@jbtaylor on tech

I'm a spokesman for Sprint. This personal site is where I share news stories and my views about our company, our phones and other devices. I also write a bit about tech policy, the wireless industry and life in Washington, D.C.

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Newsweek ranks the Greenest Companies in the US; Sprint is No. 6

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Big news from Newsweek this morning. Their annual ranking of the country's greenest companies is out. Last year Sprint was ranked 15th. This we're 6th and we're thrilled.

It's the recognition of what Sprint has long been committed to, running our business in a greener more sustainable way.

And for those keeping score -- don't national rankings make us all do that? -- Verizon is ranked number 99. AT&T is ranked number 122.

To learn more about our efforts, visit Sprint.com/green.

Universal Outlets on Wireless Phones? You Bet!

Our colleagues at CTIA's trade show in San Diego have been busy. Among their news releases issued this afternoon was this gem. We think it's a worth a look and shouldn't get lost in the shuffle of a very busy trade show.

The release has a lot of jargon -- we love jargon in this business -- but basically it's an announcement that the industry is moving toward a standardized outlet or jack for earphones and microphones that you use with your wireless phone or PDA.

In our view, it's a first step, but there is clearly more to do. In reaction to CTIA's news, we issued the following statement to media from Fared Adib, vice president, device planning and operations at Sprint.

As the first wireless carrier to establish environmental design specifications for handset makers, Sprint endorses CTIA’s call for standardized audio and charging outlets on wireless devices. It will be consumers that will benefit from this effort as they will be able to more easily use their phones with existing accessories in their homes, offices and vehicles.

To learn more about Sprint’s commitment to running our business in a more sustainable way, you may want to check out:

  • This recent social media news release 
  • Our sustainability site on Sprint.com, and 
  • This video of Sprint CEO Dan Hesse sharing his reaction to Sprint being named number 15 on Newsweek Magazine's list of the 500 Greenest Companies in the U.S. As aside, our friends at Verizon were ranked 101 and AT&T, 126, respectively.

 And lastly, if you're on Twitter, you may want to follow @SprintGreenNews.

 

Cool gadget of the week: Sprint's new solar powered cell phone charger.

This morning Sprint announced the availability of a solar powered cell phone charger. That's pretty cool, I think.

This is part of a larger effort we're making to offer customers more eco-friendly options. We're also working to change the way we do business to lower our energy consumption and recycle more phones. (Right now, we have a recycle rate of about 35% and we've set the goal to raise that to 90% by 2017. We'll need your help to get there though.)

To learn more about what we're up to, visit www.sprint.com/green. On Twitter, you may also want to follow @sprintgreennews on Twitter.