Dell Partnerships and Advanced Environmental Initiatives

Helping protect our planet is not a job one company can do on its own. That's why Dell is partnering with nongovernmental organizations to help address key environmental issues. Here are a few examples. Helping Indigenous Species in Madagascar We believe we should offset our carbon emissions in a way that's consistent with how that carbon was generated in the first place. To offset our direct (nonelectricity-related) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and business air travel emissions, we partner with Conservation International (CI) on a habitat and forest preservation initiative in the Republic

of Madagascar, an island nation off the southeast coast of Africa. CI is developing nearly 500,000 acres of tropical forestland in the Fandriana-Vondrozo Forest Corridor to prevent more than 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere during the next five years. That's equivalent to Dell's on-site carbon dioxide emissions plus the emissions from employee business air travel.

While our primary objective in the Madagascar program is offsetting our GHG emissions, the program is producing other benefits as well. Because of Madagascar's unusual, isolated geography, 80 to 90 percent of its species are indigenous. The area of forest that we're helping to protect is home to endemic species such as lemurs, leaf-tailed geckos, day geckos and hedgehog-like tenrecs. Some subspecies of these animals — such as the golden bamboo and greater bamboo lemurs and the Malagasy poison frog — live only in this area, and now are being protected from potential extinction. The project will involve 80 communities in and around the project site to promote better agricultural practices to produce food resources year round, prevent erosion and protect key rivers that represent the primary source of drinking water.

Additional information about our partnership with Conservation International and the Madagascar program is available at http://www.conservation.org/how/partnership/corporate/Pages/dell.aspx 

Goodwill Reconnect/Job Creation: Recycling Efforts Providing Personal-Growth Opportunities

Dell and Goodwill are partners in taking back computer equipment. While Dell values this business relationship, we are also proud of the additional benefits in helping to create jobs for individuals such as Ray.

Ray was a young chef in training at a restaurant in April 1985 when his spine was injured in a drive-by shooting. The restaurant was willing to modify his work area to meet his needs, but his doctors told him that it would be too dangerous. For years, he battled depression, unemployment, financial hardships and a lack of education.

Ray was looking for a hand up, not a handout. In April 2008, he joined Goodwill's ComputerWorks "Learn While You Earn" program — a Dell Reconnect program for demanufacturing computers. He worked side by side with experienced team members, gaining skills that ultimately led to him being selected to work with customers as a cashier and sales floor team member. Ray has gained a wealth of knowledge about computer functions, processor speeds, modems and many other computer-related questions that customers ask as part of their buying process.

Ray says that working has raised his self-esteem and that he feels productive. He doesn't have to worry about how he is going to pay his bills or put food on the table. He knows that he can make it in this world.

Learn more about our partnership with Goodwill Industries at www.reconnectpartnership.com