The huge environmental impact of video conferencing
A Virtual Boot Camp demonstrates the power of videoconferencing as an ecological alternative
The years, and the statistical data, gave us the umpteenth confirmation that Audio and Video Conference Calls are important not only for large companies, but also offer important advantages to Small Businesses and Professional Studies.
A modern, effective and economical tool for anyone who needs to meet people without physically moving.Replacing even just half of the physical meetings with the Conference Calls would make it possible to obtain considerable savings on both travel expenses and unproductive time spent on transportation.
To date, what really touches us closely, and that particularly impacts, is environmental protection.
Together with the most intriguing political attack of the recent G7 summit, an agreement has been partially reached between some member countries to reduce the amount of plastic that pollutes the world’s oceans.
A group of environmentally aware teenagers – part of the Ocean Heroes Boot Camp – had in part to thank for the agreement between Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union. And, to support the efforts of over 1,000 members of the Ocean Heroes Boot Camp there is another force, the power of videoconferencing.
Of course, there is a lot of data to support the fact that the use of videoconferencing, instead of physical travel, helps the environment by reducing energy consumption and emissions that are harmful to the environment. What has emerged of interest from the Ocean Camp Boot Camp, which in the end also contributed in a small part to the G7 partial agreement on waste generated from plastic, was the focus on the power of videoconferencing as an eco-friendly alternative. Friendly, not only to reduce the environmental impact generated by business trips, but also to coordinate environmental action, allowing more countries to interface in real time and make decisions more quickly. As everyone knows, video conferencing allows people to have a face-to-face conversation, no matter where they are.
As mentioned earlier, the statistics, and more concretely the facts, show how videoconferencing directly benefits the environment. If only one third of Italy’s workforce worked at home (Home Working) at least once a week, it could prevent the release of greenhouse gases equivalent to the removal of 77,000 cars from the nation’s roads for a whole year.
The most important part of the above data is that the effort required is minimal; it would be enough for one worker in three to stay at home once a week in Home Working in order to start reducing pollution. Big impacts are always easier to achieve when they require minimal personal changes.
This is where the potential of videoconferencing emerges as a channel of environmental awareness. Many of us use video calls and are connected to different social media. Videoconferences do nothing but unite people from all over the world with contingent interests, because they allow you to meet and talk as if you were with a friend comfortably in your living room.
It would be difficult to argue that the presentations made on behalf of the participants of the Ocean Heroes Boot Camp had a great impact on the agreement reached during the G7 meeting. There is no doubt, however, that those who participated in person and via the web to share their opinions and put their feelings into a concrete presentation, have benefited from a great experience.
These people had the opportunity to get in touch with colleagues in different countries around the world in support of a common cause. Going forward in time and with the upcoming Boot Camp (Vancouver – June 2019), they will have the chance to stay in touch with those people to plan and implement other environmental projects.
Videoconferencing is a powerful tool to transform the opinions of more people into concrete results and fuel the passion and enthusiasm of their colleagues. Below actions and results, below discussions and planning, videoconferencing offers people the chance to meet, face to face and even be heard by presidents and prime ministers from different nations.
