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DeliciousVirtual meetings to reduce your CO2
Wednesday, June 04, 2008Three public bodies have called for the government to encourage more virtual meetings.
The Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have published reports that said the technology is vital to reducing business travel.
In the report from the IPPR and SDC, the government is asked to "reduce business travel...by speeding the uptake of technology alternatives such as telepresence". An example cited in the report was of a financial company that avoided approximately 200 transatlantic flights and 60 European flights by using a system from supplier Teliris for 158 meetings, saving nearly £1.8m and 450 tonnes of C02 emissions in the process.
The WWF report said two thirds of FTSE 350 companies were in favour of proposals for the government to introduce an Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme for organisations investing in telepresence technology.
"For the first time, virtual meetings are an attractive alternative to travelling for many types of meeting, from board meetings to project team updates, where the individuals already know each other and working relationships are well established," the report said.
Couldn't agree more. Not only will this help to reduce CO2 emissions for the organisations concerned, it will be of great assistance to those who are located off the beaten track in more rural and isolated parts of the UK. Importantly a real push behind this could use public sector activity to private or third sector enterprises to further develop and innovate in this
Tom
Absolutely. See me for a solution
www.myvideotalk.com/116929
Linda MacPhee - Aberdeen/UK/MVT
Good article, although the idea that ‘telepresence technology is just ‘another term for videoconferencing’ is incorrect, particularly in relation to the subject of business travel.
Despite firms investing millions on video conferencing it never really changed behaviour in relation to business travel. This is because traditional video conferencing doesn’t recreate the feeling of an actual face-to-face meeting.
In contrast, as the example of the financial company illustrates, the arrival of telepresence is starting to play a major role reducing businesses reliance on travel.
I have had the privilege of participating in a telepresence meeting and it is light years ahead of anything I’ve seen before. The telepresence meeting was transparent, intimate and effective and enabled everyone to read each other’s verbal and non-verbal cues, sense the true tone of the meeting and feel each other’s presence across the table.
Sarah Pern
I stand corrected.
Mike Lowe - Public Servant Daily
Face to face meetings are important for finalising deals. So travel can not be avoided all together.
Shahinsha - Vijayawada/ India / MyVideoTalkIndia 141995