McAfee recently held an 1,800-person sales event in Las Vegas. The company implemented "green strategies" at the meeting. I'm not sure what that means, however, the company said that ICF International conducted "a scientific measurement" of the environmental impact and carbon footprint of McAfee's event. McAfee's effort reportedly reduced CO2 emissions in the following ways:
* 25 metric tons saved by facilitating the sharing of rooms by
participants
* 3.2 metric tons and 56,357 gallons of water saved through participation
in the hotel's towel and sheet reuse program
* 0.5 metric tons saved by providing a shuttle for airport and event
transfers rather than travel by individual taxicabs
* 0.5 metric tons saved by eliminating bottled water and providing tap
water only
Not too shabby. Then after the event all 1,800 attendees undoubtedly hopped on jets to fly back to their home town, where they then hopped in cars, cabs, buses, and subways to get to their houses. There's no other way, yet.
"Our commitment to sustainability means ensuring that we leave the planet to our children and grandchildren in a healthy and clean state,"
said Dave DeWalt, McAfee's chief executive officer and president. "To live up to that goal, we're looking throughout our business operations, including corporate events such as this one, for innovative ways to reduce or eliminate our environmental impact. Our employees, customers, partners and others have spoken enthusiastically in support of green commitments, and we are actively working together to make this commitment a reality."
If I were in Mr. DeWalt's shoes, the next time I got that many people together, I'd buy every one of them a copy of the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?," and ask them to watch it carefully. And I'd ask them to each buy a copy for at least 10 people - or at least suggest that people rent it at Netflix. Here's a summary:
"Amid ever-increasing gas prices, this documentary delves into the short life of the GM EV1 electric car -- once all the rage in the mid-1990s and now fallen by the roadside. How could such an efficient, green-friendly vehicle fail to transform our garages and skies? Through interviews with government officials, former GM employees and concerned celebs (such as EV1 driver Mel Gibson), Chris Paine (former EV1 owner) seeks to answer the question."