For the second year in a row, Computerworld set out to identify organizations that are implementing smart, efficient strategies to achieve “green IT.” Organizations were invited to complete a comprehensive questionnaire online in January and February.
The survey was sent out to the IT community through a variety of channels, including e-mail newsletters, Computerworld.com and e-mail broadcasts. Ninety-four organizations participated. Computerworld then contacted representatives at the participating organizations to verify that the information provided on the survey was truthful and accurate. Only those organizations that filed verification letters were considered. Computerworld then applied a set of criteria, developed with the help of green-IT industry experts, to identify the organizations that are working to reduce energy consumption in IT equipment and are using technology to conserve energy and lower carbon emissions.
A separate list was created to showcase IT vendors and data center suppliers. Included in this category are hardware, software, networking, IT infrastructure and data center vendors. Based on the weighting scheme developed, the top 12 Green-IT Users and top 12 Green-IT Vendors lists were chosen.
What follows is the survey and scoring system that Computerworld used to select the “greenest” companies from among the nominees.
Computerworld’s Top Green-IT Organizations
Part 1: Checklist
Please indicate your agreement or disagreement with the following statements. (Note: Respondents received 1 point for each positive response below unless otherwise noted.)
Top Level
Monitoring and Measuring
Employee Practices/Recycling
Facilities/Data Center
Part II: Essay
Note: Responses were limited to 500 words.
1. Please describe your organization’s efforts to reduce the consumption of energy (especially energy derived from fossil fuels) by information systems, as well as technology-related recycling programs and technology support for telecommuting. Please include information about the anticipated payback from these green initiatives, as well as a timeline for when the initiatives were begun and when they are expected to be fully in place. Also, you may use this space to clarify or elaborate on any of the answers you gave above.
2. Please describe how the tightening economy may have changed your commitment to green initiatives. Is it now harder or easier to support green initiatives?
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