“It’s not easy being green…” sang Kermit. And Kermit was right. Over the years, efforts in information technology to “Go Green” were largely unsuccessful because the return on investment (ROI) of efforts was not there. Companies are interested in saving the planet, but their shareholders want the highest possible returns. When companies did successfully implement more environmentally friendly measures, they were often the first programs to be scaled back when the budget needed help. Well, with the higher costs of energy, going green now maintains quantifiable value to the enterprise. Conservation can actually increase the bottom line.
Here are some measures for IT Departments, and businesses as a whole to become more environmentally friendly.
1 - Lower Resistance to More Environmentally Friendly Practices
Corporate culture does not always embrace change. Efforts to go green should be implemented as policy and endorsed from the top down, backed by communication and actions. Human Resources departments can give employees the tools to make a difference. If there is no support from management to make changes, then that attitude will likely be reflected throughout the organization.
2 - Create a Corporate Green Policy
A written policy communicated through the human resources department designed to reduce waste and help the environment can be an effective tool for employees. Employees can point to the policy in encouraging their peers to recycle or turn lights off, etc. Executives can support green policy by leading by example. There are numerous measures that can be communicated through corporate policy:
- mandatory recycling
- low energy appliances in the lunch rooms
- computer network policies to save energy
3 - Allow for Creative Employee Contributions to Green Strategy
Employees that work in the details of the business can identify green opportunities that management can miss. Providing them with the opportunity to share their ideas can lead to a better policy and greater energy savings. Not to mention empowering employees to possibly feel like a more relevant part of the company. Companies can even reward employees where their suggestions return measurable value to the business.
4 - Power is expensive; stop wasting it.
Probably the driving force for the green movement in information technology is the potential savings in reducing power consumption. This is true in the data center as well as the office as a whole. Workstations, especially older inefficient ones, left on overnight increase electric bills significantly. Data Centers consume a huge amount of energy in power and cooling. Virtualization and consolidation can greatly reduce the energy footprint in the data center. Centrally managing workstations’ power settings also can reduce consumption as well.
“Going Green” is not just a trend. It is a fiscally sound business strategy both for long term benefit to the business and environment, as well as short and long term returns improving the bottom line.