Sustainability/2019 Board Resolution and Mission Statement

Wikimedia Foundation sustainability mission statement - 2019

"The Wikimedia Foundation is committed to reducing the impact of our activities on the environment – our goal is to act responsibly and sustainably. We believe that a long-term commitment to the environment, and consideration of the effects of climate change, is an essential component of our work.

To this end, the Wikimedia Foundation will:

• Minimize our overall impact on the environment by seeking to reduce our global carbon footprint;
• Consider sustainability as a critical part of our decisions around how we plan our operations, travel, physical office use, and other procurements;
• Use green energy where it is available and financially feasible;
• Share sustainability information and lessons learned; and
• Perform and share an annual environmental impact assessment

We are creating a Sustainability Consortium that is comprised of a cross-functional team of Foundation staff and interested community members that are dedicated to helping to create, implement, and advise executive leadership on potential activities to reduce the Foundation’s global carbon impact. We are deeply passionate about environmental sustainability and reducing the effects of climate change to ensure that the sum of all human knowledge continues to be available, regardless of political and global realities."

– Janeen Uzzell, Chief Operating Officer, Wikimedia Foundation, December 13, 2019

Wikimedia Foundation sustainability framework - 2019

Wikimedia Foundation strategic sustainability roadmap

Operations

Strategy	Deliverable
Minimize our carbon footprint	Calculate carbon footprint and publish impact statement
	Identify carbon-reduction opportunities
Integrate sustainability into planning process	Create and manage a robust sustainability strategy
	Incorporate sustainability deliverables into budget/planning process

Culture

Strategy	Deliverable
Empower “green” choices	Develop guidelines for remote vs. in-person participation of events, including meeting options to accommodate virtual participation
	Develop purchasing guidelines that are environmentally sustainable
	Encourage and enhance personal investment by suggesting “green” choices
Leverage a remote workforce	Develop sustainable protocols for co-located Foundation events, including site selection criteria, lodging / accommodation practices, food / catering guidelines, etc.

Engagement

Strategy	Deliverable
Enable global participation	Develop protocols for events to encourage and accommodate virtual participation
	Develop, facilitate, and support Community efforts in the Sustainability space
Share lessons learned	Create protocols for sharing lessons learned back with the Community