Green Week and Technology

This week is Green Week, so I thought I would post on that theme. There are growing numbers of discussions and activities in technology that are green related.

I have always felt that using technology to improve efficiency, increase the ease in finding information (ie knowledge management), managing content, and simplifying or tracking business processes made sense – and are green.

Why?

Because we can better see the impact on our society and planet when we point out and acknowledge that we are trying to act in a responsible manner.

Because when we can see the projects that do impact the planet around us it is easier to remind ourselves that we need to protect the environment that sustains us.

Because when we are sometimes so focused on ROI we miss the Social Impact; we miss the Social Responsibility;  we miss the Goodwill that is often achieved by projects that DO pay attention to these things.

The other night I caught a small portion of a documentary on TV.  It was about Coke in South Africa. One subtle  point they made was that when apartheid violence was at its height most foreign companies moved out.  Coke chose a different path.  They found a multi-racial group that was willing to buy the distributorships and remain in the country.  South African’s found that during this upheaval the only refreshment to be found was Coke products.

After things settled down, Coke donated to local re-building causes.  The locally owned Coke distributors started expanding by “shipping” product via wheel barrel and hand carts.  South African’s took note of this and have truly embraced this company and brand.  Coke is visible everywhere now in South Africa.  This is all due to a vision beyond standard ROI.  It displayed Social Responsibility that has paid off in Goodwill in a big way…and I might venture to say it has paid off in dollars that were hard to account for in ROI.

That story has nothing to do with SharePoint directly.  However, if the thought process can shift so that some SharePoint projects can move forward, allowing the technology to help solve real problems or streamline real activities …then we can see SharePoint grow as a green tool.

For more coherent information on Green technology, check out these news links:

CNNMoney.com: Green Technology Report

CNET News: Green Tech: Intel sees Opportunities in wind, electric cars

SharePoint Magazine: Go Green with SharePoint

Business Week: Green Technology Innovators

InfoWorld: Intel invests $10 million in green technology companies

Breakell Inc – Green SharePoint (General contractors building green and using SharePoint for a community website to promote green actions)

“Greening” of IT

I recently read a white paper on the topic of the “Greening of IT”. Very interesting paper (search for Analyst Perspectives Consensus Report along with my title of this post to find the white paper, it is on a subscription service).

From this report I culled a few interesting quotes to share:

Environmental responsibility is emerging as an important topic for IT organizations and their technology suppliers (Source: “The Greening Of IT”, April 19, 2007, Forrester Research).

Enterprises are on the verge of adopting green strategies as they realize that doing so can lead to operational cost savings and waste reductions. In many cases what is good for the environment can also be good for the bottom line (Source: “Green IT adoption in North America lags good intentions, says Info-Tech Research Group”, July 16, 2007, Info-Tech Research).

The report showed that roughly 3/4 of all companies implementing “Green IT” initiatives were doing so primarily for the REDUCTION OF ENERGY COSTS.  The tide is turning slowly, however as more businesses recognize that the true benefits of becoming efficient and “green” includes cost savings over the long run we may see Lean IT as a standard way of doing business.  Everyone can benefit from this trend if the attitude toward “green” doesn’t fall prey to the negative connotations that ruined “ecology” and “environmentalism” in the 1970’s.

Corporations and the US Government both need to increase funding for these type of projects.  Not because they cost more (even though it might cost more up front) and not because it is the right thing to do (even if it is)…but because it is the prudent thing to do for your business.  Long-term thinking and planning need to make a come-back in the business world.  If you can cut your long-term costs significantly, you will help to ensure you lower the RISK your business is faced with in the future.  You also increase the chance of profitability in the near term…so why not adjust your thinking and consider going green?

Thanks to Books24x7 and SkillSoft for presenting the article.

AnalystPerspectives™ is a subscription-based offering from Books24x7, a SkillSoft Company. For more information on subscribing, visit http://www.books24x7.com

Green SharePoint and Green Business

MOSS 2007 offers a great deal to the business that wants to make use of process improvements, automated workflows, and continuous improvement projects to make their organizations more efficient, cost effective, and potentially more competitive.

That is a driving factor in my interest in SharePoint.  I believe that standardizing tasks and processes can improve not only the productivity of a business, but also improve the work environment for employees.  Being “Green” IS GOOD BUSINESS.  Efficiency and effectiveness is what Lean is all about, and Lean is Green.  See the Lean Enterprise Institute for more on Lean.  Below are a couple of other sites that are Green Business focused:

Green Business Guide (US Government) Marketing and Product Development

SustainableBusines.com

The trend is out there, the concept has been around awhile, the knowledge and proven concepts exist….join the movement!

Intermittent Green Post

SharePoint can also be utilized as a tool to better enable a business to act in a “green” manner.  Sharing documents and working online can reduce paper consumption and waste.

Automating business processes utilizing workflows can reduce time spent on these tasks which COULD be redirected to identifying other areas where the company may change the impact they have on our environment.

The efficiency gained this way allows the time spent on green initiatives to cost the company nothing…thereby improving the roi and goodwill received by implementing any green initiative.

This concept of businesses going green isn’t new,  and I am not alone in applying it in “new” and “different” ways.

Check out GreenBiz.com – Daily News on Green Business

Happy Earth Day – SharePoint for a green planet!

Wouldn’t it be nice if so many companies started using SharePoint in such a way that they saved on paper and collaborated online enough to reduce their impact on the planet?