Green IT incentives [BT broadband office]

Green IT incentives

Posted 26 March 2008 at 8:19AM by Hannah Gilchrist in IT systems and support

What would it take to turn your techies green? Strict regulations, financial rewards or just plain old statistics? This is the question many businesses are facing in the challenge to make their firms more economically sound, but finding the right answer can be more difficult.

Speaking to Silicon.com, Dennis Szubert, from Quocirca claimed that the carbon footprint of IT is the same as the airline industry, however only 43% of businesses in Europe and the US have a formal company carbon footprint reduction policy. The problem is that less that one in five IT decision makers take responsibility for the electricity bill, so how are they to know how much their IT decisions are costing? And why should they care?

It may seem quite childish to offer rewards for a job well done - surely that's what you expect from your staff - but as the climate for operating green businesses heightens, owners have no choice but to force staff the only way they know how. And who could refuse an Easter treat for being a bit more economical with the 'leckie'?

Tags: bt, bt broadbandoffice, bt tradespace communities, ethical, green

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Comments

1. At March 26, 2008 9:22 AM, zen wrote:

Indeed the techies of this world are unaware of running costs as well as environmental costs. With a new 6 core processor rumured to be out soon, and it goes without saying all off them will run the processor to the max as you would with a new car, I think it's about time they were shown them full picture.

2. At March 26, 2008 11:00 AM, ian jenkins wrote:

I note the carrot approach, but how about just making it a condition of terms of employment, shouldn't waste now feature in the disciplinery code? or are we really as serious as we like folk to think we are on this issue?
Ian Jenkins
Access Entertainment
www.accessentertainment.co.uk

3. At March 26, 2008 3:02 PM, Desmond Morris wrote:

Are you not in danger of over-simplifying things a little?
In my experience, 'Techies' are one of the most eco-friendly groups on the planet. Sure they have a lot of gadgets but they take steps to offset their 'carbon-footprint' by owning only 1 Red Dwarf T-shirt and never bathing. Rarely do they flush a toilet and sometimes they don't even wipe, such is their concern for the trees.
Surely more research is required. On an island in the Pacific perhaps.

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