AT&T: Planet

Those of us GRI-trained reporting-types know that when putting together a sustainability report, we can find ourselves lost in the details – aggregating pages of data, writing countless stories, holding hundreds of meetings with colleagues, and securing approvals for every detail of a final report. This year, it was no different for my team as we put together AT&T’s sustainability report, which we call our “Annual Sustainability Update.” But, throughout the reporting process, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture associated with what we’re doing: How our more than 250,000 employees have come together – harnessing grit, passion and the power of technology – to make a positive difference for our communities, our planet, and our company.

There’s a lot of talk about how smart cities of the future will benefit society and the world around us. Take the environment, for example. We believe that the technology enabling smart cities has the potential to reduce carbon emissions and other air pollution, and could help empower cities to better manage resources like water and energy.

By now, you’ve heard of IoT. You’ve probably heard of IIoT. But have you heard of AoT?

Implementing sustainability across one large company is substantial feat on its own. Yet for AT&T, we are not just working on sustainability at our own company but trying to embed sustainable business practices at hundreds of companies all at the same time. That is part of what it means to work on supply chain sustainability, from setting a goal to reduce our customers’ emissions 10x our own footprint, to setting goals to reduce energy intensity at our operations, to working with our suppliers to ensure they are living up to the standards we have set for ourselves.

Recently I found myself riding in a virtual helicopter looking down on a city of the future. Flying through the skyscrapers, I enjoyed a 360 degree view of a beautiful Tron-like cityscape. After checking out a sensor report from smart light post, I hopped into a self-driving car and zipped back to cybersecurity headquarters. All the while, my corporeal self was actually sitting in the AT&T Smart Cities booth in Austin, TX at the Smart Cities Innovation Summit.

Today, 80 percent of us live in cities, an explosive growth in urbanization that shows no sign of slowing down. But what are the consequences of this rapid change — for us and for our planet? As our populations condense around cities, we face tremendous challenges and exciting opportunities to make city life better and more sustainable. The key? Make our cities "smart."

I recently had the privilege and opportunity to represent AT&T at the Sustainable Brands 2016 conference in gorgeous San Diego. The conference brings together top brands that fill 4 days with extraordinary conversation and insight to inspire and activate business success toward a sustainable future.

AT&T has been in the Internet of Things (IoT) business for more than 8 years. We’re already connecting automobiles, homes and “things.” Now, we’re putting it all together in the places where 60-80% of global greenhouse gases will be generated, and where 66% of world’s population will live by 2050: Cities.

Right now, on this day, at this point in time, connections are being made like never before.

2015 spotlighted the IoT journey with the rise of connected cars, homes, and machinery. A smartphone is the remote control to our lives; network connectivity is the link to improving everyday experiences from finding a parking spot to monitoring personal wellness. Where is the IoT journey positioned to travel in 2016? Three main areas of focus include: