Environmental Leader

AT&T continues to improve technical efficiency as a means toward reducing its environmental impact, according to its 2008 CSR report.

Above is a look at AT&T’s data center initiatives.

Over the past year, AT&T has:

• recorded a 43 percent increase in accessories and batteries reused or recycled from 2007 to 2008, resulting in 1.3 million pounds diverted from the landfill.
• added a 1 megawatt solar system to its San Ramon, Calif., facility.
• prevented 75 million pounds of scrap materials from landfills.
• reduced cell site electricity consumption 289 million kilowatt hours, saving more than 200,000 tons of CO2 emissions, by reducing the amount of dual networks.
• identified up to 188 central office switches for consolidation, due to low utilization. This has the potential to save up to 49 million kWh annually.
• introduced economizers at sites to circulate ambient air and reduce energy costs.

AT&T’s 2009 goals include:

• have all suppliers read AT&T’s Citizenship & Sustainability Principles of Conduct for Suppliers by the end of the year.
• reduce electricity consumption, relative to data growth on the network, by 15 percent over 2008.
• by 2019, replace about 8,000 gasoline-powered service vehicles with alternative fuel models, as well as 7,000 passenger cars.
• swap out cell tower light controllers and incandescent bulbs at nearly 3,500 sites. The replacement LEDs can operate maintenance-free for 10 years and use 10 percent of the energy of incandescents.

The report did not detail AT&T’s emissions for 2008.