Could Dell Own Green? - Dell IdeaStorm

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Could Dell Own Green?

11950 points posted to Environment by adrian 02/01/07 **REVIEWED**

Environmental concern and sustainability are today real issues with consumers and voters in many of Dell's markets. It looks as if a genuine commitment to reducing carbon and cleaning up their footprint will become a more important factor for companies wanting to strengthen consumer loyalty in the coming years.

Dell has already made its environmental commitment clear.My suggestion is that this could become a hallmark of the company - why not make the products, literally, green? If Apple can own 'pretty' and IBM/Lenovo can own 'serious', why can't Dell own 'green'?
Dell continues to do a lot to support our environment like our Plant a Tree for Me program and other activities documented on our Environment blog on Direct2Dell. Click here for more details.

huckitt 02/16/07	just do it.
jay 02/16/07	John Deere green?
evilspell 02/16/07	Seriously WHO CARES!! Dell planting tree's is not going to make me buy a laptop from them!! Dell should own CUSTOMER SERVICE NOT GREEN!! where is my digg down button???
guest_houston 02/18/07	Is the term "Green", or is it "Forest", or is it "Verde"? Hah - just messing with what color you mean by "green."
snowbob230 02/18/07	I dont care as long as its cheaper. If meaning going green means more money then forget it.
biehl 02/20/07	Going green definitely has advantages - in the EU Dell currently has no, or only very little price advantage. But when people ask me to recommend a computer i consistently recommend Dell - because I like Dell for being green. I think it is important for any company to have a solid fan-base, and by going (or merely staying) the most green company, Dell can secure a loyal fan base.
pogson 02/20/07	The typical lifetime of a PC is abut five years. After that, it is terribly slow running the constantly increasing service we demand. A way Dell could be more green is to sell fanless thin clients for server-centric computing. They can last ten years showing the pictures and receiving the clicks while one current server can serve dozens of users. Upgrading one machine every five years and thirty clients every ten years instead of thirty machines every five years reduces the consumption of material and power and reduces the production of waste. Even a home with two or three computer seats could benefit by only upgrading one machine instead of the lot. Fanless thin clients are quiet, too. AMD makes the GEODE processor that will run a thin client very nicely for a few watts. VIA makes the EPIA and Intel makes the ...power hungry stuff. ;-)
lookingchris 02/24/07	Sorry, but I'm going to reiterate evilspell: Seriously WHO CARES!! Dell planting tree's is not going to make me buy a laptop from them!! Dell should own CUSTOMER SERVICE NOT GREEN!! where is my digg down (Dell down?) button???
alib 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 01/30/07 Here, here, Mos! And to demonstrate our commitment to the environment, why not start at home? Dell could contribute the cost of one tree per employee worldwide...or give the power to employees and let them plant a tree and Dell can match the contributions.
amk2007 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 01/31/07 I often review a company's committment to the enviroment before making big purchases. The "Plant a Tree for Me" program is exactly the kind of effort that assures me I'm supporting a business that shares my concern about important issues that affect us all.
chsmith 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/07/07 What about sending a certificate of some kind to the customer when they opt to "plant a tree." Something like what you get when you have a star named after someone. I don't know if Dell and the partnering organization are keeping track of the number of trees planted, but each customer could get a certificate with the number tree they are planting. Maybe even a magnet with a tree on it and the tree number underneath, if you're looking for something along the trinket line.
robq 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/15/07 I do not see any downside with this, the only thing I would think we should do; in addition, is show to both the community and our customers how Dell is accomplishing this.
ustexasjoe 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/16/07 I want to plant my tree in my own yard. It would be awesome to receive a sapling with the computer box. I'd like to select a tree most appropriate for my region. (pecan, pine, oak, etc.).
blizcheetah 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/16/07 I like the email idea. I always thought it was goofy when I sign up to do something Eco-friendly and they send me papers. Seems counter-productive. Maybe even an email with the type of tree and where so we can feel connected.
