunteer more than 1 million hours a year to support a variety of needs in our communities, but during Earth Month, there are even more projects focused on planting trees, community park clean-ups, and many more small ways to connect us back to the dirt under our feet.

Here are some of my favorite employee efforts from across the globe:

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Mexico employees guide turtle hatchlings to the ocean

URBAN-GARDEN-2.jpgFilling garden beds as part of the urban garden volunteer project

URBAN-GARDEN-3.jpgUrban garden employee volunteer project.

IMG_2984.jpgIMG_3009.jpgAbout-100-Intel-Beijing-volunteers-planted-trees-besides-the-Great-Wall-1.jpg

About 100 Intel Beijing volunteers planted trees besides the Great Wall.
 

IMG_3002-resize.jpgVolunteers in Taiwan at the Wanli wetlands

Intel-Chengdu-about-200-volunteers-planted-2000-organge-trees-resize.jpgOver 200 volunteers in Chengdu, China planted 2000 organge trees

44A3968-resize.jpgReforestation volunteer event in Vietnam

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Reforestation volunteer event in Vietnam

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Employees in Arizona lent a hand at a local ranch that offers equine-assisted therapy for people with disabilities.

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Employees in Arizona lent a hand at a local ranch that offers equine-assisted therapy for people with disabilities

Intel-Dalian-2018-Care-for-Earth-Enviromental-Protection-Tree-Planting-Event_Group-Picture.jpg

Employees in Dalian, China gave back at a "Care for Earth Enviromental Protection" tree planting event

Intel-Dalian-2018-Care-for-Earth-Enviromental-Protection-Tree-Planting-Event_Group-Picture01.jpg

Employees in Dalian, China came together with organizations across the country to make a big impact.

Intel-Dalian-2018-Care-for-Earth-Environmental-Protection-Tree-Planting-Event_01.jpg

Planting trees in Dalian, China

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Teams in New Mexico helped create an outdoor sand volleyball court.
 

 

About the Author
Sydney is a creative strategist, producer, and master storyteller at Intel. She capturing stories of impact, sustainability, and amazing people across the company.