THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE I 39
➔ Going green via the video screen THE REVIEW ›› GREEN WATCH
NOBODY would pretend that travel is a breeze of seamless connections and comfort. Those days have gone, writes Roger Gardner. The reality is often congestion, delay and hassle. What’s more, it is costly, carbon intensive and uses a lot of time. The drive to cut costs is pushing
many companies to use video and web conferencing for some of their meeting and training needs, with CA Technologies estimating savings of £80million to UK businesses in 2010 through the use of such technology. A return air trip to New York
from London produces about 1.5 tonnes of CO2
and a return to
Paris is about a quarter of a tonne. In comparison, a return to Paris by train is less than a tenth of a tonne
and the average CO2 produced by each person in the UK is about ten tonnes per year. Doing business by electronic
media does not come carbon free but it is substantially 'greener' than any form of travel. Operational carbon costs of videoconferencing equipment varies but Ecometrica (a policy development, data services and advisory company that specialises in climate change issues) suggests it is perhaps one per cent of that of medium haul flights. However, there will be local transport carbon costs to add. Videoconferencing has come a
very long way from the early days of unreliable technology and poor connections. The latest tele- presence systems allow virtual meeting experiences with slick means to exchange data and documents, make presentations and even use cameras that pick up the nuances of body language that are part of communication. These systems are expensive but
if your company sends people to the same destination regularly or has multiple sites, the ROI is in saved travel and manpower costs. A growing number of companies
are investing in videoconferencing systems and, increasingly, there are suppliers such as Regus and Eyenetwork who provide such services on a hire-by-the-hour basis in business centres. If your needs are at a lower level
and involve fewer people, web conferencing is worth considering
“Different types of business have different needs but I doubt that any company could deny that some of its business needs could be met by electronic rather than face-to- face meetings”
with developments of Skype and Webex that allow easy and cost- effective communication without leaving your chair. These systems are great for meeting remote training needs, drawing together disparate home workers or responding to the urgent need to connect people across continents. It would be wrong to suggest
that virtual meetings can serve all purposes. So often it is the marginal chat outside a meeting or one-to-one lunchtime nego- tiation that clinches a deal. Different types of business have
different needs but I doubt that any company could deny that some of its business needs could be met by electronic rather than face-to-face meetings. And most company CFOs would welcome a reduction in expensive business travel and accommodation costs. As we face a warming world,
we need to think carefully about deciding to take a flight or even long-distance rail journey to a meeting. A few years ago, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) launched its ‘One in Five’ challenge which seeks commit- ments to cut business flying by 20 per cent within five years. WWF says that by increasing the use of web and videoconferencing, reliance upon business flying can be reduced. Companies are there- fore benefitting from improved productivity, reduced carbon footprints and lower travel spend.
The Scottish Environment
Protection Agency’s ex-CEO Campbell Gemmell has noted that through videoconferencing, “we have reduced our dependence on travelling between offices, saving time, money and resources and improving efficiency.” Experience of corporate video-
conferencing to date suggests that employees who use virtual business systems get a better work-life balance and, in tune with more modern working practices, these also favour home working. Drawing upon SEPA experience again, Dr. Clare Scanlan, senior marine ecologist, says, “Time spent travelling is time away from the office, so initiatives aimed at minimising the disruption to my working week are invaluable, personally and professionally.” As telepresence and video-
conferencing systems mature, the case for letting these take some of the strain off business travel becomes ever more compelling. We may worry most about the cost drivers today but increasingly it will be carbon pressures that make us see the need to substitute virtual connections for face-to- face meetings. Acting responsibly towards
future generations suggests that we should be pressing for low- carbon ways to achieve business and economic growth. Exchanging the plane or train seat for a video screen is part of that journey.
58 THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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