What’s one way to reduce global carbon emissions by 40,000 tons in just three months?

Ask Accenture employees to do the job—and what a job they did!

From June 5 to August 31, 32,100 people took the Accenture Employee Eco Challenge. That accounts for 19 percent of Accenture’s workforce who collectively pledged to reduce their carbon footprint by more than 40,000 tons. These pledges amount to the same amount of carbon emitted by taking 28,000 flights between London and New York.


According to Lisa Neuberger, Strategy & Innovation lead for Corporate Citizenship, not only did the Eco Challenge surpass the 15 percent target for participation, but employee involvement topped that mark in 29 countries.

“I am extremely proud that so many of our people joined in the Eco Challenge,” Chief Leadership Officer Adrian Lajtha said. “This activity showed that many individual actions can have a big impact on the environment by changing the simplest behaviors, from setting a computer to a low-energy mode to purchasing an alternative fuel vehicle. Accenture has raised the bar on what an environmentally conscious company can accomplish—and that’s something increasingly important to our clients and prospects.”

US, Belgium, Luxembourg, Australia tops in pledges

Eco Challenge participants tallied their pledges using a carbon calculator, choosing actions (in more than 150 categories) such a using public transportation, recycling and unplugging electronic devices when not in use. The carbon calculator apparently resonated with employees seeking a true measure of their individual environmental impact.

The Eco Challenge awarded the country teams with the greatest carbon reductions pledged per participating employee along with individual awards. Prizes included a financial contribution from Accenture to an environmentally-focused charity and educational sessions with experts on sustainability.

The United States earned top honors for carbon reductions with 2.95 tons of reductions pledged averaged over 4,262 participants, followed by Belgium (2.3 tons), Luxembourg (2.13 tons), Australia (1.81 tons) and Canada (1.76 tons).

With 30 percent each, India and China tied for first place for participation by a large country, followed by Germany (24 percent) and Canada (19 percent). Thailand, with an incredible 96 percent participation, led the pack for small countries, followed by Finland (39 percent) and a tie between Indonesia and Switzerland (35 percent).

Employees make good on their pledges

The five individuals pledging the greatest carbon reductions were Darren Nippard, senior executive-Health & Public Service; Bob Hersch, senior executive-Systems Integration & Technology; Angelica Jose, Level G-Systems Integration & Technology; Gregory Reed, Level B-Outsourcing; and Lori Lovelace, director of the Office of the CEO.

Hersch said the Eco Challenge has made him more conscious about conservation, especially during his extensive travels working for Accenture—like reusing hotel towels, not opening products like soap and shampoo unnecessarily and walking or using public transportation instead of a taxi. He is looking forward to less travel by taking advantage of Telepresence, adding that conservation begins at home.

“I have a large garden and a greenhouse, so there are many opportunities for impact through composting and growing produce,” Hersch says. “My place also leverages septic and a dedicated well with water controlling devices to help with pressure and efficient use. My next step is to install a windmill for self-sustainment.”

Lovelace said her pledges represent her passion for cooking and landscaping.

“I have three kids and entertain large groups frequently,” she said. “We enjoy the process and intrigue in cooking. We have two vegetable gardens, a flower garden and an herb garden, and we compost everything. We live in Texas, so finding native, low-water landscaping has been a quest. We also just switched several areas of our yard to native rock and native Buffalo grass, further reducing the water usage.”