Earth Day 2019: There is no ‘silver bullet’ to address the issue of climate change. But if every business made a small change, together we would make a big change
Earth Day is the world’s largest environmental movement and is celebrated every year on 22nd April. It serves as a reminder that the world we live in isn’t sustainable if we don’t make a difference. However, it’s very easy to downsize the problem and point the finger at someone else.
Technology vendors are not entirely blameless when it comes to being environmentally conscious. So, taking all of this into account, Techerati spoke to six IT industry experts this Earth Day to get their thoughts and advice on how the technology industry can take the small steps needed to make a big environmental difference.
Starting small
It’s very easy to make a difference when it comes to being greener, even if it doesn’t feel like it. One of the first things any company can do is to go paperless. This can be everything from emailing documents rather than printing them, to moving data from on-premises to the cloud. Or, as Steve Wainwright, managing director at Skillsoft suggests, “A good eLearning programme – as well as boosting your organisation’s productivity – can have a positive impact on your organisation’s carbon footprint.”
“Online resources significantly cut down on the amount of paper used,” Wainwright continues. “Classroom based-training, on the other hand, tends to rely on handouts and quizzes that use up a lot of paper. According to research conducted by Kyocera, the average office worker in the UK uses up to 45 pieces of paper per day, and a staggering two-thirds of that is considered waste.”
“Striving to create a paperless office is one of the most eco-friendly tactics an organisation can use to help the environment, and learning programmes are a great place to start.”
Additionally, sophisticated wireless networking can also help to generate a smarter, greener and more efficient world. This may not be the obvious solution, but as Jason Wells, VP and VP and GM EMEA at Cradlepoint explains:
“Smart devices enable a greater level of control and a more in-depth method of data collection than ever before and they have an important role to play in both new and existing office buildings. Fast mobile Internet connections are the backbone of this new IoT landscape. And while 4G is already supporting IoT development in office buildings, 5G will be the catalyst for even greater adoption. This efficiency can generate a smarter business world, and the pace of development is only going to continue to increase.”