Happy and Green New Year from ISL Online! So, to kick off this year green, I’d like to share some tips on this subject with you.

It has been three days since our New Year’s resolutions and I’m sure that half of us are already conveniently breaking them. It is true some things can’t change, but matters like polluting our planet ought to change. And yes, each of us can make a difference. I suppose we are all carrying reusable shopping bags, managing waste, and using energy-saving household appliances. But are we all going to our meetings online and not by plane? Or are we giving technical support through desktop sharing? There is a lot we can do more ecologically, and after all, much cheaper and less time-consuming. Let’s see how we can significantly cut back on CO2 emissions just by switching to online collaboration and communication software.

Cutting CO2 emissions with Online meetings
CO2 emissions from aircraft-in-flight are the most significant and best understood element of aviation’s total contribution to climate change, so let’s stick to that. The chart below will give you a brief idea of how much carbon dioxide emissions you could cut just by attending an online meeting instead of taking a flight. Also, note the huge difference between the economy and business class.

To check the amount of emissions predicted for your flight, I suggest you use this handy tool. And before you enter the plane, rethink if the flight is really needed. There is a series of terrific online meeting software available at a reasonable price.

Going green with remote support
If I showed you before the impact on the environment made by air travel, let’s now turn our attention to car travel. Although desktop sharing as a mode of remote client support has become increasingly popular over the past years, there are still a lot of companies supporting their clients by driving over to their premises and fixing the problem on site.

I calculated the CO2 emissions an average car causes to cover a 20,000km distance (usually per year) by using the Terrapass’s tool. The figures compare to a round trip flight from Los Angeles to Sydney. Although the amount can’t compare by far to one made by air travel, we can still easily cut these unnecessary emissions by switching to remote support software like ISL Light.

Keep your feet on the ground and communicate through the cloud!