Few IT departments budget for green purchases

Despite rising energy costs, power shortages in data centers, and the call for corporate environmental responsibility, actual green strategies lag far behind the level of concern cited, says a study from Ontario-based Info-Tech Research Group.

The Green Index, which surveyed more than 700 people in North America this past February, reveals one-quarter of IT leaders are either “very” or “extremely” concerned about energy efficiency and environmental responsibility, yet only 9 percent consider themselves to be “very” or “extremely” green.

“The gap between interest and execution isn't a case of 'lip service' on the part of businesses,” says Nauman Haque, senior research analyst. “It can be attributed to the fact that the adoption curve for green strategies is still fairly immature. We'll see this gap start to close as the payback on green investments is proven among early adopters, and concerns for energy consumption and environmental responsibility continue to grow.”

Info-Tech says less than one-sixth of enterprises have allocated budgets for green purchases. As companies begin to translate concern for green into practice on a companywide level, budget incentives for environmentally friendly technologies and tools—particularly in IT—will follow.