David Suzuki Embraces Telepresence

Lately, it seems like almost everyone is jumping on the videoconferencing "bandwagon". The economic and environmental benefits of this invaluable technology are so impressive, that even world famous environmentalist David Suzuki has taken advantage of its versatile capabilities in order to reduce his carbon footprint and l0wer organizational overhead costs. Mr. Suzuki plans on having a cutting-edge Cisco Telepresence unit installed at his foundation headquarters in the near future, and has nothing but positive things to say about this innovative technology. According to a recent Globe and Mail article...

"Using a facility at the University of British Columbia, he's been making video presentations around the world without leaving his hometown - including an appearance screened simultaneously at four different campuses of a Melbourne university.

In December, his foundation will go further, installing TelePresence, a high-end video-conferencing system from Cisco Systems that mimics an in-person meeting. "When I saw TelePresence," Mr. Suzuki says, "the illusion was very real. The people seemed to be right there. Now I turn down 95 per cent of [travel] requests."

A green icon like Mr. Suzuki has a unique need to maintain a small environmental footprint, but businesses are increasingly taking similar measures, driven by the desire to cut travel costs and save employee time as much as be good to the Earth.

A December, 2008, report on "green IT" from Gartner Inc. points out that in some organizations, such as large global consultancies, business travel can produce nearly 50 per cent of the company's total greenhouse gas emissions."

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