This week was a relatively slow week for Canadian telecom industry news. Conversely, it was hot and heavy for us technology advocates related to environmental issues, and the way technology can be used to help or hinder our environment.
This made us reflect on the change of perspective and focus that the environment has become within corporate Canada and the telecom/IT industry recently.
As many of our long-standing readers and associates know, we have been teleworkers and telework advocates for over twenty years. (hence our long standing involvement in the Canadian Telework Association http://www.ivc.ca/cta .
We believe that the right technology solutions supported by the correct policies, procedures and processes can have numerous positive benefits such as:
Decrease corporate office and facilities costs
Increased individual productivity from 25-40 per cent from our numerous studies Be an effective recruiting and retention tool
Help contribute to work-life balance and reduce stress
Reduce commute and transportation emission impact (costs, environment impact, road wear, etc.)
From both our research and experience, the environmental impacts are enlightening from a few perspectives, some are positive and some are negative.
One major environmental factor can be the reduction of the number of trips to/from the corporate offices.
This results in less carbon emissions and wear and tear on our personal automobiles. Some of us have even reduced the number of vehicles we own due to teleworking.
The potential negative environmental considerations come from questions such as:
How do I recycle my technology waste, i.e. toner cartridges, technology packaging and obsolete equipment?
How do I ensure that my air quality and noise levels are safe and not affected by any technology in my home office?
What technology do I buy to minimize my hydro use, (i.e. energy star type ratings), and can I have my technology be set to minimize hydro use during off hours, but still be available when needed?
During our discussions with numerous technology and business journalists, this week we realized that technology was only one piece of the environmental puzzle and we drew a diagram to explain the four areas and the interdependencies.
The resulting diagram had a quadrant with interconnecting lines. We then realized that the four major factors were intertwined and each had a cause and effect on each other.
More importantly, we realized that not all areas were the responsibility of one person, one company or one government department. We discussed how, if at all, the technology industry could provide leadership, guidance and recommendations to help ‘solve the environment puzzle’ while providing specific, realistic environment guidelines.
As business owners who want to minimize our impact on the environment, we are all challenged to find guidelines and options which cover all areas which are accessible, realistic and affordable to us as small business owners.
Our challenge to the telecom and IT industry…….why not take a leadership stand in this area! You could use your relationships and influence with the other areas to work together in developing guidelines to educate us as customers on how to deal with and manage the various areas.
If you would like to know more about FOX Groups’ research and studies on telework, network investments and environmental impacts, contact Roberta Fox at 905.473.3369 x 1001 or Roberta.Fox@FOXGROUP.ca.