U.S. and Canadian Government Agencies Least Concerned with Being Green, says Research Group

Government agencies in the U.S. and Canada have the lowest level of concern among all industries for energy efficiency and environmental responsibility in their IT departments, finds a recent study from Info-Tech Research Group. Additionally, government agencies also rank the lowest among industries in terms of implementing green strategies in their data centers and other IT functions.

Info-Tech's 2007 Green Index indicates a stark contrast between the public and private sector intentions and actions concerning energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. The index, which surveyed over 700 IT professionals in North America during February of this year, noted that 49 per cent of primary industry respondents were very or extremely concerned, while by comparison, only 10 per cent of government industry respondents felt the same sense of urgency.

"Ironically while the government sets the stage for the high level of concern in the private sector by establishing regulations and environmental protection laws, they themselves appear apathetic about being green and are doing very little to lead by example," said Nauman Haque, research analyst with Info-Tech Research Group.

Haque notes that to be fair, many government agencies have a difficult time implementing new technologies due in part to their conservative organizational structures and budget constraints. The low levels of green action in this case are consistent with the finding that leading edge companies are three times more likely to have implemented green best practices than their conservative counterparts.

"There are many reasons that account for why government agencies currently rank the lowest in terms of implementing green IT strategies that are consistent with our findings but none of those should affect an individual's level of concern," said Haque. "What is most disturbing is the fact that government agencies don't appear to care."
JB