forworldpeace 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/17/07 Peer pressure for the right reasons seems like a great idea... as far as having a tree sticker on your laptop... make it shinny and green.. : )
voxpelli 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/17/07 Great idea! Would also be very nice for us here in Sweden/Europe to be able to contribute to the worlds trees when we buy computers and such be able to have stickers like these put on our computers! Another idea would be to let us buy a special green painting of our computer similar to Apples red iPod nano. Then everyone could easily see what I have contributed to!
hope 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/17/07 That seems so easy to do. I hope Dell comes out with either a sticker or special addition green computers.
dhgoodman 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/18/07 How about building a green machine http://www.collegenews.org/x5120.xml from the ground up? This would make the company actively and genuinely engaged as opposed to passively philanthropic. Does Dell have the guts to make this happen? And turn on Textile please, at least for links.
dellcomputersarah 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/18/07 Why not expand the whole charitable giving concept by allowing numerous non-profits to participate? I would love to have a pink ribbon logo on my computer to support Breast Cancer Research. I would also love the "I planted a tree" logo. I'm sure others may favor the Food Banks, their University, National Public Radio, the Humane Society, etc. Dell could become a huge facilitator of charitable giving by creating slick metal "bumper stickers" for personal laptops. Great idea, Mosmeyer!
petermertz 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/20/07 I really like where this is going, however, I think planting the tree is just scratching the surface. I read an article in Feb/March 07 Readymade Mag where old electronics and other products will be collected, then ex-prisoners will be trained in how to fix these items and then these products will go on to be sold or donated to those in need. That helps on three fronts - education & training, recycling of "waste technology" and providing educational tools for lesser developed countries or programs with needs in our own backyard.
tw04l124 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/20/07 Do this Mr. Dell
hulyom 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/20/07 Yes!!! great Idea!!!, I prefer to pay for 100 trees to be saved in the ecuadorian,colombian,peruvian and brazilian Amazonia, than paying for windows vista. Make it green, and also use Linux. Dell can also REuse the old computer cases or at least Recycle them.
honc 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/20/07 next i imagine we'll be asking for bumper stickers with "i planted a tree today" to put on our SUVs. i think dhgoodman has a point: if we want to save the planet, we should be buying green computers, not having a tree planted in exchange for purchasing an energy-wasting machine (in both production and use). in fact, better than having a sticker to advertise to everyone that you helped the environment, help it even more by NOT advertising it (note: the sticker needs to be manufactured, too). p.s. use transit and keep your computer off as much as possible. p.p.s. i thought the "ego-friendly" typo was quite fitting.
blikemike 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/20/07 the notion that we can save the planet just by planting trees is a dangerous illusion. To preserve our environment, we must drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and this will require a major transformation of our energy system. A primary goal for the next half-century should be to transform our energy system to one based on clean, safe and environmentally acceptable energy sources like wind, solar and perhaps nuclear. This means solving the real problems involved with storing and distributing power, providing energy for transportation, and using nuclear plants. We cannot afford to indulge ourselves with well-intentioned activities that do little to solve the underlying problem. Instead, we must demand that our political leaders do more to revolutionize our energy system and preserve our environmental inheritance for future generations. And then we can plant a tree. Ken Caldeira is a scientist at the Carnegie Institution’s department
jon.aristi 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/21/07 Good idea. Iit would be a nice thing also to be able to track the collective achievement of the initiative. In other words, be able to see the forest and not only the individual trees. Some indicators could be: how manuy have been planted, how they are growing. This can be encouraging for all participating as individuals in the initiative.
jayinboyd 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/22/07 This is a nice idea, and to help with the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, take a look at adding http://carbonfund.org to your list of Green things to be part of through Dell. It would be exceptionally nice to see Dell join their organization program, too:http://carbonfund.org/site/pages/offset_organization/
popoflojo 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/23/07 This is a stupid idea. If we are trying to save trees, why would we kill more trees to make stickers that show off how nice we are saving the planet and all. Just donate and conserve and be happy you have the opportunity to live on such a beautiful planet.
kyliemanders 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/24/07 Green is overrated, lets keep these comments in their proper place.
