CRM Software Comparison Blog

Salesforce.com Foundation to fund renewable energy projects to offset all salesforce.com corporate carbon emissions

Earthforce initiative will offset salesforce.com corporate carbon emissions for all of salesforce.com’s 27,100 customers

Extends salesforce.com’s visionary 1/1/1 integrated philanthropy model to now include fourth “1″ - one with the Earth 
 
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - January 16, 2007 - Salesforce.com [NYSE: CRM], the market and technology leader in on-demand business services, and the Salesforce.com Foundation, today announced Earthforce - an initiative to create a carbon neutral salesforce.com in 2007. In taking important key steps in becoming a carbon neutral corporation, the Salesforce.com Foundation will work to neutralize the effect of salesforce.com’s corporate greenhouse gas emissions from its major areas of carbon consumption - its office locations, corporate travel and data centers. This will be done through the strategic purchase of carbon offsets with the help of Clean Air-Cool Planet, NativeEnergy and Conservation International. In taking this first, important step in becoming a carbon-neutral company, salesforce.com and the Salesforce.com Foundation recognize that energy conservation and sustainability are vital parts of doing business in the 21st century.
 
“At the Salesforce.com Foundation, we have always been dedicated to social responsibility, and Earthforce is an important initiative to spearhead our efforts to help the environment,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of salesforce.com. “By offsetting our carbon footprint, we are moving further on the path toward sustainability and engaging our community in contributing to effective solutions for the climate crisis.”
 
The Salesforce.com Foundation operates under salesforce.com’s 1/1/1 Model — a commitment to deliver 1% Time, 1% Equity and 1% Product to nonprofit organizations. With the introduction of Earthforce and the Salesforce.com Foundation’s dedication to the planet, the 1/1/1/1 model now includes “one” with the earth as part of its directives. As part of this initiative, the carbon emissions resulting from salesforce.com customer use of the salesforce.com data centers will be completely offset.
 
Salesforce.com’s estimated carbon emissions for 2006 were nearly 19,700 tons, which resulted in a contribution of nearly $126,000 to support five renewable energy projects. These projects represent considerable opportunity for communities in need to develop sustainable homeland economies in harmony with their core cultural values. Specifically, the Salesforce.com Foundation’s purchase in carbon offsets will help finance the construction and maintenance of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe St. Francis Wind Farm in South Dakota, the Kasigluk Alaska wind project, a family farm wind project, a family dairy farm methane energy project and an international carbon sequestration project in the Makira forest of Madagascar.
 
“The Salesforce.com Foundation is helping us fund projects that depend on offset revenues for their success,” said Tom Boucher, President & CEO, NativeEnergy. “The Salesforce.com Foundation is also sending a powerful message to its customers and to the business community about the need to diversify our energy sources and distribute sources throughout the nation so we increase the reliability of our electricity grid and support new projects in environmentally vulnerable areas, like Alaska, our most environmentally sensitive state.”
 
“Conservation International applauds salesforce.com and the Salesforce.com Foundation’s decision to invest in forest protection projects as part of their portfolio approach to mitigating the negative impacts of climate change,” said Peter Selgimann, Chairman and CEO of Conservation International. “The Makira Project will protect and restore tropical forests and contribute to improved economic livelihoods in local communities.”
 
“Renewable energy is the leading solution to global warming,” said Bob Sheppard, director of corporate programs at Clean Air - Cool Planet. “Salesforce.com is proving, by its actions, that purchasing carbon offsets and promoting more renewable energy projects is as good for business as it is for the planet.”
 
By offsetting the major areas of the carbon emissions associated with the company, the Salesforce.com Foundation invites consumers everywhere to take the same proactive approach and visit www.nativeenergy.com to offset their travel, auto, home or business emissions by helping to build truly new renewable energy projects that reduce the amount of fossil fuels used to generate electricity.

Filed under: Salesforce.com