Our Commitment to the Environment

At Dell Perot Systems, we’re focused on the future.  Our team is dedicated to making choices each day that will yield the most optimal results down the line, and nowhere is this more important than in decisions affecting the environment.

Recognized by the 2007 Black Book of Outsourcing as being one of the top 8 ITO companies on the “Green 50” list, we are engaged in activities to conserve resources, reduce waste, eliminate pollution, and protect the environment, both now and for the future.  From decisions made by senior leadership to daily actions taken by our associates, Dell Perot Systems is committed to being green, both in the workplace and beyond.

Dell Perot Systems recently joined the US Green Building Council, and we utilize specifications and standards similar to the ones put forth by this organization to ensure consideration is given to energy and environmental efficiencies at each of our locations.

Our facilities management team takes an engineering-based approach with the goals of providing safe, functional, efficient, environmentally-sound and cost-effective facilities throughout Dell Perot Systems global operations.  In keeping with this goal, our facilities team seeks to globalize facility management and real estate functions to ensure corporate standards and operating procedures are applied appropriately and consistently across the enterprise.

Our headquarters is controlled 100% by a Building Automation System (BAS), which provides 24/7 monitoring of all mechanical, electrical, fire and life safety systems.  Covering approximately 34,350 control points, the BAS tracks energy usage to optimize efficiency, taking into consideration such factors as available energy on the electricity grid and peak usage times.  We also use the BAS system to evaluate electrical and mechanical systems to ensure they are operating most efficiently.

Over the past several years, the major equipment needed at the Dell Perot Systems headquarters for campus-wide cooling, particularly in the mission-critical data center areas, have been selected in accordance with strict energy performance and environmental targets.  We utilize a refrigerant that is considered the “greenest” of all refrigeration gases due to its non-ozone depleting nature.

When our headquarters was purchased in 2000 from a company outside the IT industry, consideration was given to either tear down the site’s office buildings or to re-purpose them.  We chose to re-purpose the facility and turn what was once a very inefficient campus for IT business into an efficient one. This prevented large amounts of building material waste going into landfills, avoided further conversion of green space into hard-surface, and allowed us to retain all existing landscape and trees.

Recycling

Dell Perot Systems engages in a multi-faceted recycling program at our headquarters.  Of the total waste produced at this facility each year, an estimated 45% is recycled.  Among the most visible components of the recycling program are receptacles located at each associate’s workstation, as well as in coffee bars, break rooms, copy rooms and other areas where trash and recyclable materials are deposited.  Recyclable materials collected through this program include paper, plastics, glass, aluminum cans, and other items.  We also participate in an organic recycle program that processes certain waste materials from the campus cafeteria.

Another key component of the Dell Perot Systems recycling program is the disposal of electrical equipment in an environmentally-responsible way.  This form of recycling includes computer components and toner cartridges.  Dell Perot Systems also recycles batteries, and given the large volume of UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) batteries required by the data center, the recycled quantity amounts to approximately 8,000 pounds per year.

Environmentally-Friendly Maintenance

At Dell Perot Systems, the environmental safety of cleaning supplies, equipment, and processes are an important consideration given their ability to enter the air, food and water supply. Our custodial team uses only sustainable products and materials, helping to ensure a healthier atmosphere for associates and minimizing the impact on the environment.

Dell Perot Systems also contracts pest control with a company that uses environmentally-sensitive materials for extermination activities.

Preserving Nature

The Dell Perot Systems headquarters contains a variety of perimeter landscaping and interior courtyards, providing shading for the building and a more natural environment, with added sunlight in many associate offices and conference rooms.  Of the 64.4 acres that make up the campus, approximately 675,000 square feet is turf area, and 40,000 square feet is used for planting beds. The campus is covered by approximately 283 mature trees ranging in type from live and red oaks, lace bark elms, Dutch elms, and crape myrtles, among other varieties. In 2006, rather than disposing of 22 trees that needed to be moved, facilities relocated them.

Landscape upkeep is also executed in a socially-responsible manner.  The turf areas are mowed with mulching mowers, and the materials pruned and trimmed from trees and shrubs are converted into mulch for bed preparation. These two activities alone yield nearly 20 tons of material that is recycled into mulch each year.  The landscape team uses an organic fertilizer, and the irrigation system is automated so that if one inch of rain has fallen, the system will not come on for a 24-hour period.  All watering is done in the late evenings to reduce evaporation and conserve water usage.

Global Activities

July 2007, our associates in India observed World Environment Day with a weeklong “Make Every Day an Earth Day” awareness campaign.  As part of the festivities, Dell Perot Systems distributed approximately 4,500 saplings to associates and neighboring organizations.  These saplings were housed in a recycled pot and contained in a recycled bag.  In addition, each of the Dell Perot Systems campuses in maintains a tradition that visiting clients and dignitaries are invited to a tree-planting ceremony in their honor, and a tree is planted in their name.

Telecommuting

As the world becomes increasingly concerned about carbon emissions, efforts to reduce the usage of internal combustion engines are gaining momentum.  One way in which carbon emissions can be reduced is through telecommuting, allowing employees to get their work done without getting in their cars.  At Dell Perot Systems, nearly 4,600 of our associates work virtually from their homes, which not only reduces carbon emissions by adding fewer cars to the rush hour commute, but also requires less energy requirements and capacity usage at our campuses.