Focus on green technology: Lead by example   |  May 27, 2009  

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Bell spearheading numerous green initiatives

 The environmental performance of a company is not just measured by how it ranks on sustainability ratings or how well it responds to environmental or sustainability benchmark questionnaires. “The performance of a company—its real commitment to sustainability—can be proven when it receives third-party certification from a recognized international standard,” says Stéphane Boisvert, President, Enterprise, Bell Canada.

Bell joined the ranks of world leaders in April 2009 when it become the first Canadian telecommunications company to obtain ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system (EMS). Boisvert adds: “A certified EMS requires a formal commitment to environmental protection coupled with continuous improvements made by senior management right down to frontline employees.” It also requires a series of programs and processes to systematically address all of the company’s environmental issues.

“Since the early 1990s, Bell has implemented 19 different environmental programs by which we address our key issues, from supply chain to operations and finally to products and services,” says Daniel Gagné, Bell’s Director of Corporate Responsibility and Environment.

Bell has been actively involved with the Global e-Sustainability Initiative’s Supply Chain Working Group, and participated in the development of an ICT approach to responsible procurement. “We have developed and adopted a Supplier Code of Conduct which specifies our expectations in terms of environment, labour, health and safety, and ethics,” says Gagné. “This Code is now an integral part of all our new contracts.”

Bell has also introduced a Supplier Corporate Responsibility assessment questionnaire that is used with certain suppliers during the selection process. “In addition to our dedication to do business with suppliers who demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainable development, we are also gradually integrating environmental criteria for products that we buy.” An example can be found in the paper Bell purchases for office, billing and marketing needs, which is now FSC-certified or made-up of a minimum of 25 per cent post-consumer fiber content.

Bell is able to close the loop by offering its customers end-of-life take-back programs. The award-winning Bell Blue Box program has already diverted 624,886 mobile phones from landfills and recycled more than 90 metric tons of batteries and accessories. As part of this program, Bell donates one dollar for each unit collected to help WWF-Canada fight climate change.

On the operations front, Bell has pollution prevention programs in place, enabling it to make efficient use of resources, including waste minimization and energy conservation. For example, in 2008 it recycled 6,160 metric tons of used material from its network operations and reached a diversion rate of 86 per cent. More than 1.7 million employees and customers adopted e-billing and continue to save more than 12,000 trees each year. As well, Bell’s new campus facilities meet LEED standards for green buildings.

“At Bell, we are working to promote the use of telecommunications as a solution to climate change,” says Boisvert. “In doing so, we supported WWF-Canada in the production of an information booklet which presents the benefits of using technology to reduce one’s carbon footprint.” Bell is leading by example as it reduced its own greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent from its 2003 baseline.

Recommendations from WWF’s Innovating Toward a Low Carbon Canada: Using technology to transform tomorrow that would enable a reduction of approximately 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gases a year in Canada:
Build a telework culture. Using a broadband network, companies can provide virtual private networks to allow Canadians to decrease commuting time and energy by working from home.

• Enhance car and ride sharing. Online social networks connect ride shares and ride providers in a virtuous circle of adoption.
• Optimize the carbon-burn by driving smarter.
• ICT monitoring devices coupled with data transfer offer huge opportunity to improve efficiency.
• Encourage more electronic meetings. Eliminating just 30 per cent of business travel would reduce greenhouse gases by 1.6 million tonnes. 
• Facilitate e-products and e-transactions. ICT offers the opportunity to convert much of the greenhouse gas producing activities in the physical world to an electronic one, while also eliminating the nuisance of paper. 
• Use ICT to make buildings more efficient. Heating, cooling and plug-in loads account for 29 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. Intelligent buildings with sophisticated ICT monitoring can shift consumption patterns by choosing the most carbon-efficient methods.

The green IT journey

Way beyond environment 

“Most people think that Green IT is all about saving the environment. It’s not. It’s also about saving money and reengineering the way we work. It’s a series of things that build on each other; each one measurable, each one profitable. That’s why we call it a journey, and it leads to all sorts of benefits,” explains Rob Bracey, president of Quartet Service Inc.

The average financial return on a green IT investment is 10 to 20 per cent and for most companies the social returns are even greater. Using Microsoft Office Home and Hyper-V software with HP’s Proliant servers, Quartet is taking companies down the Green IT path one step at a time. “We’ve helped over 40 companies along their Green IT Journey, and while all seem to start differently, they all go the same direction: saving money, developing flexibility and increasing reliability. We’ve got plenty of great examples.”

One of our clients is an IT consulting company focused on health care. “We started their Green IT Journey two years ago by deploying Microsoft Office Home in over 40 homes.” The company employs over 50 people, but only six of them work from the head office. Office Home gives remote users complete access to the company network, files and email system. No travel time loss. No mileage expenses. Disciplined workflows. This is about much more than going green.

The next step was virtualizing their server farm. Using Microsoft’s Hyper-V software we have reduced the number of servers by almost half. Virtual servers takes physical servers and combine them into one. HR, accounting, procurement, mail, file server, anti-spam and Web servers only need one machine, not seven. Virtualization reduces hardware and has a number of other benefits: disaster recovery, data integrity, space reduction and reduced IT support costs to name a few.

Quartet prefers HP servers due to their reliability and their excellent customer support. HP Proliant Servers can translate into energy savings of 40 per cent a year. Recent product enhancements have decreased power requirements even further. “Less hardware means fewer things can go wrong. You want easy repair, lower service fees and simple troubleshooting. A win-win for everyone.”

“Careful planning makes Green IT a smooth journey, but you should walk before you run,” says Quartet’s Bracey. True enough. Careful planning yields greater return. We integrate three elements: the client’s needs, their existing IT platforms and the best of new technologies.

“Just this past month, we introduced Microsoft Online Services, a brand new product that gives the Microsoft Office Suite a software-as-a-service format. Every Green IT solution seems to open the door to another set of benefits. That’s why we call it a journey. New technology, new processes, new business opportunities, workplace reengineering. It’s very exciting.”

Every journey begins with a single step. Could your business start down the Green IT path? Absolutely. All it takes is a click or a call.



Click here: www.quartetservice.com Call here: 416-483-8332