By Philip Siefert

For companies to "go green," they need solutions that positively impact the environment without raising costs or sacrificing productivity.

However, to make an impact, we all need to take personal action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The longer we wait the more difficult it is going to be.  The point is to get started doing something now.  So I say, accept that this rebellion is real and realise that the time for taking action on global warming is not tomorrow, not even today, but this very minute.

The key to engaging enterprises in this endeavour is to identify CO2 reduction programs that do not raise costs or sacrifice productivity.  It is possible to be environmentally responsible and stay competitive, without breaking the bank.  Companies must be presented though with workable steps that they can take today to reduce their carbon footprint.

For Tandberg and our customers, that means using our videoconferencing solutions to reduce unnecessary travel and provide effective telecommuting options. It's this simple: staying off the roads and out of the skies means adding less CO2 to the atmosphere.

Frankly, when Tandberg debuted its first video system to the European market in 1989, we viewed it as a tool to enhance business productivity. We did not think of its as a green technology. We are humbled to realise that what we have been creating all along is an environmental solution for business.  Now, we are excited to provide a technology that can both help the environment and also improve the bottom line or organisations of all sizes. 

On average, Tandberg customers have found that videoconferencing can reduce their need to travel by 30%, while improving their bottom line. A large organisation can replace upwards of 20,000 round-trip, short-haul flights annually with video meetings, saving 2,200 tons of CO2 from being released into the environment.

In the US, an average five-day commuting workweek releases more than 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, per employee.  If each employee telecommuted just one day each week, think of the impact on CO2 levels, not to mention traffic congestion and job satisfaction. 

By deploying experts and conducting training sessions over video, Volkswagen has cut vehicle repair time by over 50 per cent and reduced travel and communication expenses by 30 per cent. 

When AstraZeneca develops a new drug, it commits hundreds of scientists, doctors and other professionals around the world for a decade or more.  Visual communication is essential to avoiding misunderstandings and contributes to effective global meetings.  The pharmaceutical company relies on video to reduce travel costs and improve quality of life for employees.

Vodafone, another customer, has eliminated 13,500 flights per year since committing to videoconferencing as a business tool.  This elimination of air travel has helped Vodafone reduce its carbon emissions by over 5,500 tons annually and achieve a return on investment for its video investment within one year.

As a global citizen, Tandberg has a genuine commitment to the environment.  In large part, that commitment comes from our Norwegian roots.  Norwegians long have been environmentally conscious as a people.

At Tandberg, the easy green initiative for us is videoconferencing.  We've been doing that for around 20 years - well before the recent ‘green wave.  Now, with at-home and mobile video solutions we are making sure that everyone in our company has access to video wherever they are.  We believe, however, that video conferencing is not enough for Tandberg to call itself  "environmentally" conscious.  Therefore, we are making changes in our operations.

For example, when customers buy new Tandberg equipment, they can send in their old equipment for recycling and send the new equipment back for recycling when it reaches the end of its useful life.  We also ban certain hazardous substances from use in new electronic equipment, including lead, mercury and cadmium. 

Most importantly, last year, we conducted a third-party audit of our environmental record to help us discover areas to improve and target a fixed reduction.  And we are supporting green initiatives started by employees in offices in all parts of the world. 

These changes have already resulted in recycling programs, energy efficient buildings, use of business materials good for the environment, water/waste/emissions reduction, travel reduction policies and work from home programs.

Addressing climate change is a work in progress for all of us but feel free to stand up and be counted.  Take our green pledge which will help you set a goal of reducing your organisation's CO2 emissions by a fixed percentage.  Click on http://www.seegreennow.com/thePledge.aspx

Philip Siefert, Regional Director ANZ, TANDBERG