486dx2 02/27/07	Merged Comment originally posted 02/25/07 Great idea!
mosmeyer 02/27/07	Merged Idea originally posted 01/30/07 Look at Me. I'm Green. I love the Plant a Tree for Me program. What a great way to make it easy for customers to help save the planet! But when I've "adopted" or "sponsored" a tree, I'd like the world to know -- similar to a "Kiss Me: I gave blood today" sticker. If you sponsor a tree at the time of purchase, could you get a special badge on your computer that shows that you're ego-friendly? Any other ideas for how to accomplish this?
phubert 03/01/07	If WE want to be green, we should ALL promote Linux/FOSS. Why? Linux requires LESS HARDWARE than Microsoft operating systems, that's why! Greenpeace uses Linux. Save the environment: TELL your governments (local, state, federal) and public education institutions to migrate to LINUX!
wware 03/06/07	Planting trees is admirable, but it's a band-aid compared to cleaner electronics manufacturing. The cool thing about "owning green" is that it makes the other companies envious of the good press.
phubert 03/08/07	Does Dell _manufacture_ ANYTHING? So, you want them to pressure their SUPPLIERS??
phubert 03/08/07	Report: Linux, open source greener than Windows http://searchopensource.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci1246... A new report from the U.K. Office of Government Commerce about Open Source Software Trials in Government, has found that servers running Linux could combat the rising problem of e-waste because they last up to twice as long as machines running Windows.
valid 03/09/07	Planting a tree just "eat" carbon-dioxyde during growing process... once grown-up, a tree rejects as much CO2 as it consumes... planting a tree to reduce global warming is just a joke. Don't forget to plant a tree each time you put a gallon of oil in your big polluting SUVs...
pkarlos_76 03/09/07	Great, but what about opening the program to Canadians, as usual Americans think about just themselves.
derryquinn 03/16/07	Yeah, and make pcs availible in all 42 shades of Green!!!
mgrabo 03/16/07	I'm aware of several companies that "salvage" PCs - one of them actually pays municipalities to take away PCs, TVs, etc. taken to our municipal dump. I reckon they would find value in knowing what PCs were being put in service & may even be willing to pay buyers for the option to reclaim their machine 3, 4 or 5 years in the future when it's due for replacement. Such a program would give these salvage guys visibility into their pipeline and the ability to make their own inventories more efficient. Alternatively, do-gooders could elect at the time of purchasing a machine to donate it in 3-years to some charity (umbrella church group, disadvantaged kids, old folks homes, whatever) and those NFPs already matching donated PCs with needed populations could get visibility into their donation pipeline. There could be some way to value the commitment of resource as an option and maybe get some kind of tax break at the point of purchase. In essense, Dell's online config / ordering platform could be extended to support product lifecycle management - reducing costs throughout the value chain, minimizing transactional friction & cutting down the amount of Si that finds its way into landfills.
blizcheetah 03/21/07	dell has a donation program. check out www.dell.com/recycling and choose to donate. or recycle.
phubert28 04/04/07	Greenpeace bites rotten Apple http://www.theinquirer.org/default.aspx?article=38720< #14 Lenovo #1 Dell #4 ... well #4 isn't bad...
reg 04/04/07	Biodegradable Bamboo Based PCs are looking better and better!
phubert28 04/04/07	...just don't let your Panda near it... he might call it FOOD...
richa121 04/11/07	I dont think that their is 1 right way to be eco friendly. I believe many little steps add up. Im happy Dell plants trees. How about a rebate if you buy a seedling and then get an online rebate towards any Dell product over a certain dollar amount? Or a matching dollar for dollar to greenpeace up to $25. No one answer is going to save the planet. We have to change the world's views on just how powerfull the consumer is on not just buying electronics, but as a resounding voice of "no more" to hurting this planet.
