December 17, 2007 12:43 PM PST

Survey: Corporate computing expands green streak

Efforts to purchase eco-friendly and energy-efficient IT equipment have expanded notably since the spring, according to 130 companies surveyed by Forrester Research.

Some 38 percent of corporations said they take environmental concerns into account when making purchasing decisions, a jump from 25 percent surveyed in April.

The top reason for going green was slashing energy costs, cited by 55 percent of respondents. Doing the right thing for the environment was the next most popular motivation, noted by half of those surveyed. And 95 percent called environmental concerns either somewhat or very important to operations.

However, the study found that most firms haven't yet put such intentions to action. Although only 15 percent said they have a solid green IT plan, 25 percent are in the process of making one, and 39 percent are considering it.

Awareness of vendors' attempts to green the design, operation, and disposal of their products has grown to 29 percent--from 15 percent in the spring.

The report recommended that firms make executive commitments to greener policies. They should also assess their energy expenses and carbon footprints without making unrealistic promises or rushing into carbon offset programs, Forrester suggested.

Most of the corporations polled are in North America or Europe and have at least 1,000 employees.

Recent posts from Green Tech
Wind power company Noble files for public offering
Your receipt is in the e-mail
Barriers to solar energy's blockbuster promise
Is carbon storage just a pipe dream?
Citi: Solar prices to sink rapidly in looming shakeout
Powered by Jive Software
advertisement
  • About Green Tech

  • Innovation in energy and environmental technologies is long overdue. But it's here now--and growing fast. Touching on everything from water to wind turbines, CNET News.com's Martin LaMonica and other CNET writers serve up fresh green tech news and commentary.

Add this feed to your online news reader
Google
Yahoo
MSN

Latest blog posts from News.com

Featured blogs

Beyond Binary by Ina Fried A look at how technology is changing our lives and at the people behind all that life-changing stuff.

Coop's Corner by Charles Cooper Charles Cooper weighs in on Silicon Valley hijinks, and he doesn't suffer fools gladly.

Defense in Depth by Robert Vamosi Covering the latest in computer viruses and computer crime.

Geek Gestalt by Daniel Terdiman At the tech culture nexus of video games, fire art, and virtual worlds.

One More Thing by Tom Krazit Tom Krazit takes on the tech phenomenon that is Apple, and keeps a close watch on the chip industry.

Outside the Lines by Dan Farber When business and technology meet, that's when things get interesting.

The Iconoclast by Declan McCullagh Exploring the intersection of politics and technology.

The Social by Caroline McCarthy Exploring all facets of social media and tech culture.

Underexposed by Stephen Shankland Coverage of digital photography, science, and open-source software.

advertisement
On TechRepublic: Who made the worst PC ever?
Advanced
search
Advanced
search
Visit other CNET Networks sites: