sustainable development: an imperative
Sustainable development was first defined in 1987 as “development that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising
the capacity of future generations to meet their own needs.” It is becoming increasingly urgent to face this challenge since
development has long been based on abundant natural resources and inexpensive fossil fuels. These resources are now limited.
At
the same time, our use of fossil fuels - for our transport, heating, lighting and cooking - releases an increasing quantity
of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These leads, in all probability,to global warming, which already has visible consequences
and is a potential danger for humanity.
green IT: a responsibility and an opportunity
Green IT refers to sustainable development strategies that can be applied to information and communications technology (ICT).
“In the area of ICT, sustainable development represents a responsibility to reduce the company’s ecological footprint and an opportunity to reduce costs,” explains Jean-Manuel Canet, Senior Manager for Sustainable Development at Orange Business Services.
“Like all companies, Orange Business Services has to deal with these issues. As a major international player in business communications services, we have a special role to play. We offer our clients services that lower their operating costs and their environmental impact.”
Orange Business Services offers you two complementary approaches. The first involves improving the energy efficiency of your information systems; the second uses ICT as a tool for reducing your environmental impact, for example through virtualization.
ICT, a perfectly adapted solution
ICT can play a substantial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Here are some examples:
- Thanks to videoconferencing, you can attend meetings from your office, without taking long airplane flights.
- Setting up an electronic billing system reduces the need for printing and sending paper invoices.
- Solutions for tracking company vehicles can optimize your vehicle mileage.
- Implementing ICT solutions in office buildings makes it possible to improve energy-related cost management.
These solutions contribute to significant reductions in energy, and, as a result, lower your company’s impact on the environment. In the future, ICT should also help people meet the challenges presented by climate change. Pollution, flood and drought alert systems are some of the tools originating from these new technologies.
measurable CO2 reductions
If telepresence solutions (video or web conferencing) substituted 20% of business trips within the EU-25, 22.35 million tons
of CO2 emissions would be saved*.
Would you like to know the amount of CO2 emissions you would
save by replacing a trip with a virtual meeting? Calculate your savings now using the Orange online calculator: Orange CO2
saving tool
*Source: European Commission report “Assessing Opportunities for ICT to Contribute to Sustainable Development”,
December 2005. WWF/ETNO “Saving the climate at the speed of light”
when “green” architecture and ICT unite
Projects carried out by “sustainable cities” and “zero CO2 areas” rely on ICT. Residents in these cities, towns and regions will be able to:
- manage their home energy consumption remotely
- manage purchases and consolidate deliveries remotely
- work from home or at a telecommuting center near their home,
- access numerous essential services from home (social services, banking, etc.), and communicate with others, for example with their advisors, by videoconference
- access content (download films, music, etc.) from home without needing to use a vehicle
Green IT solutions can also be implemented in rural areas. For example, the Points Visio-Public offer we deployed in the Auvergne region of France allows residents in rural communities to communicate directly with French social and public service agencies. As a result, the residents avoid financially and ecologically costly car trips.
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