skylarkguy 04/20/07	I like the idea...lets stick it to the MAC crowd that says PCs aren't cool.
premcv 04/20/07	How about let us stick it to the Linux crowd and say Windows are not cool?
reg 05/02/07	Apple's announcement - All LED LCD panels on the way! That means: No mercury. Not that I was going to bite my computer screen anyways... Apple's environmental claims seem to be more than a full year or more ahead of Dell... A green apple, Indeed!
dell_admin1 05/03/07	Changed status to COMING SOON.
skylarkguy 05/04/07	I think Dell should promote the "plant a tree" program more. I told my parents about it and they were particularly impressed.
premcv 05/04/07	And where will these trees be located? Can i put my name on it? :)
reg 05/04/07	Uhm, as far as the Arbor Day offer goes - they mail the little baby trees to you. It is up to you to find a nice place to plant the trees. Hopefully 100' or more away from power lines, pipes, etc - things you don't want trees falling onto. Trees perform best in clusters - the 'lone tree' tends to run into trouble with storms, North American trees are more naturally part of a forest environment, and have evolved to survive in such situations, strength and protection in numbers...
premcv 05/04/07	Way to go! Dell should team up with National Arbor Day soceity! Bring it up as an Idea, why don't you? You'll have my vote as the first! :)
reg 05/04/07	Ok, premcv - I made it an Idea - it is LITERALLY the most GREEN IDEA ever promoted for a computer company: DELL + Arbor Day Society Partnership
premcv 05/06/07	Awesome! :) My vote is there! :)
reg 05/16/07	my panda ate my bamboo notebook - and my homework was on the notebook...
reg 05/16/07	You think Apple would give away, I don't know some sort of fruit tree with each Apple Macintosh they sell?
skylarkguy 05/17/07	I thought McIntosh Apples are red.
skylarkguy 05/22/07	I like John Deere green...with a yellow Dell emblem.
phubert 05/25/07	IBM is trying, too!Big Blue goes green with Zodiac http://www.theinquirer.org/default.aspx?article=39877< in such a scenario, IBM recommends reducing the number of servers being used to ensure that the remaining servers are being run close to full capacity and at maximum efficiency.
reg 05/25/07	- Just advanced marketing for their BLADE servers - why have 60 separate servers when you can have 1 Rack with a Blade System installed? But IBM is right - Modular Blade Servers reduce electrical usage, reduce costs, consolidate resources, etc. etc. Blades are the way to go - buy a box and add in as many server blades as you need.
l-roy 06/11/07	support "green" products: http://www.laptop.org/laptop/
knedl 06/18/07	green? I don't like companies going green :<
orbhot 07/18/07	Instead of planting trees or other dumb ideas proposed by the marketing dept, Dell should concentrate on the longevity and upgradability of their computers. It takes about the same amount of energy to make the average laptop as a laptop will use over its ENTIRE life span. Acer now has a line of laptops that have panels on the bottom that make it easy to replace CPU, hard drive, RAM and even video chips. This means that rather than send a laptop to the landfill because it's no longer able to handle the next version of Microsoft bloatware, you can upgrade it. Companies that use laptops need to think about this too.
phubert 07/18/07	Yes, imagine what 'just doing things right' would do for the economy and the environment! ESPECIALLY if we're talking about GOVERNMENT. Ever run across any politician who understood that ... or showed any evidence, whatsoever, of actually CARING????
phubert 07/18/07	Remember the joke about G.E. and the Japanese company? According to the story, in their requirements, G.E. specified no more than two defective parts per 10,000. So, the Japanese company filled the order and, along with it, was a box with a note saying "We have a difficulty understanding your meaning, but here are the two defective parts you requested." Judging by some Japanese farmers present at a local "Farmer's market" venue, I'd say it is VERY true. When I tried to buy a basket of strawberries, the lady looked the basket over and VERY promptly picked out any she thought inadequate for sale and replaced them with better ones BEFORE she would sell them to me! And EVERY strawberry was perfectly CLEAN, besides. The contrast between that booth and all the rest was stark.
