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Microsoft’s Commitment to Addressing Climate Change

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By Steve Lippman, Director of Corporate Citizenship at Microsoft

In the recent past, we’ve blogged about our software donation program, a program that provides free software licenses to any eligible nonprofit organization. To keep things simple our eligibility guidelines track to the same criteria that the US government and other governments around the world use in deciding who is a nonprofit.

This kind of broad program – which provided $844 million in software to 40,000 organizations last year – inevitably means that from time to time we end up providing software to some group that holds policy positions different than our own. That’s because the goal of the program is to support a vibrant and healthy non-profit community, not a particular issue or point of view.

Until now, we’ve talked about this issue mostly in general terms. But a recent controversy over climate change denial advertising by a nonprofit that received software licenses under our program are prompting us to be a little more specific.

Microsoft believes climate change is a serious issue that demands immediate, worldwide attention and we are acting accordingly. We are pursuing strategies and taking actions to reduce our own impact as well as the impact of our products.  In addition, Microsoft has adopted a broad policy statement on climate change that expresses support for government action to address climate change.

The Heartland Institute does not speak for Microsoft on climate change. In fact, the Heartland Institute’s position on climate change is diametrically opposed to Microsoft’s position. And we completely disagree with the group’s inflammatory and distasteful advertising campaign.

Heartland did participate in our global software donation program in 2010, as did thousands of other nonprofit organizations.  It’s important to point out that hundreds of environmental and conservation groups also took advantage of the same program, and received over $13 million in free software to pursue their missions. 

Again, our software donation program does not support or endorse any particular nonprofit or any particular policy views -- it supports giving all nonprofits in the world access to free software.

To learn more about Microsoft’s climate change policy statement and sustainability efforts, please visit our website.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    May 07, 2012
    Microsoft calls Heartland's billboard likening those who believe in climate change to mass murderers "inflammatory and distasteful," but continues to defend its software donation. Microsoft should make an exception to their rule, and exclude Heartland from any future support.

  • Anonymous
    May 07, 2012
    It's clear that the Heartland Institute does not represent the values and morals of what we typically think a non-profit should have. Microsoft's software donation program sounds like a great program but it should be allowed to make exception when one of it's beneficiaries is beyond reason.

  • Anonymous
    May 08, 2012
    Sorry, we simply aren't buying this whitewash!   Microsoft is quite capable to make decisions based on integrity and whats good for this planet!  Supporting Heartland who is posting propaganda across this nation while trying to teach our children ANTI-SCIENCE is simply outrageous! But somehow Microsoft simply hasn't the ability to stop supporting Heartland??  Who is buying into this lie??

  • Anonymous
    May 08, 2012
    I think Microsoft is playing both sides of the fence.  I find it hard to believe Microsoft is incapable of editing its donor list.

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2012
    The official Microsoft response to this comes across as completely disingenuous. The Heartland Institute may be a nonprofit in name but its motives in spreading disinformation for political reasons are well known. If Microsoft continues to donate to Heartland after this event, it basically says they they have Microsofts tacit approval for their tactics - regardless of how much Microsoft publicly declares otherwise.

  • Anonymous
    May 10, 2012
    Wait, is this true. Microsoft says that believe in Global Warming but they support the biggest org. that is responsible for spreading  global warming denialism propaganda and Anti-Science? So the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation withdraws support from this Institution but Microsoft refuses to?        Exactly who do they think is buying this?

  • Anonymous
    May 20, 2012
    The comment has been removed