SMARTER STRATEGIES

Andrew Winston: Retreat from Green in Tough Times Is a Huge Mistake

Joe Maglitta | Date: 09-15-09 | Comments

Recession demands green IT projects that drive cost cutting, growth and innovation, according to a new book by the �Green to Gold� author.

When the going gets tough, the smart get green. That�s the counterintuitive message of the new book �Green Recovery - Get Lean, Get Smart, and Emerge from the Downturn on Top� (Harvard Business School Press) by green guru Andrew Winston.

In hard times, most companies need to focus on their bottom lines, cut costs and conserve cash � and they need to do it fast, Winston, founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, said in an interview with Ziff Davis Enterprise. Reducing energy use and waste, two pillars of green, he says, are ideal ways to do so.

(Note: Winston will be the keynote interview for the Ziff Davis Enterprise Power Management and Green Virtual Trade Show on Wednesday, Sept. 16. To hear the complete audio interview and get details of the daylong Web event, click here.)

�Green is a source of cost savings, growth and innovation � and sticking with green in hard times positions organizations when the economy picks up,� he says. �Even though it might be our instinct to retreat from green initiatives in hard times, doing so would be short-sighted and a huge mistake.�

The book lays out success stories from Microsoft, Disney, Boeing, Toyota, P&G and many others to make its points.

Partners HealthCare in Boston, for example, uses software from Verdiem to force its 27,000 computers into standby mode when idle. The result: Eliminating 5.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity and freeing $1.4 million a year for patient care.

IT�s Major Role

For Winston, IT plays a major role, managing power consumption in data centers and for PC fleets and by deploying conferencing technologies to cut down on business travel. Virtualization is a key technology.

An added benefit: Green programs attract and energize best and brightest employees.

Small Green Shoots

Take heart: You can keep the green ball rolling even if you�re not the CEO or CIO, Winston says. And small initiatives add up fast. He tells how Sun Microsystems announced �Bring Out Your Dead� day. Departments brought forth hundreds of unused but plugged in PCs for disposal, yielding huge savings.

�Don�t look down your nose at small improvements,� Winston advises. �Each area may save a modest amount, but in total you can make a noticeable dent in cash flow and profitability. Twenty changes of 1 percent each add up. Let them.