I am excited to announce that Cisco has joined The Climate Registry, a North American nonprofit organization that sets standards for calculating, verifying, and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Our membership in The Climate Registry provides Cisco with the opportunity to share best practices to help improve corporate GHG accounting and reduction practices throughout the world. The mission of TCR also aligns with our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals around GHG reduction and reporting.

We've had goals in these areas since 2008, when we pledged to reduce our GHG emissions (Scope 1, 2 and business air travel scope 3, to be exact) worldwide by 25% by the end of 2012. (Check out this Greenhouse Gas Protocol infographic that explains Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions).

Since meeting that goal, we set several other aggressive goals for fiscal year 2017, such as reducing our GHG emissions by 40% and using electricity generated from renewable sources for at least 25% of our electricity every year. Measuring and reporting GHG emissions is a big part of setting and reaching these goals.

Cisco reports its GHG emissions publicly through many formats, including to the CDP as well as in our annual CSR Report. We also have an independent third party review our GHG inventory to ensure that our data is correct. We review and report this data because we want to be as accurate and transparent as possible about the sustainability of our operations. Cisco has been recognized for its GHG reporting and commitment to reducing energy use by CDP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

I believe there is great value in our new membership with The Climate Registry and look forward to working with them to help promote GHG registries and responsible management of emissions for several reasons.

First, we'll have access to technical resources for GHG accounting and risk management, which will help us further develop our own initiatives around GHG reporting. Second, we'll be able to form closer ties with The Climate Registry and its partners, such as the EPA and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Third, our membership in a GHG registry organization gives us an opportunity to help improve global GHG accounting practices and further demonstrates our commitment to both reporting and reducing emissions.

Learn more about Cisco's environmental sustainability efforts.

Updated March 6, 2015:Read The Climate Registry case study about Cisco's efforts to measure and manage our energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.