Verizon Business Helps Customers Turn "Green"

(Business News & Technology News, 23 Apr 2008)

By Stephen Las Marias, Editor


With its wide range of products, services and solutions, Verizon Business is helping large businesses and government agencies to employ advanced communications and information technology to help them conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions.

According to a report presented last month at the World Economic Forum, the convergence of global networking and computing can significantly reduce global carbon emissions. The report noted that the Information Communications Technology (ICT) industry is responsible for approximately 2 percent of global CO2 emissions; and as such, ICT solutions have the potential to be an enabler to reduce a significant part of the remaining 98 percent of total CO2 emitted by non-ICT industries and the public.

Among Verizon Business' offerings that help customers reduce their energy consumption and environmental impact are:
- Global IP-based networks that facilitate e-commerce.
- Mobility solutions that enable teleworking by providing secure, reliable connections to corporate resources.
- Collaboration solutions that enable virtual meetings and distance learning through audio, Web and video conferencing.
- Electronic billing options that can reduce significant amounts of paper while increasing the usefulness of the bills Verizon Business customers receive in a paperless, electronic environment.

According to Nancy Gofus, Senior Vice President and CMO, the solutions that Verizon Business offer first and foremost help their customers do business better. "Better business efficiency can also translate into energy efficiencies, and we're helping our multinational customers to realize the full benefits of information communications technology throughout their extended enterprise operations," says Gofus.

Verizon Business' commitment does not stop with eco-friendly products and services. The company is also engineering energy efficiency into its network and technical facilities.

For instance, by employing energy-efficient ultra long haul (ULH) technology, Verizon Business has increased the capacity of its fiber-optic networks by five times. Since ULH allows Verizon Business to extend the reach of light-beam signals beyond 1,200 miles without the need for regeneration, it also will enable the company in the future to decommission one-third of its electrical-powered regeneration shelters where ULH is deployed.

In addition, Verizon Business has successfully tested the use of fuel cells in a network facility in Forney, Texas, and plans to implement fuel cells at two additional sites this year in Missouri. Fuel cell technology promises to help Verizon Business maintain reliable backup power resources and avoid having to install additional conventional batteries, which would require the allocation of more space—and additional heating and cooling.

The company has also taken steps to improve cooling efficiency and reduce energy consumption at premium data centers where the company hosts and manages servers for its business customers. Verizon Business plans to implement these new procedures at all of its technical facilities nationwide.

"We're excited about how the advances within our own business operations can reduce Verizon Business' environmental impact as well as help our customers meet their energy efficiency goals," says Jeannie Diefenderfer, Vice President of Global Network Operations for Verizon Business. "We're bringing state-of-the-art technology and new business practices to bear on the design and execution of our world class network operations."

Verizon Communications Inc., Verizon Business' parent company, has also taken steps to reduce the environmental impact of its operations, which include one of the largest vehicle fleets in the U.S. and millions of square feet of real estate. Last year, Verizon focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing recycling rates and deploying new, energy-saving technologies in its operations.

Also in 2007, the company reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 76,000 metric tons; maintained the company's "carbon intensity" at nearly eight times below the U.S. average; spent nearly 28 percent of its $11.6 million budget for office supplies on products with recycled content; and received about 100 million customer bill payments online, conserving some 400 tons of paper.

This year, Verizon is rolling out 100 new hybrid sedans in metropolitan areas across the country, which will annually reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by an estimated 263 metric tons and conserve nearly 30,000 gallons of fuel.

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