Community Updates

Dell Opens Eco-Learning Center at Headquarters Campus to Celebrate Earth Day

Published 11 years ago | About a 4 minute read

•Facility will serve Dell team members, promote sustainable gardening and teach healthy eating •Dell uses tools on Causes.com to ask people to join company in taking action for the planet; campaign could plant up to 30,000 trees with The Conservation Fund Dell today announced it is piloting a team member garden and sustainable living facility on its global headquarters campus. The Dell Eco-Learning Center, launched in conjunction with Earth Day 2013, will highlight sustainable landscaping and food cultivation, and serve as a gathering place for team member fitness activities and seminars on healthy eating. The center will feature a dozen gardening beds to demonstrate concepts such as using native flowers for landscaping, growing seasonal herbs and vegetables, and composting. It will feature sustainable horticulture methods such as drip irrigation and organic pest control. And team members will use a pavilion for activities including gardening lectures or yoga classes. The Dell Eco-Learning Center was championed by Central Texas team member Jacque Barton, who last year won a “Powering the Possible” contest for the project by demonstrating how it puts Dell expertise to work where it can do good for people and the planet. The garden is part of a comprehensive wellness program at Dell to promote team member health and designed to boost team member well-being, and improve morale and productivity. The center will join other environmentally conscious features at Dell’s Round Rock headquarters. The campus is powered by 100 percent renewable electricity. Earlier this year, Dell joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Workplace Charging Challenge, which seeks to increase the number of employers who offer electric vehicle charging at work; at its Round Rock campus, Dell owns a 516-panel solar array that fuels its electric vehicle charging station. Dell is also looking outside its own walls this Earth Day, using tools on Causes.com and encouraging people to join the company in taking action for the planet. For every person who pledges to make one small change to their daily routine — by saving energy or reducing waste — Dell and The Conservation Fund will reinforce the impact of their commitment by planting a tree in the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana. The refuge is home to the threatened Louisiana black bear and other species. Dell and The Conservation Fund will plant up to 30,000 trees: restoring habitat for wildlife, helping mediate the effects of floodwaters, and contributing to cleaner air and water. To learn more about Dell and environmental sustainability, visit www.dell.com/environment. Quotes “We are proud of our team members acting around the world to build stronger workplaces and more sustainable communities. We strive to minimize Dell’s own environmental impact and to help our customers use technology in ways that give them the power to do more, more sustainably. We’re excited to join many others worldwide in taking action for the planet.” Trisa Thompson, vice president of corporate responsibility, Dell “As an avid organic gardener, I wanted to share the pleasure and passion I get from my garden with my coworkers in the Dell community. My hope in creating this corporate garden and Eco-Learning Center is to invest in the knowledge, education and diversity of the Central Texas team members by providing hands-on experience in growing healthy organic soil, nutritious vegetables and sustainable lives.” Jacque Barton, services solution architect, Dell “Every day we learn about the impacts of deforestation in the Amazon or Indonesia, but it’s felt in the United States, too. We’ve lost more than 24 million acres of healthy forestland across the Gulf Coast. It’s time to turn that trend around. Thanks to Dell, Causes.com, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — and the tens of thousands of individuals who support our work to protect and restore our planet’s forests — we can use technology for good to deliver real, measurable results on the ground.” Larry Selzer, president and CEO, The Conservation Fund About Dell Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. Powering the Possible is Dell’s commitment to put technology and expertise to work where it can do the most good for people and the planet. Dell is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of its business operations and creating new possibilities for its customers to reduce their environmental impact as well. Learn more at www.dell.com/environment or follow @dell4good.