Another Reason Not To Raise Your Voice In Public

Green Technology Not Just For Hippies: Accountants Can Dig It, Too

from the earth-is-our-mother dept

Wed, Nov 22nd 2006 3:17pm — Carlo Longino

It's always interesting to see stories touting the financial benefits that "green" products can offer companies, since there's a common perception that environmentally friendlier products cost more than comparable standard ones, and that perception -- or misconception -- hampers their adoption. Out now is a story emphasizing that not only do energy-efficent computers let companies feel all warm and fuzzy because they're helping the environment, they can offer significant cost savings as the price of energy increases. It's always seemed that a better way to convince businesses to operate more sustainably and environmentally friendly is to show them how doing so can benefit their business, rather than just trying to convince them that they should be acting with the planet's welfare in mind. Products and solutions that enhance the bottom line and are better for the environment to boot are more likely to be adopted than those that don't, and rising energy costs, the costs of complying with environmental regulations and other factors are all serving to make green technology an attractive area.

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AMP, 22 Nov 2006 @ 3:54pm

True Dat
We have a "Green PC" solution, and it has not yet been received all that well. Most common objection.....costs more. Technical directors have a bottom line to worry about just like everybody else, and the "save the world" angle is not going to be enough to justify the additional expenditure to their superiors. Unless I can demonstrate how it is going to sav them $ in their energy costs, I am not going to be able to sell it. Even then it is a crap shoot, as the tech department budgets often have nothing to do with paying the energy bills. So it becomes somebody elses issue.
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CCS, 23 Nov 2006 @ 5:47pm

Architects have known of the long-term savings since 1995, at least. The trick is convincing clients to adopt the techniques, and managing people's aesthetic expectations. Now that it's bandwagon to 'be green' the whole field is becoming cutthroat.

It's relevant particularly to building designers, because it is generally our issue to include this suggestion during design development.
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mousepaw, 26 Nov 2006 @ 7:50am

cost vs efficiency
From a layman: I can't help wondering why "green" does generally cost more (although I'm talking more about food than computers) when it seems that it's what we started with, way back when.

Has the chasm created by our technological leaps and bounds made it too difficult to go back to the simple solutions? Maybe we haven't leapt far enough to make it affordable/viable? (Solar & wind power.)

I too am having a hard time finding the energy or motivation to research products that will help the environment and be cost-friendly too. The "pay more now but save more later" mentality suits me only when I don't have to "pay more" over and over for the same thing because they haven't worked the bugs out yet (or it's going to be obsolete in 6 months - same as everything else).

There is little advertising on it except (in my case):

a) the electrical company who wants me to deck my rooms with curly flourescent 200W bulbs (at $15-$28/bulb minus the $3 coupon), or

b) the Christmas light company with their LED lights, that are going to save me $80/yr, cost me $12 for 25 lights, but I have to throw out $100's in old lighting which results in the next problem: where do I throw out that kind of garbage now? Electrical goes one place; glass and plastic go somewhere else. Do I have to dismantle these things before I can give them the old heave-ho?

It doesn't just cost money, it costs time and energy. As a consumer, you gotta really wanna go "green."
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Anonymous Coward, 20 May 2009 @ 5:26am

As we all know, nearly almost plastic products around you was made through plastic injection molding – the mouse you are using to click, the PET containers you use to store water or food, and also China printing can help us made the labels to attract potential customers and steel and aluminum made scaffolding made for the purpose of construction and renovation works.
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