FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Lynnette Bellin (Microsoft Licensing, GP)
775.335.4244, lbellin@microsoft.com
Microsoft Licensing, GP Celebrates International Earth Day Year Round
Local company extends the spirit to daily efforts in reducing environmental impact
Reno, Nev. (March 17, 2008) -- On March 21, the 38th annual International Earth Day will be celebrated across the world, and Microsoft Licensing, GP in Reno, NV will celebrate with a day-long event for employees, as well as year-round initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of our local offices.
An Earth Day fair will be held on site on March 21, 2008, to help build environmental awareness among employees, and will feature organic cooking demonstrations, an Organic Farmer’s Market, an on-site presentation of the new Honda Civic Hybrid, a video presentation of environmental tips, and a raffle of “green” trees. The event will also feature presentations made by representatives from “Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful” and REI, who will showcase eco-friendly outdoor activities, equipment and travel.
But more exciting and impactful are the efforts that Microsoft Licensing, GP is taking locally to reduce the Reno site’s carbon footprint and become more eco-friendly. These efforts include:
1. Reducing the number of hours in which the lighting and air-conditioning are operating by over 500 hours per year
2. Establishing a program with Waste Management to recycle aluminum, plastic and non-confidential paper. As part of this effort, non-confidential paper recycling bins were installed at 600 work stations site wide
3. Continuing an extensive confidential paper recycling program, which saved an estimated 284 trees in 2007 alone
4. Recycling of all printer and copier toner cartridges as well as all printer ink cartridges used on the site
5. The janitorial service and the food service vendors are now using all non-toxic eco-friendly cleaning products
6. The food service vendor, Guckenheimer, is increasingly supplying more organically grown foods for the café
8. The coffee in the break rooms will be providing Starbucks’ organic “Shade Tree” coffee
10. Eliminating providing free bottled water in all break rooms, which resulted in a reduction of over 100,000 plastic bottles per year
11. Installed reverse osmosis water systems and issued almost 300 reusable water jugs to employees
12. In Fiscal Year 2008, the site plans to install light sensors in all conference rooms to automatically turn off the lights when the rooms are empty
Microsoft Licensing is proud to be a participant in International Earth Day, as well as extending the spirit of this day throughout the year.
About Microsoft Licensing, GP: Microsoft Licensing, GP, has been headquartered in Reno since 1997 and manages product licensing agreements for Microsoft worldwide. With offices in Reno, Fort Lauderdale, Fargo and Puerto Rico, Microsoft Licensing employees more than 500 employees supporting Microsoft’s products, programs and technologies. Microsoft Licensing processes and manages more than 70,000 volume licensing agreements annually for Microsoft. For more information about environmental efforts, contact Lynnette Bellin at 775.335.4244, via email at lbellin@microsoft.com, or visit www.microsoft.com.