We are pleased announce the release of a new Nortel White Paper that uses our Olympic ad Paralympic network deployment as a lens for considering our corporate sustainability programs. I hope you like the paper, titled Nortel prioritizes sustainability at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, since I wrote it and feel it captures how sustainability has informed and guided so many of our customer relationships, from product design, through deployment, to end of life management.

What is this paper about?

Nortel is proud to be a member of the Olympic family and pleased to be the Official Converged Network Equipment Supplier for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Canada. Nortel works tirelessly to deploy networks that deliver in a sustainable manner, from design to disposal, and we're now bringing this commitment to the Games. This white paper uses examples from our ongoing relationships with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) to illustrate the sustainable manner in which Nortel manages its operations and delivers for its customers.

How do we define sustainability in the Olympic context?

Our corporate-wide sustainability program takes a three-pronged approach; let me walk through them here.

First, we're continually working internally to determine how Nortel can continue to be a greener company. Our corporate initiatives include programs for greener commuting and teleworking, efficient management of our real estate, recycling programs and the careful selection and management of our supplier relationships.

Second, we continuously strive to ensure that our products are as sustainable as possible, both in the manufacturing processes and with the energy required to operate them.

Third, we want to magnify our overall positive green impact by sharing our knowledge and experience with our customers and stakeholders. Beyond delivering green products and solutions, we're sharing our tools, discoveries and best practices with our communities to help them better understand and improve their own sustainability opportunities. This paper also outlines the Nortel EARTH Principles, which inform so much of our sustainability work.

The bottom line is that we believe strongly that meeting our sustainability commitments makes our organization a better one, and it improves the level of service and products we deliver to our customers. I know for a fact this is true for the Olympics/Paralympics deployment, having worked on this specific deployment for so long. As witnessed by the VANOC network deployments, with lean and powerful networks delivered via the most efficient means possible, our customers' needs are met.

What do you think?

I hope you will go check out the paper and lets us know what you think. You just need to refer to our EARTH principles, of which the A is represents Active Engagement and Dialogue, to see that we take this dialogue seriously. Greenroots is part of the commitment. If you are curious about any specific aspects of the program outlined in the paper, use the comments section to get in touch. I am always excited about the possibility of an active dialogue with any and all stakeholders on this issue, since it is a personal passion.

Finally, a thank you

Finally, I definitely want to thank the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games for their commitment to principles of sustainability. We are enormously proud of our partnership with the organization, which has certainly pushed the dialogue within Nortel and will continue to do so through the completion of the Games.