Dell has been a trend-setter when it comes to the incorporation of greener technologies to reduce their corporate carbon footprint and they’re doing it again! Although this time they are following the lead of Google, by installing solar trees in the parking lot of their head office in Round Rock, Texas.

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Computer technology is always about being one step ahead of competitors. Information technology moves faster than light it seems, and by the time your new computer arrives at your doorstep, it is already out of date. Dell, whose computers can be found in most offices, homes, and campuses across the country, has been doing its best to stay ahead of the curve.

Proving it is both environmentally friendly and hip to the trends of popular culture, Dell has just finished installing a grove of solar trees at its Corporate headquarters in Round Rock, Texas.

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I am a big fan of Conservation International (CI) and have been for ten years ever since I worked with the NGO during my previous life at a multinational corporation.  I admire CI’s collaborative approach by accepting the world’s largest corporations as part of the environmental solution and not just the source of the problem.  Realizing the importance of the private sector, CI created the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business (CELB) partnering with such companies as Starbucks, McDonald’s and Wal-Mart.

CELB’s mission is to leverage the power and reach of corporations to “improve human livelihoods through: innovative business practices that reduce companies’ ecological footprint, strategic investments in conservation opportunities and dynamic communications campaigns that engage consumers and employees worldwide to take action in their everyday lives.”

As part of their progressive communications campaign, CI recognized the influence and reach of social networking and social media.  And now, they are set to launch a groundbreaking tool designed to catalyze personal and collective action via the connective power of the web.  Are you ready for “Team Earth”?

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Keynote speakers are from Terracycle and McDonough partners, and corporate attendees include Microsoft, Walmart, HP, BP, 3M, Dell, Dupont, and General Motors.

Unfortunately, the early bird discount deadline is past - and the conference now costs $1999.  The good news is that if your company registers 3 people, the 4th is free!

Last years conference was rated very highly - and this looks like a MUST ATTEND for any business wanting to harness some of the green economic momentum that is gathering daily.

What about when a Dell Exec Knocks Apple’s Green Ads? Is Dell anti-corporate and anti-capitalist because it wants to set the record straight?  Dell is currently ranked No. 25 among the Fortune 500 companies and No. 88 in the Fortune Global 500. Since its pretty hard to be anti-corporate and anti-capitalist with those stats, maybe Dell is just calling it like it is.

And as business people, why should we complain about greenwash anyhow?

First, it is not anti-corporate and anti-capitalist to set the record straight on environmental achievements versus environmental distortion.  It is every business person’s—from the entrepreneur to the VP of communications at a Fortune 500 company—job to do just that so we do not dilute real environmental achievements.

Second, Bob Pearson, VP—Communities & Conversations at Dell said it well in his blog post:

“…companies who choose to lead have an obligation to be open and transparent. We have a responsibility to engage in dialogue about the environment, whether we agree or disagree with an individual person or group. It all contributes to the greater good.”

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While Dell still beats Apple in Greenpeace’s annual electronics report, Apple will catch up if they meet their targets over the next few years. Here’s how the two computer makers compare (according to Greenpeace) on energy efficiency, packaging, materials, and recycling.

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Dell has announced that it plans have LED (light-emitting diode) backlit displays in 80 percent of its computers by 2008 and in all of them by 2010. LED displays consume 43 percent less energy for a 15 inch screen than standard CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) displays. According to the company, its LED displays will save $20 million and 220 million KWh in 2010 and 2011 combined.

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Dell’s Studio Hybrid taps an energy-efficient Intel^® Core^TM 2 Duo Mobile Processors to use 70% less power and is Dell’s most environmentally savvy desktop computer to date.

It’s compact size (it’s 81% smaller than a standard desktop tower according to the company) and 6 jewel-toned cases make it perfect for prominent display in your eco-office, but I have to say, the bamboo sleeve is definitely hot.

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What we do know for sure is that computer companies have to start designing with more environmental concern and foresight.

Good news: Dell has sponsored a “green” design competition, and we get to choose the winner. As part of their “ReGeneration” program, Dell invited design students and individuals “to create a broad range of design concepts and innovations for technology products that demonstrate refreshed approaches and responsible solutions for green computing technologies.”

The five finalists’ designs run the gamut from “Lawnpc,” which creates all the power it needs to operate, to “Sense,” an in-store scanning system that tells you everything about a product’s sustainability and green quotient by its bar code. Take a look, cast your vote (before May 7), and find out more about Dell’s “ReGeneration” aspirations.

Let’s hope Dell puts their considerable power behind even more green solutions when creating their next computing solutions.

Launched in January, the Plant a Tree for Me program asks Dell customers to voluntarily donate a couple of bucks at check-out to offset their computer purchase. That money is then given to the Conservation Fund and Carbonfund to plant trees as a way of offsetting your PC carbon footprint.

The idea is to get Dell customers to offset the electricity usage of their computer over three years (the estimated lifetime of the computer). Now with the no-purchase necessary angle, anyone can buy these credits.

You can offset a notebook for $2, a desktop for $6, your choice of monitors (CRT for $4, LCD for $3). A server is $40 and there is even an option to offset yourself for $99. All of the proceeds go to the Conservation Fund and the Carbonfund (Dell says they're picking up the admin costs for the program.)

And whether or not you choose to purchase credits, anyone can download a PDF Certificate of Participation for planting a tree through Dell. Although, I'd suggest instead of having the link on the program home page that they include the PDF link in the e-mail confirmation after a purchase.

The decision to reach out to a wider audience may have stemmed from customer feedback from Dell's IdeaStorm, an online suggestion box where ideas for improvements (green and otherwise) are welcome. The expansion will also help to enhance their green image.

Expect to see Dell in the headlines again next month with another round of Plant a Tree publicity when the company announces that it will be available to customers outside of the US.

Via Dell
More information available at The New York Times; TreeHugger

"Today, I challenge every PC maker to join us in providing free recycling for every customer in every country you do business, all the time - no exceptions. … It's the right thing to do for our customers. It's the right thing to do for our earth."

Additionally, Dell announced that the company would also would begin a program called "Plant a Tree for Me," in which customers could elect to have a small portion of their purchase price ($2 for notebooks, $6 for desktops) donated to The Conservation Fund and CarbonFund.org to fund tree-planting efforts. Dell would cover the administrative costs of the program.

This is a smart move by Dell. E-waste recycling isn't mandatory nationwide in the US, but it's likely coming: already some states and local governments have implemented requirements for disposing of used electronics. Carbon regulation is also on the way. Dell not only prepares itself for these requirements, but gets green credibility for making this voluntary move — Greenpeace, for instance, has praised the company's efforts thus far. More and more, these kinds of moves are going to put companies on top not just in terms of eco-consciousness, but also in terms of profitability.

New York Post: Dell: PC Industry Need to Go Green

New York Times: Dell Founder Wants to Offset Energy Consumption

Dell Earth