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Move bits, not people
Companies everywhere are working hard to be “green” – or at least portray themselves that way. This may be a cost savings measure, driven by regulation (e.g. Kyoto compliance), or a pure marketing strategy. The green imperative has come to telecom as well. Current Analysis has a report tracking Green Market Developments, and computer makers are now competing on power consumption as a critical metric. Cisco has announced an “Energy Wise” program to monitor and control power consumption. The ITU-T has issued recommendations to standardize carbon footprint measurement. But I think these initiatives miss the big picture. Unlike most other industries, telecom can reduce total energy consumption and green house gas (GHG) emissions by selling more of our product.
Telecom products are very green, by their very nature. We should be positioning ourselves not just as conservers, but as the vehicle by which other companies cut costs and reduce their energy consumption. In this regard, telecom is every bit as green as the solar energy industry – we just haven’t realized it yet.
Natural England is a UK government agency charged “to conserve and enhance the natural environment”. In 2007, they launched an initiative to reduce their carbon footprint by 50% in 3 years. They found that 30% of their footprint was from travel, and 80% of the travel was for internal meetings. So they ordered an IPVPN (from Global Crossing, see announcement) and a hosted IP-telephony system. They cut travel using audio and video conferencing, and online collaboration tools – all over the IPVPN. They will save 2 million miles of car travel, and 20,000 man days. Time is money, and saving petrol will soon be the new imperative.
This isn’t an isolated incident by a green agency. EurekAlert! reports that companies are “flocking” to video conferencing to cut business travel. At an annual cost of $179 billion (U.S. only), there’s lots of room for savings! At the same time, perhaps unconsciously, they’re reducing their energy consumption and GHG emissions. If you want to quantify the savings of online meetings vs. travel, this calculator will show the savings in both dollars and pounds of CO2.
But this cultural shift from face-to-face meetings to online collaboration is just beginning. Think about the way the millennial generation blogs and texts and tweets. They remain connected regardless of their physical separation. We’re beginning to see a shift in even tradeshows. First we had virtual participation in the VON conference via Second Life. Then it was a steady stream of invites to free “webinars”. Now I see full-day virtual conferences (e.g. mobile 2012) being setup. There’s no place to go.
Like every industry, telecom must do its part to reduce our use and protect the planet. But unlike most industries, this is an opportunity for growth, not a limitation. We have one of the best substitutes for oil – moving bits instead of people. Displacing travel is like finding new oil wells – only greener.
