Verizon (
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The metric will assist Verizon in its efforts to continue making improvements in energy conservation and efficiency. Its company network is increasingly coping with the rapid increase in demand for broadband, IP network services, and wireless data and video, as well as the amount of energy needed to operate the network.
Called the “carbon intensity metric,” the new measurement was developed by Verizon’s Sustainability Office. Testing over the past 12 months revealed an improvement of approximately 15 percent in the company’s carbon efficiency, from 2009 to 2010.
The metric is derived by first combining Verizon’s total carbon emissions (in metric tons) from the electricity, building fuels, and vehicle fuels used to run the company’s business. That total is then divided by the number of terabytes of data that the company transports across its network. (One terabyte equals about 300 feature-length movies.) Verizon transported 78.6 million terabytes across its global network in 2010 – an increase of about 16 percent, compared with 2009.
The company measures how many metric tons of carbon emissions it produces, on average, to move a terabyte of data. As a result, it can better assess the success of its sustainability efforts and identify where it needs to focus more attention.
Committed to reporting its carbon efficiency each year, Verizon has a goal of increasing its efficiency by an additional 15 percent this year.
Verizon has implemented a wide range of green initiatives, including the addition of more alternative fuel and hybrid-engine vehicles to its fleet, the deployment of more energy-efficient network equipment, hosting recycling and other green-awareness events, and launching a campaign to encourage customers to switch to paperless billing. The company deployed 1,642 hybrid-engine and alternative fuel vehicles in 2010, bringing its total to more than 1,900, or about 5 percent of its fleet.
Janet Li is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
John Lahtinen
