Dell says its power is now 100% carbon neutral

Dell has been working toward a plan to make the company carbon neutral for years. And now the company has announced it's finally done so, at least in terms of energy usage in its facilities.

Treehugger has the story of how it did the job. Focusing on energy efficiency in Dell factories and offices goes without saying, but "green power" is the centerpiece of the strategy: The company now purchases 645 million kilowatt-hours of non-fossil-fuel power (from solar, wind, and methane-gas capture sources), which avoids putting some 400,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air. The company also requires its suppliers to disclose CO2 emissions, with the goal of encouraging (or shaming) them into lowering those emissions.

Dell is also working with Conservation International to halt deforestation in Madagascar, where it has worked to save 591,000 acres of tropical forest and which prevents CO2 release to the tune of about 100,000 tons a year.

And while Dell is a major proponent of recycling (it has one of the most aggressive aftermarket/post-purchase recycling programs in the computer industry), the carbon neutral label obviously doesn't apply to the equipment it makes. (Manufacturing computers is a pretty nasty, non-green process.) But Dell (and everyone else) is taking baby steps in this direction, phasing out the worst of the toxic sludge that goes into a PC, including PVC and brominated flame retardants (PDF link). The company is working on mercury reductions, too.

Way to go, Dell! Now keep it up as you go after the guts of your machines.

LINK: Dell Reaches Carbon Neutrality Goals, 5 Months Ahead of Schedule