Altera is the first semiconductor company in Santa Clara County to become certified by the Santa Clara County Green Business Association. To be certified green, participants must be in compliance with all regulations and meet program standards for conserving resources, preventing pollution, and minimizing waste. The first certification was received in 2004. Altera has since been recertified.
We believe a successful business is dependent upon a healthy environment. We are actively working to show our environmental responsibility to our community by committing to the following objectives:
- To comply with all applicable environmental regulations and strive to exceed compliance
- To conserve energy, water, and other natural resources
- To develop and implement practices that prevent pollution and waste
Energy Savings Projects
As a result of our efforts to save energy and reduce our environmental impact, Altera’s campus in San Jose, California has cumulatively reduced annual electrical usage by 1,845 megawatts. This reduction is equivalent to providing power to about 275 homes for an entire year.
Contributing Efforts
- After-hours cooling reduction
- Installed dedicated units for cooling critical equipment rooms after-hours (all other air conditioning units and lighting powered down after-hours)
- Installed temporary air conditioning and lighting override buttons for after-hours employees
- 125-hp air compressor replacement
- Replaced constant speed air compressor with variable speed air compressor to decrease peak energy demand
- Installed variable speed drives on three 225-ton centrifugal chillers
- Installed cubicle motion sensor plug strips
- Reduced all campus open office lighting by 40 percent
- Added programming to the energy management system to control lighting and equipment on individual building zones based on usage
- Data center cold row isolation project
- Isolated cold aisles in the data center to eliminate air mixing and improve air conditioning efficiency
Packaging
Engineers in our Penang, Malaysia facility recently redesigned shipping boxes to save materials and reduce weight. This effort is significant, as the results ensure Altera is conserving resources not just in material use but in the fuel required for transportation.
Hazardous Waste Reduction
Over the last several years, Altera’s Corporate Facilities Group has collaborated with our R&D labs to reduce hazardous waste. Since 2004, Altera San Jose has achieved a 47 percent reduction in hazardous waste generated.
Recycling Program
Altera implemented its formal recycling program in 1991. New efforts were initiated in 2001 with a revised trash reduction and recycling program. We introduced a new “mini” trash container for each office and cubicle and paper recycling boxes on the Altera Corporate campus in San Jose, California. The mini trash cans replaced standard trash containers, and along with the recycling boxes, reduced trash sent to land fill by over 17 percent.
