Green tech must be integral to U.S. CTO Aneesh Chopra's agenda
8/5/2009 |
Even the federal government isn't immune to the potential savings of green technology. Per a directive from President Obama, various departments of the U.S. government came up with 77 ways [PDF] in the span of 100 days to cut federal spending by around $102 million per year -- a fair percentage of which is made possible by technologies that help reduce the costly waste of fuel, paper, ink, electricity, and other resources.
The technologies embraced by the feds -- such as Web conferencing, PC power management, and electronic documents and signatures -- are by no means new. Some of the cost-cutting implementations might even be considered blindingly obvious, as suggested by the Wall Street Journal's take on the story: "In a Savings Shocker, the Government Discovers That Paper Has Two Sides."
This story, to me, reinforces the fact that many large organizations, both public and private, cling to a costly culture of waste tolerance. However, if someone with enough clout applies sufficient pressure, an organization can discover ways to apply technological solutions to quickly reap savings -- along with productivity boosts and environmental gains. It also reveals the opportunity for the nation's newly appointed CTO, Aneesh Chopra, to make green technology a cornerstone of his agenda, for the sake of saving tax dollars and improving governmental efficiency, all while advancing the nation's commitment to better environmental stewardship.
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Bon voyage to travel
Several departments plan to slash travel costs with communication technologies. For example, the Department of the Interior expects to save nearly $1 million through fiscal year 2010 through the use of Web-based collaboration tools in lieu of in-person meetings. The Department of Homeland Security plans to utilize conference calls and Web-based training and meetings, which, alongside "maximizing use of governmental facilities for meetings conferences" will save an anticipated $2 million this year. The Department of Agriculture expects to save upward of $50,000 with teleconferencing.
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