Virtusa Environment Day 2010 - Save Species. Save Planet and the Future

7-June-2010

Sustainability (CSR) is a key part of Virtusa’s culture and corporate citizenship.  The company strongly believes that sustainability is about creating, building and sustaining a positive social impact.
 
As a responsible corporate citizen, Virtusa is involved in a wide range of environmental initiatives that strive toward making a positive environmental impact.

Madu Ratnayake Vice President and General Manager, Virtusa Sri Lanka said “Businesses have a crucial role to play in maintaining environment sustainability. At Virtusa, environmental accountability has been core to our corporate values. We have implemented many eco-friendly initiatives with a focus to create, build and sustain a positive impact on our environment and the society.
 
Environmental issues have gained immense importance in the current era of Global Warming and Climate Change.
 
Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UNEP in his keynote said ““The urgency to better manage the planet’s natural assets is a key theme of World Environment Day 2010, coming as it does half way through the UN’s International Year of Biodiversity. Every year, an estimated $2 to $ 5 trillion is lost from the global economy as a result of the degradation and destruction of the planet’s nature-based resources. If the Green Economy is to take root world-wide, the time has come to galvanize governments in part by building community awareness and public action from the grass roots up. WED 2010’s theme is Many Species; One Planet; One Future—it is high time that the one species with the power to make positive change recognized these fundamental facts.”
 
2010 Virtusa Environment Day
 
Virtusa is celebrating it’s 2010 Environment Day on June 4, 2010 with an aim to create awareness across all regions of operations, by uniting its employees to conserve the diversity of life on the planet and educating them on the current status of environmental biodiversity. Themed, “Save Species. Save Planet. Save Future”, Virtusa Environment Day is a program under the Virtusa Code Green banner supporting the World Environment Day (WED) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
 
As part of the pre-event activities, many competitions like debates, Flickr photography, video, drawing/painting competitions were organized. The competitions were open to Virtusans and their children. However, in the case of the Flickr photography competition, the public was invited to participate as well.
 
The Virtusa Environment Day event on June 4, at the company’s facility in Orion City, consists of an Environment Awareness session and exhibits/stalls from different organizations showcasing and featuring environment-friendly products and services. The event provides an opportunity for the Virtusans to have a deeper understanding and awareness on the environmental issues and the role they can play in conserving the environment.
 
We carry out number of ongoing activities throughout the year with the view to drive environment sustainability across employees, suppliers and business operations:
 
1.  Carbon Footprint Calculator: A carbon footprint calculator, which has been developed in-house, will be launched internally in few locations on the Virtusa Environment Day for use by employees. The carbon footprint calculator will help an employee understand and get awareness on the individual carbon footprint contribution.  Each of us, in every action we take, in every purchasing decision we make, engages a chain of events that generate a series of unintended as well as intended effects that affect the environment. Measuring the carbon footprint can give one a clear understanding of where he/she is - the scale of his/her contribution – that directly or indirectly affects the environment.
 
2. Carbon Emission Test Program: At our Sri Lankan facilities, we conduct a voluntary carbon emission test program for VIrtusan vehicles. Several vehicles are tested and made more environmentally friendly.
 
3. Environment Friendly New Campus at Hyderabad: We are building our new campus in Hyderabad, to support an eco-friendly atmosphere. High priority is being given to the efficient use of water, soil and landscapes in addition to the use of energy efficient and eco-friendly equipment, effective control and building management systems and the use of recycled material. The tangible and intangible benefits accruing from the green initiative include:

•  Energy savings
•  Water savings
•  Enhanced employee comfort level leading to health and safety benefits
•  Improved productivity
 
4. Collection and Recycling/Reuse of Waste Paper: At our Hyderabad and Chennai facilities, we collect paper waste from across the facility.  We partner with a leading private company to ensure proper recycling and reuse. The money received from this effort is used for other CSR activities such as a Medical camp for orphanage kids. Through this effort, we are able to create awareness internally on re-using wastes and are able to put the money received from it to a good cause.
 
5. Code Green Initiatives:  We help reduce CO2 emissions from purchased electricity through Green IT and Green facilities initiatives.

• Green IT initiatives include using energy efficient bulbs, implementing virtualization of servers, focusing on reducing paper consumption in printing, etc.
• Green Facility initiatives include focus on effective recycling and reuse of waste, using energy efficient light systems, consolidating space utilization in datacenters/work floor areas, optimized air conditioning operations, etc.
 
6. Electricity Saving Campaigns: We conduct electricity saving campaigns to educate employees on the need to switch off computers, lights and other equipment when not in use, to conserve energy.  Our company policy is to use low energy CFL bulbs wherever possible.
 
7. Our business partners such as contractors and suppliers have been encouraged to take responsible environmental initiatives. As per our Green Procurement Policy, preference would be given to such suppliers. 
 
By being proactively involved in saving energy and protecting the environment that we operate in, we spread an optimistic approach to the growing urgency to save the planet.