| Not that long ago, the term "going green" | | | | to reduce personal stress and increase |
| conjured up thoughts of radical environmentalists | | | | productivity by giving them the option to work |
| going to extremes to save a forest in the name | | | | from home on one or more days a week. Being |
| of "The Movement." Today, however, "going | | | | able to meet virtually wherever they are located |
| green" means so much more. As individual | | | | means they can still hold impromptu meetings or |
| awareness has grown regarding how behavior | | | | recurring ones with ease. Phone or web |
| affects greenhouse gas emissions or hurts local | | | | conferencing enables individuals to use their time |
| water supply; home recycling and home energy | | | | more efficiently - scheduling and keeping other |
| efficiency has grown from energy efficient light | | | | appointments becomes easier. Additionally, |
| bulbs to entire energy efficiency home | | | | telecommuting using phone and web conferencing |
| conversions. | | | | equates to cost savings on vehicle use -- less |
| As an extension of this personal environmental | | | | wear and tear on vehicles. The result of using |
| impact awareness, businesses are giving serious | | | | phone and web conferencing is that employees |
| thought to how they can "go green" while | | | | strengthen the work-life balance and, ultimately, |
| continuing to make their businesses more efficient. | | | | companies are able to hire and retain happier, |
| Beyond in-office recycling and re-using coffee | | | | more productive workers. |
| cups, companies are searching for solutions that | | | | Environmentally speaking, encouraging staff to use |
| provide the right combination of savings and | | | | phone and web conferencing has many benefits. |
| benefits for both employer and employee, while | | | | Already 12 million employees and another 16 million |
| enabling employers to give some intangible | | | | self-employed people work at home at least one |
| benefits to employees during tight economic | | | | day a month [1]. Collectively, these home-based |
| times. One such solution is phone and web | | | | workers now save the equivalent of 24% of Gulf |
| conferencing. | | | | oil imports and avoid producing 33 million metric |
| Phone and web conferencing by companies allows | | | | tons greenhouse gases a year [1]. Also, according |
| employees to hold virtual meetings from their | | | | to a report released in April 2008 by the |
| own offices. It gives them instant access to | | | | American Electronics Association, if every U.S. |
| co-workers, customers and clients without having | | | | worker telecommuted 1.6 days per week, an |
| to travel, thereby eliminating the environmental | | | | estimated 1.35 billion gallons of gasoline could be |
| impact while lowering company costs. When you | | | | conserved annually. |
| consider that a roundtrip flight from New York to | | | | The positive results that phone and web |
| Los Angeles emits 2.46 metric tons of CO2 -- the | | | | conferencing contribute to the environment and |
| greenhouse gas that goes directly into the most | | | | make in an employee's life is something that any |
| sensitive portion of our atmosphere - you realize | | | | company can feel good about. What's more, |
| how much you can make a difference by simply | | | | shareholders, clients, employees and investors, will |
| introducing phone and web conferencing into your | | | | feel confident supporting a company that employs |
| company culture. [1] | | | | such forward thinking, cost efficient and |
| Phone and web conferencing also allows individuals | | | | eco-friendly policies. |