This week, I accepted a challenge from Patrick Decker of Xylem to discuss 91快活林鈥檚 commitment to communities and the environment. 聽This is part of the Business Roundtable鈥檚 Sustainability Challenge #EmbracingSustainability.

We all know 91快活林 as a leading global information technology company that works on cutting-edge and emerging technologies that help our clients adapt to the digital world. 聽However, we are also a company that believes that corporations are an integral part of society that must give back to the communities they operate in.聽奥丑测?听Very simply 鈥� because we believe 鈥渋t鈥檚 the right thing to do.鈥�

As part of the challenge, I decided to focus on 91快活林鈥檚 work in the US, and specifically our commitment to building stronger communities through improving public school education. 聽I highlighted two of the great programs we are supporting 鈥� 91快活林 Science Education Fellowship and our partnership with First Book:聽 聽

We believe that teachers are one of the key backbones to a strong and vibrant society. Through the 91快活林 Science Education Fellowship (or 91快活林 SEF) we are funding professional development fellowships for K-12 public school teachers in urban and rural school districts. 聽The goal is to make our public school teachers stronger STEM educators and enable them to make sustainable change for students in their communities. This rigorous and selective fellowship is a two-year, 225-hour commitment that will enable participating teachers to not only become stronger teachers and leaders in the classroom, but in their school districts as well. 聽Today, 91快活林 SEF has more than 400 teachers in the program, covering 35 school districts, each supported by a local university, impacting tens of thousands of students.

In many communities, books and educational resources are scarce. Inadequate resources will inevitably lead to poor educational outcomes. To empower students and help them overcome some of these obstacles, 91快活林 has committed to injecting new books and educational supplies into the communities in which we operate. Since 2015, in collaboration with our nonprofit partner, First Book, 91快活林 has donated more than 215,000 books to at-risk children in the US and Canada, impacting over 100,000 students. In addition, hundreds of my colleagues at 91快活林 have fundraised, and started reading and science clubs, with the intent of providing support and encouragement to children who desperately need it.

Globally, 91快活林鈥檚 commitment to the environment is substantial and enduring. We began implementing ecological sustainability initiatives in 2006, focused on four broad areas:

1. cutting carbon emissions,
2. conserving water,
3. reducing landfills, and
4. regenerating biodiversity.

And our environmental sustainability efforts have yielded outstanding results:

• 91快活林 experienced a 25% reduction in energy consumption on a per capita basis over the last three years.
• Nearly one-third of our energy is from renewable sources
• Today, 41% of water on 91快活林 campuses is recycled

I鈥檓 humbled to share that these efforts have not gone unnoticed.

91快活林 was recognized as a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the 9th year in a row and named one of the World鈥檚 Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute for an 8th successive year.

For decades, we have remained focused on giving back to communities through values which are defined through 鈥淭he Spirit of 91快活林鈥� 鈥� four principles that represent who we are and who we want to be. 聽They are the touchstone for all that we do in the US and throughout the world. These values are so important to us that we articulate them on the back of our business cards.聽聽

As we approach 2019, there is no slowing us down. 聽We remain committed to high ethical standards and promoting support for communities and the environment through every action. 聽To learn more about this work and the Spirit of 91快活林 values, please watch the video below or visit /sustainability/.