Where Does Green IT Fit in Real-World IT Practice?

Published June 30, 2010

Hello everyone. My name is Chris Mines, I'm a Research Director at Forrester Research based in Cambridge, Mass, USA. Many thanks to Joel, Matt and the rest of the GreenBiz.com team for sharing the GreenerComputing channel with me; I will be chiming in on a bi-weekly basis with research-based insights and opinions.

I have been leading Forrester's efforts in sustainable computing and green IT for the last 3 years, with a particular focus on the role of IT professionals and assets in furthering corporate sustainability initiatives. We work with many clients -- both supplier and buyer organizations -- to improve the adoption, governance, and communications of their green IT and overall sustainability programs and policies.

One of the centerpieces of Forrester's ongoing research in this area is our survey of IT practitioners at enterprises and SMBs worldwide. We have done the survey twice each year since 2007 and it provides a fascinating window into the motivations, depth, and breadth of corporate commitments to greener IT processes and into IT's role in broader corporate sustainability efforts. I want to share two results from our latest survey (conducted in April 2010), and briefly discuss the implications of those findings.

At first look, the data in Figure 1 (click image for a larger version) is not-so-good news for those of us evangelizing and implementing green IT. Simply put, sustainability and energy efficiency rank low (#10 out of 11) on IT's priority list. But let's look a little closer at some of the other priorities our survey respondents identified.

NYC Judge Dismisses Industry-Led E-Waste Lawsuit A federal court judge today dismissed a lawsuit seeking to halt the Big Apple's electronics waste recycling law, and a similar state-wide law that pre-empted the law is going on the books....	Deloitte Creates Six-Step Plan to Corporate Sustainability To recognize the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Global Compact, the firm has pulled from its work with the world's leading companies to outline and define the steps any organization can take to move toward social and environmental responsibility....
Can a Coal-Carrying Railroad Be Green? Although the environmental benefits of rail power that Union Pacific touts are significant, the company is also a big customer of the coal-mining industry and is opposing climate legislation in Washington....	The View from the C-Suite: P&G's Len Sauers The VP of Sustainability at the world's largest household and personal products company talks about Procter & Gamble's 9,000-member innovation team, how it impacts chemical giants like Dow and Dupont, and what it takes to get people to do their washing in cold water....
Building a Greener Tastykake The Tasty Baking Company has moved its operations into what it is calling the world's largest green bakery....	20 Chicago Restaurants Served Green Certifications The 20 restaurants, include big-name eateries such as Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill and Topolobampo restaurants, earned the Guaranteed Green seal last week, available through the Green Restaurant Association or Green Seal, which is the more expensive option of the two, Time Out Chicago reported....
Energy Efficiency Must Be a Household Need Like TV, Internet: U.K. Minister Energy Minister Chris Huhne criticized the British government and citizens for failing to take action on energy efficiency in homes and businesses, and said the new 'Green Deal' bill would make it easier to boost efficiency in the U.K....	Americans Edge Closer to Energy Awareness in Wake of Disasters In spring, about the time the press coverage of the Gulf oil spill cranked into high gear, Shelton Group conducted a poll to see whether the event was affecting mindset of Americans on energy. The result may be one of the rare bits of "good news" to surface since the disaster....

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