johnpro 07/31/07	Merged Idea originally posted 06/15/07 MAKE DELL MORE GREEN read the title
jorge 07/31/07	Merged Comment originally posted 06/15/07 I have a can of spray paint, what day?
phubert 08/02/07	IBM is also moving there... on MAINFRAMES... with LINUX... IBM Turns a Brighter Shade of Green With Linux Mainframe Switch http://www.technewsworld.com/story/6zyfGe2CIQh320/IBM-Turns-a-Brighter-Shade-...< will save enough electricity "to power a small town," the company said, with its new initiative of replacing 3,900 computer servers in its datacenters with 30 System z mainframes running Linux, for an expected energy reduction of 80 percent over the next five years. This represents one of the most significant transformations in a generation for IBM's datacenters. ** How does this compare to Dell? Will GOOGLE follow-suit?????
noidea2big 08/22/07	Does Dell have a Green Road Show like IBM? Size From Subject Received Categories 11 KB Your IBM Energy and Efficiency Team Invitation: Think Green with the IBM Energy Efficiency Roadshow Thu 8/16
logic 09/27/07	Well, in my opinion Dell is not only owning (or becoming) green but they have also proven to be owner at customer service (@evilspell ). Dell ideaStorm is the living evidence for that statement.
petzymathuram 09/27/07	Ideastorm has joined the Dell Go Green Band as well along with Sales Force & Carbon fund etc etc...... That sound fine.... wow "Plant a forest for me"...looks a pretty cool idea.
todd_d Mar 7	Hey guys, Thanks for the participation in this thread. As y'all have mentioned, Michael Dell made making his namesake company the "greenest" computer company on Earth one of his top priorities, and we have made tremendous strides to meet that goal. Of course, there is still a lot to be done, and I thank our IdeaStormers for letting us know which areas need attention in this regard. Keep it up! We are listening, even if we don't comment on as many threads as we perhaps should. Unfortunately, there's no one spot where everything we've done so far for the environment is listed (yet), but there the information is scattered about on our sites. There's an incomplete list now at Dell Earth, though there have been plenty of developments since we put that up. It outlines our ambitious free recycling program, our Plant a Tree for Me project, and our work to lessen our facilities' impact on the planet. For later updates, have a look at the Direct2Dell Environment blog. We just changed our packaging policy because of a blog a user wrote about all the unnecessary stuff our customer's are sent when they order anything through us. There's also a recent article up there about Dell joining the Climate Group, a huge step to meet our pledge of becoming carbon neutral - making us the only computer company to make such a pledge. We are also sponsoring an environmental blog - www.regeneration.org. Have a look at it and join up when you have the time. Let us know what we can do to make it better. We'd love to hear from you. If it seems like I'm really proud of our efforts in this regard it's because I am. This is an issue that I personally hold very close to my heart, and I would love nothing more than to see the company I work for achieve these ambitious environmental goals. Please keep sending us your fantastic ideas, and sign up for the ReGeneration when you get a chance. Thanks, Todd Dell Community Manager Environment
jervis961 Mar 7	Todd_d, did your post mess up the page format?
jackie_c Mar 7	@jervis: It was pictures that went all the way across the page in a comment. I deleted that comment and it appears to be fixed :)
jervis961 Mar 7	Thanks
kara_k Mar 7	Changed status to REVIEWED.
jdelidc Mar 11	with the way oil prices have been going the past few weeks, i'd be more interested in seeing dell do stuff to reduce the petrolium and energy it eats up as opposed to just plant trees to undo the oil that's already been torched. phytoplankton in the ocean produce most of the oxygen on the planet anyway. but that would help out everyone by lowering the demand for oil and eventually (barring price gouging and corruption) bringing the price back down some http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoplankton
tigerforce Apr 19	p3wn green and keep owning power and speed

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