INSIGHT September/October 2008

(43 percent), energy-saving lighting (33 percent) and recyclable supplies (33 percent). Less popular are per-department paper quotas (71 percent not interested), initiating a double-sided print policy (57 percent not interested), owning, renting or leasing hybrid cars (48 percent not interested), using renewable energies (42 percent not interested), using biodegradable supplies (31 percent not interested), and installing water-filtering systems (34 percent not interested). It’s worth noting that, of the least popular greening strategies outlined, the top two—paper quotas and double-sided printing—offer companies the means to save money without any initial investment. Are we missing a golden opportunity here? Making it a policy to do business with green companies and suppliers also fell to the bottom of the list. Only 19 percent indicated that they do indeed make this a policy. Analyzing responses to questions concerning eco-friendly workplace practices, the numbers look a bit more promising. A whopping 81 percent of respondents favor teleconferencing and telemeetings, 57 percent support sensitivity to paper usage, 56 percent support telecommuting, and 40 percent support public transportation. However, only 17 percent promote carpooling. Vital to an understanding of where we stand in the move towards greening is an awareness of the barriers to implementing green programs. Topping the list of major obstacles is a commitment to other priorities (55 percent), followed by cost and not having enough time to devote to such programs (both at 28 percent). Considering that the majority of respondents herald from small businesses, the validity of these reasons isn’t hard to appreciate. In light of these responses, you’d think that the question, “Do you support the government mandating green compliance among businesses in the United States,” would meet with a resounding “No!” Surprisingly, though, the split was far more 50/50—48 percent do support government mandates, while 52 percent do not. In the context of the United States, the concept of green business is still in its infant stages, which is probably why some of the responses to this survey fall in the “split personality” category. A point in fact: “Going green will positively impact the organization’s public image”: Yes 53 percent No 28 percent Not sure 19 percent However, “Going green will help my organization hire and retain top recruits”: Yes 11 percent No 59 percent Not sure 29 percent And, “Going green will boost customer/client loyalty to our product/service”: Yes 24 percent No 51 percent Not sure 25 percent Historically, perhaps, the finance industry has been cautious when it comes to jumping on bandwagons. Caution isn’t a bad thing. Resistance to change, whether in business practices or world view, is. We wish to thank those ICPAS members who participated in our survey. Your comments and involvement are invaluable to our continuing efforts to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse membership. It was easier than you thought. And so is data mining with IDEA. ® ® IDEA Data Analysis Software IDEA is a registered trademark of CaseWare IDEA, Inc. With IDEA, importing data is as easy as driving a car. IDEA also quickly and accurately joins, analyzes, samples and extracts data from almost any source. Learning this powerful, easy to use, productivity tool is a Sunday drive. And, one free year of customer support lets you avoid any potholes. For a free demo, pull up to our web site at www.audimation.com. 11 www.icpas.org/insight.htm SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 http://www.landy.com http://www.landy.com http://www.audimation.com http://www.audimation.com http://www.icpas.org/insight.htm

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INSIGHT September / October 2008 Table of Contents Firsh Word Seen + Heard How Green Are You? Follow The Leaders

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