Microsoft’s Cloud Carbon Calculator - Ben Vandehey
My name is Ben Vandehey and I currently serve as RyeStrategy’s Director of Business Development. This week I’ll be discussing Microsoft’s recent sustainability efforts and the implications for the broader business community. Like Cooper, I am a rising senior at the University of Washington where I also co-manage Montlake Consulting Group (MCG). I am studying finance and global health and have a particular interest in healthcare equity and medical supply chains. I am currently interning at Bain & Company in their management consulting practice and have prior experience in healthcare investment banking at Deutsche Bank in New York.
Microsoft’s New Carbon Initiative
GeekWire reported on Tuesday that Microsoft had unveiled new sustainability initiatives in its journey to becoming net carbon neutral for the entire life of the business by 2050. The release had three focus areas: the announcement of a sizable investment in renewable energy, the formation of a sustainability coalition, and the introduction of a carbon footprint calculator for cloud users. The carbon footprint calculator offers customers a view into the carbon emissions produced by their use of Microsoft cloud products. By increasing emissions transparency and simplifying environmental reporting, a company can take action to reduce their carbon footprint and achieve their climate-related goals. Further, companies can see how transitioning to the cloud can save costs and emissions.
Sustainability Calculator
The sustainability calculator is of particular interest to companies like ours for the visibility it provides into carbon neutrality as a goal for all businesses. While traditionally, carbon calculations were reserved for companies willing to pay a premium for a full inspection of their footprint, Microsoft’s new tool provides an included initial step for cloud customers. In many cases, it is easiest for companies in the SaaS space to go carbon neutral due to a lack of product-related emissions. While Microsoft has reach across numerous industries, many cloud users are centered in the technology space, allowing for quick wins that create immediate change.
Lowering the Barriers to Entry for Carbon Solutions
Often, this first step in the process is the most difficult. By lowering the barriers to entry for informed and productive conversations about sustainability, we hope that this tool will segue companies into the mindset of taking climate action, regardless of their industry. RyeStrategy’s core service offering complements Microsoft’s new calculator by providing a low cost solution for determining the rest of an organization’s carbon footprint, in addition to support with leveraging the results of neutrality to create broader industry action and customer awareness.
Learn about our affordable carbon footprint solutions for small and medium-sized businesses
Book a free strategy session to discuss your climate goals with a sustainability manager.
About RyeStrategy
Based in Seattle, RyeStrategy is a CDP-accredited, mission-oriented company specialized in carbon accounting, mitigation coaching, and climate disclosure solutions for organizations at any point in their sustainability journey. Learn how RyeStrategy helped Salesforce, Ideascale, and Wazoku achieve their sustainability goals.
From exhaustive carbon footprinting and mitigation coaching, to setting science-based targets and reporting climate data to CDP, SBTi or custom reporting platforms, RyeStrategy acts as a hands-on extension of the team, custom-tailoring services to fulfill climate disclosure requirements easily and accurately.
Meet with a sustainability specialist to learn more about RyeStrategy solutions.
