​Microsoft believes in the importance of environmental sustainability and in organizations doing their part to reduce their carbon footprints around the world. In fact, we recently participated in Rio+20, the United Nations’ conference on sustainable development that brings together world leaders and participants from government, NGOs, and the private sector. The event addresses issues that affect us all globally, from energy and food security to jobs and disaster readiness. At the conference, Microsoft spoke at the UN Global Compact Corporate Sustainability Forum, which focused on bringing sustainability into business practices.

As nations become more conscious about sustainability, we recognize that we also play a role in shaping a more environmentally sound and stable future. That’s why I’m excited to share a huge step forward in demonstrating our commitment to the environment. As my colleague Robert Bernard writes on Microsoft’s Software Enabled Earth blog, we recently announced our commitment to become carbon neutral over the new fiscal year, which began July 1. While Microsoft is already on track to reduce its carbon emissions by 30 percent per unit of revenue from 2007 levels, this announcement is an unprecedented commitment that will transform the environmental impact of Microsoft’s operations across more than 100 countries. I invite you to check out this blog post or read this white paper to learn more!

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