Dell Receives Keep America Beautiful Vision for America Award

Keep America Beautiful (KAB), a leading nonprofit that builds and sustains vibrant communities, honored Michael Dell and Dell Inc. with the 2014 Vision for America Award on Thursday, Dec. 4, in New York City.

“While Dell has been a trailblazing technology company, it has also led in the realm of social and environmental sustainability, drawing a solid line from the company’s sustainability initiatives to its business objectives,” said Jennifer Jehn, president and CEO, Keep America Beautiful.

Michael Dell, founder, chairman and CEO of Dell, attended the annual awards luncheon to personally accept the Vision for America Award.

“Thank you for this great honor,” said Michael Dell. “I’m very pleased to accept it on behalf of the 100,000 Dell team members around the globe working hard every day to deliver for our customers, our planet and our communities.”

Dell’s “Powering the Possible” commitment – to put technology and expertise to work where it can do the most good in the world – created a launch point for Dell’s 2020 Legacy of Good Plan, which outlines 21 ambitious social and sustainability goals to reach by 2020.

The goals include making the company’s product portfolio 80 percent more energy efficient; making its packaging 100 percent waste-free; using 50 million pounds of recycled-content plastics in its products; and volunteering 5 million cumulative hours in the communities Dell calls home.

The Vision for America Award was presented at a luncheon before distinguished guests, including senior public officials and business leaders. In addition to paying tribute to the honoree, the luncheon raises funds for Keep America Beautiful.

Past recipients of the Vision for America Award, which was established in 1986, include PepsiCo, Nestlé Waters North America, UPS, Xerox, and most recently, Wrigley.

In the picture above: Michael Dell with Lucero Castaneda and Wendy Rodriguez, members of Keep Austin Beautiful Green Teens, during Keep America Beautiful’s Vision for America Award Luncheon. (Photo by Kate Eisemann, Kate Eisemann Photography)