Over 700 Intel employees from around the country will celebrate Earth Day with a variety of voluntary activities for the environment

In preparation for Earth Day, which will be celebrated today, Thursday, April 22, Intel Israel summarizes its achievements in the environmental field for 2009

In preparation for Earth Day, which will be celebrated today, Thursday, April 22, Intel Israel summarizes its achievements in the environmental field for 2009.

Operation of the treatment facility for organic load in wastewater - Membrane Bio Reactor - During 2008, Intel invested more than 28 million dollars in the F20 plant in Kiryat Gat in the construction of a treatment facility for organic load in the plant's industrial wastewater. This is to ensure that the factory's wastewater will be used for unlimited irrigation, and will meet the best quality of wastewater, as defined by the Amber Committee. The operation of the facility began in 2009 after the facility was installed within about three months and demonstrated excellent treatment performance.

Automatic sensors are installed in the facility that monitor the health of the process on a regular basis and regulate the energy and chemistry needs, thus optimizing the work and reducing emissions to the environment.

The quality of the wastewater at the outlet of the facility allows its reuse for the plant's needs, thus reducing the use of benign water. The wastewater recovery project for the cooling towers is currently underway.

During the year, additional sensors were installed in the system, which are connected to an online system that broadcasts and alerts in real time (on-line) about the quality of the wastewater to the local authority.

conservation of energy - From the end of 2008 and during 2009, Intel carried out various projects in the field of energy conservation, in order to lead to savings in electricity and emissions to the environment. The projects included the activation of lighting control systems in various areas of the factory, turning off lights in the office areas in the evening and at night, reducing and balancing the energy consumption of pumps and emergency and backup systems.

These projects saved about 2,800 kilowatts of electricity per day, equivalent to saving the consumption of 70 households per month.

In the field of green energy, Intel is working to install a photovoltaic system of an Israeli company on the roof of the company's building in Jerusalem as a pilot. The installation of the solar system will begin this year, and will help Intel to save emissions into the air and encourage the development of Israeli technology in the green field.

Hazardous waste recycling - As part of the computer chip production process, different hazardous waste is generated, which requires treatment and disposal in accordance with the law. Intel aims to lead to the recycling of over 80% of hazardous waste. With the establishment of the F28 plant, waste collection and treatment systems were installed at a cost of millions of dollars, and tremendous efforts were made to find recycling targets for most of the plant's waste. With all the difficulty in raising to production at full output in a short time (less than a year), the plant managed to lead projects for waste recycling that will allow compliance with approximately 70% recycling already this year. The target for 2011 is 90% compliance, to lead Intel to excellent performance in the environmental field.

An important part of meeting this goal is supported by a close and fruitful business relationship between Intel and the environmental services company in Ramat Hovav, which helps identify "consumers" in the secondary market who use Intel's waste as a raw material for their products (fertilizer products, fuel substitutes, metals, etc.).

As part of this process, Intel conducts audits at the sub-suppliers, in order to ensure the implementation of high operational procedures and standards, which will support high-level performance and compliance with Intel's needs at all times. This process is an example of mutual cooperation in which there is a win-win situation, and the provision of better environmental solutions to its partners and to the State of Israel.

Environmental quality standard ISO14001 - In parallel with all the efforts to establish the factory, Intel's F28 in Kiryat Gat underwent an external inspection by the NSAI company, for certification to the ISO14001 environmental quality standard. At the beginning of November 2009, the factory was visited by external inspectors who conducted a comprehensive inspection for 6 days of all the environmental systems of the factory, from the production system, through the support systems, to subcontractors. As part of the inspection, the company's procedures, treatment systems, control mechanisms and compliance with the requirements of law and authorities were examined. The plant completed the test with great success and without significant findings, and maintained its certification to repair successfully.

In addition, over 700 Intel employees from around the country will mark Earth Day with a variety of voluntary activities for the environment:

• In Haifa - about 150 volunteers will clean the nature reserves and the open spaces of Merat Atebe. About 150 more volunteers embarked on an environmental activity with the students of the elementary school in Tirat Carmel - Degania, during which they cleaned the streams, Nahal Shikh and Nahal Nadar. About 50 volunteers went out to pick in the fields of the Schiller group with the Shulan to Table association. About 15 volunteers from Intel and volunteers with disabilities from the Israel Accessibility Association will access the nature reserve in Carmel Park for the well-being of people with disabilities.
• In Petah Tikva - about 100 volunteers went out in cooperation with KKL-Junk to clean beaches in the Sharon area.
• In Kiryat Gat - about 30 volunteers will work at the Rogozin school. The volunteers will paint the classrooms around environmental issues that will enrich the knowledge of the students there. Also, about 15 volunteers will deliver green training kits on the environmental footprint and recycling, to about 120 students at Shaprincek School.
• All the activities that take place together with the schools will be part of the "Intel Donors in the Square" program, where for every hour of volunteering, the educational institution recognized by Intel Global receives ten dollars.
• In Jerusalem - about 20 volunteers set out to restore the Lipta reserve. The group already started the restoration of the reserve a few months ago and now it is returning to continue the conservation. A group of about 20 volunteers will build a new school garden for autistic children at the Zionist Youth Farm, which Intel is adopting. A group of about 15 volunteers will set up a community garden together with youth from the Boy Scouts movement in Emek Matzalaba. A group of about 10 volunteers will establish a community garden together with students from the Hebrew University in Mosra. A group of about 20 volunteers will set up a garden at the reception center for Ethiopians in Mebasheret. The group adopts the absorption center and even conducts a computer course for the Ethiopian girls who live there. A group of about 15 volunteers will whitewash the animal cruelty building in Talpiot. Intel employees who are parents will conduct trainings in their children's schools on the topic of protecting the environment.

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