Environmental sustainability

"Microsoft is working with our partners, customers, governments, and leading environmental organizations to bring the power of information technology and cloud computing to address the world's environmental challenges." - Rob Bernard, Chief Environmental Strategist

As an illustration of the ways Microsoft is working to apply technology to significant environmental issues, we partnered with the European Environment Agency to create the innovative Eye on Earth portal that gives people across the European Union access to important environmental information. Eye on Earth provides data useful to scientists, policymakers, and citizens. One specific use is to provide parents of asthmatic children near real-time access to air quality data in their neighborhood to help them decide if it's healthy for their children to play outside.

Microsoft is committed to software and technology innovations that help people and organizations around the world improve the environment. We see our role as twofold:

1. Minimize the environmental impact of our business operations and products;
2. Create technology solutions that help individuals and businesses around the world address their environmental impact.

Microsoft is working to help cities adopt cloud based data management technologies that cut energy use and address environmental challenges.

Our efforts are guided by Microsoft's core Environmental Principles. Much of our environmental work is embedded within our product and operational groups, but we also have a Chief Environmental Strategist who leads a small team that drives Microsoft's overall environmental efforts and meets with leading environmental scientists, policymakers, and others to ensure Microsoft prioritizes our environmental work to have the greatest impact. Please visit www.microsoft.com/environment for comprehensive information on our environmental efforts including the environmental profile of our products, how we're addressing our carbon footprint and other environmental aspects of our operations, and ways we're working with partners and customers to apply technology solutions to environmental challenges.