Air Quality
Making a clear commitment to cleaner air
We affect air quality in two main ways: through our consumption of fossil fuels for energy and transportation, which contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases, and through emissions of nitrogen oxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) produced through power generation at some of our facilities. As with all of our environmental efforts, balancing our Company’s need for resources with our commitment to a minimal environmental impact is an ongoing challenge—and one to which we are passionately committed. Here’s how we made progress in 2010.
Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change
Climate change is a serious environmental, social and economic issue that calls for concerted actions and solutions by individuals, corporations and governments. We address climate change in several ways, including minimizing the impact of our products on the environment, ensuring our operations and products are as energy efficient as possible and promoting recycling. We innovate new technologies that will contribute to a more sustainable society. Growing our Company while increasing energy efficiency and minimizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is challenging but, we believe, imperative.
In 2010, we again received the designation of Climate Action Leader for our annual efforts in voluntarily reporting our emissions to the California Climate Action Registry. Currently, we collect and report GHG emissions exclusively from our facilities in California, which comprise roughly 72 percent of our global square footage. Because data-gathering and subsequent third-party certification of the data is time-intensive, we generally report emissions data from the prior calendar year rather than the most recent fiscal year.
CO2 per Gross Square Foot of Facilities Space (CO2 metric tons)
In 2009, our GHG emissions increased from 92,135 metric tons to 97,545 metric tons, continuing an upward trend that has persisted over the last seven years because of our Company’s continued growth. Additionally, as we reduced the gross square footage of our facilities in California, our emissions per gross square foot increased slightly over 2008 levels, from .0189 to .0203.
Total Direct and Indirect GHG Emissions by Weight (CO2 metric tons)
Increased GHG emissions in 2009 resulted mainly from increased data center density and growth at our San Diego headquarters; a full year of operations at our new facilities in Santa Clara, California; and other factors.
Because we generate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions primarily through energy consumption, we continued our efforts to reduce the amount of energy we use and purchase from utilities. Our energy-efficiency efforts to date save 23.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity and approximately 7,805 metric tons of GHG emissions per year—the equivalent of eliminating the annual emissions of 1,419 cars.
Reducing other emissions
We have reduced levels of NO2 emissions 32 percent since 2007. We’ve achieved this in large part through the use of two 4.5-megawatt cogeneration turbine plants at our San Diego facilities. Powered by natural gas, these very efficient twin turbines enable us to generate some of our own electricity and release fewer pollutants. We also capture the heat the turbines generate and use it to power two large chillers in the campus air-conditioning system, thus reducing the need for electric-powered water chillers.
Significant Air Emissions by Type and Weight (tons per year)
