Go Green with Conferencing

This article was sponsored by RollCall Business Conferencing Solutions, a proud supporter of the OfficeArrow community. You can also visit RollCall's Community on OfficeArrow.

We've mentioned the benefits of web and teleconferencing before but now it's more important than ever. With outrageous gas prices, travel expenses and a growing concern over emissions and reducing our carbon footprints, we really can't afford to ignore these issues any longer. Conferencing services offer an excellent and green alternative to these costly business expenses. So why are we still traveling?

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, CO2 accounts for 70% of an airplane's emissions along with other harmful pollutants. And a mid-size sedan emits over 20,000 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year. When you account for all the business travel one might have to do, you can imagine the extent of your carbon footprint. It's time to consider conferencing as a viable green solution.

Here are some of the green benefits:

Paperless and Ink Free

Many companies are making an effort to get rid of paper files and transfer their data to electronic devices. While this helps tremendously to reduce the amount of waste, the same can be done through conferencing. Conferences, both telephone and web, can be recorded. Therefore, it creates a record for reference and eliminates the need to take copious notes. If you need to recall what happened in a certain situation, don't pull out your notes, replay it word for word.

Conferencing offers a great alternative to printed materials that require ink as well. As a matter of fact, web conferencing can all be done right through your computer and web interface through your service provider. You'll never have to wait another week for the printer to re-order materials or fix mistakes made in giant cardboard presentations. Simply show up to the office, dial a few numbers and be instantly connected to your client with your presentation in front of you both.

Cost

Think about drastically reducing travel expenses: the cost of plane tickets, rental cars, hotels, food, tipping and all the other incidentals that arise with business travel. Does that sound like savings? No doubt. While conferencing services aren't free, they are almost always much cheaper than travel expenses. Plus, you're reducing emissions simply by not leaving the office or your home.

Even if you just drive all over town meeting with clients, conferencing offers a much cheaper and less harmful solution. Save on gas money and emissions by sharing presentations or even your desktop with customers. It's all the benefits of a face-to-face meeting without all the environmental damage.

When thinking about ways to help the environment, it's essential to consider your business travel as a major part of the issue. More and more offices are looking for green alternatives, and you shouldn't overlook the value of conferencing. Web and teleconferences provide meeting benefits at a fraction of the cost of business travel and reduce your ecological impact exponentially. Conferencing allows you to cut costs and stress, and maintain peace of mind while running an eco-friendly business.