Employees Driving Change
National Instruments makes many efforts to minimize environmental impact, and countless projects are driven by individual employees or small groups of employees within the company who are passionate about making a difference. Employee-driven efforts in 2011 included a contest among employees to lower carbon footprint and a week-long series of events to celebrate Earth Day. Behind each of these accomplishments is an individual who took the initiative to ask questions and make changes.
Year in Review
2011 Highlights
Engaged 55% more employees in an annual contest to lower carbon footprint
Participated in Hungary’s Bike to Work campaign for the seventh year, with 171 employees commuting by bicycle
Won the first Austin Corporate Commute Challenge during Bike to Work Month
2011 Challenges
Local transportation authority canceled a connector bus route for headquarters employees who use the commuter rail due to low ridership
2012 Commitments
Redirect electronic waste to Goodwill recycling program so materials can be reused when possible
2011 Data and Results
Community Garden
Tony and Denise Iglesias
NI Green Smackdown competition
NI employees and spouses Denise and Tony Iglesias took different sides for one week to compete in a battle of who could cut their carbon footprint the most.
In this annual NI Green Smackdown competition, employees select from a list of ways to reduce their carbon emissions and try those changes over the course of a week. After making their own pledges, Tony and Denise each recruited a team of employees to join them in the challenge and help them win. The battle and the couple’s banter played out on Facebook, Twitter, and a blog for employees to follow along.
Combined, Denise and Tony made enough changes during the Green Smackdown to cut their carbon footprint by 25 percent—and that doesn’t account for the changes made by more than 200 people who joined a Smackdown team to support them. With the closest margin of victory in Smackdown history—a mere 0.92 points in the 100-point scoring system—Denise reigned victorious.