New Study Says Go Green with Greater Telecommuting November 25th, 2008
Tom Amontree

These days “going green” is on the lips of everyone from President-elect Barack Obama to consumers’ searching for more environmentally-friendly ways to live.  Now, the new ‘Smart2020 report’, issued by The Climate Group for the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, underscores the myriad ways the tech industry can reduce emissions, with telecommuting topping the list.  The study found that expanding broadband-enabled teleworking opportunities could save up to 260 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.

In order to reduce the maximum volume of greenhouse gas emissions, employees would need to work from home a minimum of three days per week.  While telecommuting opportunities are on the rise, with a WorldatWork Survey citing a 40% increase in the number of employers offering telework, many companies are still reluctant to adopt telecommuting.  In fact, the Smart2020 report cites a TelCoa survey that said 54% of U.S. companies felt telecommuting presented obstacles to employee collaboration, and 46% believed that teleworking made it more difficult to manage performance.

In addition to telecommuting’s green benefits, a recent ‘Computerworld story’ discusses how the cost savings and efficiencies of teleworking are more attractive than ever to companies in this economic downturn.  Thanks to the power of broadband and the positive impact of telecommuting, this trend is accelerating and unleashing substantial benefits for workers, businesses and the environment.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 at 9:53 am and is filed under Benefits of Broadband. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.