If the developing world wants to emulate the Western world’s way of life, we would need multiple planets to supply the raw materials and absorb the waste.

Huge changes need to take place, many of them beyond the scope of the IT department.

But technology can make a substantial difference and have a positive effect, not only on the planet, but on society and company profitability.

Broadly speaking, IT can help run a more efficient and less energy-consuming organisation. It can also help dematerialise a company’s products and the means by which it delivers services.

To take a simple example of dematerialisation, remember when we had telephone answering machines? Now the same function is delivered as a service, either by telecoms service providers or by software inside the organisation. More recent examples are online music and e-books.

Forrester Research suggests that, in future, the cost of a product or service will be measured not only in price, but also in terms of energy consumed over its lifecycle.

No doubt a product’s inherent recyclability and use of hazardous chemicals could also be taken into
account. Such information would need to be recorded and maintained by IT systems.

Look at the business as a whole, along with the chief executive, facilities, HR manager and anyone else with a vested interest. Raw materials, manufacturing, logistics, staff travel and buildings are all part of the mix.

After all, cutting the carbon footprint is a question of motivation at the top. Once a company has decided to act, every aspect of the business can be re-examined.

The trick, certainly in the early days, is to look for the big wins. These usually provide net economic, environmental and social benefits.

An internet protocol communications network, for example, can put antennae in every part of a business. Instead of separate monitoring and control systems, they can be consolidated into a single all-embracing network, in theory at least.

But common sense needs to be applied regarding the investment needed and the payoff expected.

It is unlikely that anyone in the organisation will be familiar with all the potential opportunities.

So why not create online meeting places where employees can discuss and share information and opinions?

The more that IT is seen as value-adding, the more it will attract budget and raise its importance to the
organisation.

To keep the planet ticking over and to recover lost ground, we need to shift as many of our desires as possible away from material things and towards services.

It all sounds terribly idealistic, but IT can be useful at many levels ­ not least in helping to account for all the company’s inputs, processing and outputs, in the effective operation of the buildings and services and in the minimisation of travel, accommodation and commuting.

But if your company does not take green computing seriously or has little interest in it, your best bet is to show how environmental actions can benefit the bottom line, and take it from there.

David Tebbutt is programme director at analyst Freeform Dynamics. Read the blog at: http://freeform.computing.co.uk