One of the questions we're seeing frequently – both in-person and on this site – is what we’re planning to do around being “green.” We don't have a formal platform or official environmental policy right now. That's not because we don't think it's important. We're just not very formal people.
We like common sense. As a company, we want to make common sense our common practice, and that includes areas where it just makes more sense to be green.
Computers no longer functioning or out-of-date to be recycled by a designated computer recycler
It's great to see Wind Mobile proactively engaging the community on the environment. I think your summary is a great start. As far as what other companies are doing, Apple recently released their environmental report. They have an interesting way of reporting their total environmental footprint - from an end-to-end product life cycle perspective. It's quite interesting:
Mccans touches on an important note – e-waste.
Given the complexity (would impossibility be a more reasonable word?) of recycling mobile phones, and the origins of many of the rare materials required to manufacture them (see http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/special-page/conflict-minerals), a great step would be to provide unlocking of all handsets upon customer request either from day 1 (assuming you implement early-cancellation fees) or once you have recaptured the handset subsidy through the calling plan fees (with the option for the customer to simply pay off the remaining subsidy amount if they so choose).
The reality is that your customers may choose to switch providers; they may choose to travel requiring a local number. The only way for this to happen without generating additional e-waste is to allow your customers to use their handset with different providers' SIMs.
Be the bigger man and unlock their phones. At the very least it'll get you good karma. At the best, you'll sell a bunch of unlocked devices to Rogers customers who want to keep their plan but be able to use the same handset while travelling!
Implement a computer policy that would shut down PC's after 8PM--except for Chris 's workstation-you might be a late worker type :)
GREEN" = "TO HELP" I believe you should have a program that helps low income seniors and families obtaining cellular phones. Your clients should have the option to donate their old Wind Mobile phones back so that it can get refurbished and sent out to low income seniors and families with special rates. Keeps the land fills clean and I'm sure you can get a government grant for this. (if you need me to run with this idea don't hesitate to ask...) I can make it happen so that its a non profit organization that helps the world and the less fortunate.
Working for a multitude of other carriers I could see the waste in advertising. Brochures that quickly went out of date but were ordered by the hundreds all tossed to garbage or recycling but also wasted company money as well as cause the environmental waste. We are in an electronic age so having LCD televisions to advertise makes sense. Information can be changed immediately. No paying for shipping. No waste of resources. Plus it can provide audio and video. Tim Horton's has even taken the initiative to place LCD's to advertise. Doing away with posters and other physical advertising makes sense. As a Scouting leader, saving trees is a plus.
One thing that Telus has in place is that for every phone returned, I believe they also donate a tree or something along those lines. They were recently quoted as the greenest mobile carrier in Canada, and I know I'd definitely like to see that crown be given to Wind instead ;)
Honestly, I don't mean to put down what Chris is telling us, but I typically take things with a grain of salt when it comes to the corporate stewardship. The list of things to come in regards to the environment is something that all companies should already be doing. A company should not be given bonus points for the things you should be doing. A company should not pride themselves for things they should be doing. Regular households can do the same thing that you've listed above, minus the cellphone recycling. The company needs to do more than just "save paper" and "use efficient light bulbs."
If Wind wants to maintain the image of the caring corporation, do something out of the box. Wind is a service provider and not just a retail for cellphones, think beyond the tangible mobile device and into the service you are providing. The biggest environmental impact with the telecomm industry is the towers. Maybe self sustaining towers via solar panels or windmills. Or leave your mark after every tower has been built through environmental designs; designs that blends or gives back to the surrounding area. Not only is this suitable for the environment, but it can be a marketing gimmick for your company, it screams "hey look at us, we're caring and we have hundreds (or what ever amount of towers yu have) of huge tangible cellphone tower to prove it.
Currently the Canadian telecomm industry is lagging behind in corporate environmental sustainability. Wind Mobile can make a change; that is the mission statement, isn't it? Don't follow with Rogers, Bell and Telus and their lack environmental leadership.
I look forward to seeing change in the telecomm industry and look forward to what Wind has to offer.
mcgleung
As far as companies Indigo is doing a great deal in regards to environmental policies going as far as leaning on publisher to change the paper being used in books. They've got a couple stores under the name Pistachio, based on renewable resources and environmentally friendly products ( http://www.epistachio.com/ ).
As far as specific to the mobile industry the Motorola "Renew" is a good example, the phone isn't exactly top notch but they are going in the right direction.
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