Environmental Leader

Green IT is a high priority, but eco-consciousness is less of a driving factor than cutting costs, vnunet.com reports.

According to a survey of businesses at Storage Expo 2008, 70 percent of respondents said green IT and efficiency is a priority, as long as it saves money.

Four percent said it was a priority even without cost savings; 10 percent said they were disappointed that environmental projects were binned due to budget cuts. Another 4 percent said green IT had never been a priority, and 2 percent said they were so worried about their job that they couldn’t think about it.

Although the reason behind green projects may have changed, speakers at Architecting for Efficiency say the end results are essentially the same.

In September Managing Technology reported that the EU’s Restriction of Hazardous Substance Directive is forcing companies to ask how they can green their operations. In addition, Europe also places the burden of recycling on companies instead of consumers.

Forrester’s new report, “Is Green IT Your Emperor with No Clothes?” recommends IT departments to establish a “green baseline.”

According to a March report released by Forrester, green IT services will peak at $4.8 billion in 2013.