How did Dell get 'carbon neutral?'

To become the first "carbon neutral" computer company this week, Dell took steps ranging from buying "green" energy in the Round Rock, Texas area to investing in a Madagascan forest, according to a Dell spokesperson.

Launched in 2006 by the Inter-American Development Bank (IAB), the "carbon neutral" initiative calls on companies to voluntarily help squelch the harmful impact of carbon emissions on Earth's climate by undergoing a four-stage process of calculating, reducing, offsetting, and communicating about their own emissions.

In September 2007, Dell unveiled plans to make its operations carbon neutral by the end of 2008, after earlier promising to do so by the end of 2009.

This week, Dell announced that it has already reached its "carbon neutral" goal. In addition to reducing its carbon emissions, the company is also "offsetting" them through a partnership with Conservation International to help protect a habitat and forest preservation in Madagascar.

Dell officials estimate that by preventing the forestland from destruction, the company can help to prevent more than 500,000 tons of CO2 from polluting the atmosphere over the next five years, according to Bryant Hilton, a Dell spokesperson.

In calculating its emissions, Dell looked at all three emission "scopes" outlined by the IAB, BetaNews was told. In line with Scope 1, Dell then reduced its direct emissions. With regard to Scope 3, which identifies a broader range of actions that might be taken, Dell focused on reducing corporate travel.

Dell, though, poured most of its efforts into Scope 2, which calls for reductions in consumption of traditional fossil fuel.

In Texas, the company worked with energy supplier TXO to obtain energy from wind power and other alternative sources for powering its corporate headquarters.

"In parts of the world where we couldn't get [alternative sources], we then invested renewable energy credits," Hilton said.