Green Collaboration

Many organizations have launched or are planning to launch efforts to be more friendly to the environment. These green initiatives can include everything from recycling electronics and other materials to running more energy-efficient data centers.

Increased online collaboration can certainly be a major part of any corporate effort to help protect the environment. One of the most obvious benefits of Web-based collaboration from a green standpoint is that it helps reduce the need for travel.

By using tools such as Web conferencing software, organizations can reduce the number of corporate meetings they hold that require people to travel. This can also apply to seminars, training sessions, employee reviews, sales meetings, project updates, partner meetings and other events that might require people to travel domestically or to other countries.

Online collaboration technology also makes it easier for some employees to work at home full time, or at least part time, to cut down on commuting. In a study on teleworking released in June, research firm Wainhouse Research found that Web conferencing is the top component of teleworking programs, followed by instant messaging, mobile computing, voice over IP, desktop video, unified communications and group video.

"The tools exist for teleworking programs, and savvy enterprises should leverage those tools as part of their strategies for responding to climate change through green initiatives," said report co-author Alan Greenberg. "Enterprises think of teleworking as a burden that creates issues of 'control' over knowledge workers, when they should be thinking of teleworking as a means of going green."

Another report, which Wainhouse published in July, showed that 84% of respondents to a survey said their organization had plans in place for becoming environmentally friendly, with 58% saying the plans included deployment of collaboration applications such as videoconferencing, IP telephony, telepresence, Web and audio conferencing, and unified communications.

In addition to cutting down on business travel and commuting, online collaboration can help make organizations greener through the reduction of paper waste. With online conferencing and communications, organizations will likely not need to generate as many paper documents. Instead, they can exchange documents, notes and other materials electronically.

Some online collaboration vendors have launched programs to educate customers about the environmental benefits of the technology. For example, Web conferencing software provider WebEx has partnered with Carbonfund.org, an environmental organization, to help companies better understand how business travel effects the environment and how Web conferencing helps minimize the impact.

Another provider of Web conferencing software, iLinc Communications, in August announced that customers, partners and employees participating in its iReduce program had saved a combined total of one billion pounds of CO2 by using the company's Web and audio conferencing technology instead of traveling.

The iReduce program was launched in January 2007 to encourage companies to reduce CO2 emissions. All iLinc customers can measure their CO2 savings by viewing the company's carbon calculator and tracking progress on their iLinc account management page.

WebEx offers a similar feature on its Web site. The WebEx Carbon Calculator helps customers figure out how much they can reduce CO2 emissions.