Cut Emissions in Half with Telecommuting, Web Conferencing
Working at home sounds great, doesn’t it? With the average Los Angeles commute topping 30 minutes each way, think of what you could do with that extra time. And think of what the environment could do without all of those emissions.
A new report from the World Wildlife Fund indicates that non-manufacturing companies could cut their carbon footprint in half by allowing telework. With more and more companies looking to reduce their eco-impact, a shift towards telecommuting would be a big step forward.
But what about all of those meetings?
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I recently did some investigation into web-based conference services, to see how they might work in the real world. As an office-greening consultant and author of The Green Office Handbook, it’s important for me to keep up on the latest and greatest. What I discovered puts the old expensive, cumbersome videoconferencing systems to shame.
Web conferencing is now just like being there, without the expense and emissions of travel. See everyone’s smiling faces via webcams, take notes on a whiteboard, give a presentation, share pictures or other media, or whatever else you would do in real life. It’s all available for a low monthly price. Just look for a service that includes teleconferencing (sorry, VOIP just isn’t quite reliable enough for business meetings yet!) and doesn’t require everyone to download software to attend.
Of course, you may still need to meet that new client face-to-face to close the big deal. But, don’t throw out “pretty good” solutions that could significantly reduce your travel costs, time and emissions while you wait for that “perfect” solution. Take the step that is available today, and check out a web-based conferencing solution for your company.
Photo credit: Respres on Flickr via Creative Commons license
