Global Edtech Company Proctorio Combines Expanded Portfolio Abroad with Industry-Leading Initiatives at Home to Reduce Emissions
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 22, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In support of Earth Day 2022, Proctorio, the global leader in online proctoring services, has announced an expansion of its collaboration with Climate Partner, a solutions provider in corporate climate action. Starting this month, Proctorio is adding a second carbon offset project to its portfolio: forest protection in Mataven, Colombia.
As the biggest REDD+ Project in Colombia, the Mataven program protects over 4400 square miles of tropical forests, safeguarding its biodiversity. It provides education, healthcare, sanitation, food security, nutrition, and further social benefits for 16,000 indigenous people. Learn more about this project here.
"Mike Olsen and his team have put a lot of effort into calculating and reducing their CO2 emissions," said Michelle Lauterback of Climate Partner. "By supporting the carbon offset project for forest protection in Mataven, Colombia, Proctorio offsets unabated emissions and takes a crucial step toward combating climate change and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."
This is Proctorio's second project with Climate Partner, their first being the Matebe hydropower plant in Virunga, DR Congo. With a capacity of 13 megawatts, the plant generates clean electricity for households and small businesses giving about four million inhabitants access to electricity for the first time. Learn more about this project here.
COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE AT HOME AND ABROAD
Carbon emissions reduction is a natural byproduct of Proctorio's service. Every exam proctored remotely means fewer cars on the road commuting to test centers. Since January 2020, exams administered through Proctorio resulted in a carbon dioxide emissions savings of over 700 million kg.
"Going carbon neutral in 2018 was a big milestone for us," said Mike Olsen, Founder and CEO of Proctorio. "In addition to offsetting programs abroad, local initiatives at home are vital parts of our business model. We combine the scalability of our service with the sustainability the climate crisis demands."
Proctorio is a company built on a foundation of ethical artificial intelligence. AI modeling is done onsite at headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona and is powered entirely by solar panels installed in Spring 2021.
"The energy costs of developing AI can be significant and has been the topic of great concern in both the AI ethics and sustainability communities," said Shea Brown, Founder and CEO of BABL AI. "Two of the primary ways of counteracting this are to use lightweight and efficient models that are not difficult to train and use, and to utilize renewable energy during the training process. Proctorio does both, showing their commitment to sustainability."
WHAT IS A CARBON OFFSET PROJECT?
Carbon offset projects compensate for greenhouse gas emissions and make an important contribution to fighting global warming. They also promote sustainable development in the host countries. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a globally acknowledged system for measuring these positive effects.
Along with emission reduction, all carbon offset projects must fulfill four basic criteria: additionality (receives additional funding from emissions trading), exclusion of double counting (unique carbon reduction), permanence (over an extended period of time) and verification (at regular intervals by independent third parties).
ABOUT PROCTORIO
Proctorio is a comprehensive learning integrity platform that offers identity verification and remote proctoring services to over 2,500+ higher education, K-12, corporate, and federal institutions around the world. Proctorio's suite of Lock Down, Recording, and Verification options allow exam administrators to customize tests for their needed level of security. Proctorio currently serves 4 million active weekly users and has proctored over 50+ million exams since 2013 while maintaining a 99.991% uptime. Learn more about Proctorio's sustainability goals and programs here.
Media Contact
David Lux, Proctorio, (480) 428-4076, [email protected]
SOURCE Proctorio
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