Amsterdam, 16 April 2010 – The ‘Leadership for Antarctica’ road show, which targets organizations that want to be leaders in sustainable business operations, will be held in the Netherlands from 1 May to 30 June 2010. The promotional tour visits the organizations with the aid of a sustainable sailing yacht on a trailer and was initiated by the Dutch company Bolster Group with support from EvoSwitch, the CO2 neutral data center for ICT infrastructures based in Amsterdam.
In the course of the tour, the sailing yacht – a Dehler 22 – drops anchor at a different big Dutch organization every day. Siemens, BMW and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs are among the organizations that support the initiative by Bolster Group and EvoSwitch and will be visited by the yacht. Board members of the organizations are then invited on board to receive information on concrete ways to realize sustainable business operations.
Green ICT
Bolster Group’s international operations serve companies like Shell, TNT, PricewaterhouseCoopers, T-mobile and the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management. In collaboration with EvoSwitch, the company expects to reach most of the management boards of top 500 companies.
‘We contacted EvoSwitch as a sponsoring partner because it is the first CO2 neutral data center in the Netherlands,’ explains Rogier ‘t Hooft, Managing Director of Bolster Group. ‘ICT infrastructures tend to consume a lot of power. With their extensive knowledge of sustainable ICT infrastructures, EvoSwitch can make a significant contribution to the promotional tour.’
The management board of EvoSwitch will discuss the options for a sustainable, energy saving setup of ICT infrastructures during the tour. In addition, a secure space outside the heavily secured EvoSwitch ICT data center will serve as a daily refuge for the sailing yacht in 2010.
‘The Green Fan’ label
A green ICT infrastructure setup results in an energy saving and therefore cost benefit but is often invisible to the outside world. Publicizing a green ICT setup may help companies invest in environmentally friendly solutions. For this reason EvoSwitch will link The Green Fan label (www.thegreenfan.com) to the promotional tour by featuring its logo and discussing it in the knowledge sessions with executives.
‘The Green Fan is a logo reserved for EvoSwitch customers,’ says Eric Boonstra, the Managing Director of EvoSwitch. ‘By featuring the green label on their websites, they can show to the world that they have a green ICT infrastructure thanks to a significant energy saving and investments in CO2 compensation. As such it may stimulate the organization to put green ICT on the management agenda as an important theme. Such a label can act as an eye opener for top managers, regardless of whether they are using this specific green label. It enables us to demonstrate that green ICT can absolutely become a tangible asset for stakeholders.’
Leadership program with a trip to Antarctica
The road show precedes a more in-depth substantial program relating to leadership and sustainability to be kicked off by Bolster Group towards the end of 2010. The program, in which several managers visited during the road show will participate, has a practice driven setup and embraces concrete, suitably sustainable projects for the participating organizations. The program is based on 4 pillars and focuses on the positive impact of sustainability on cost reduction, customer image, attracting talent, and a proactive approach to legislation.
In the program, Bolster Group is collaborating with the US based organization 2041. The year refers to the ideology and activities of the polar adventurer Robert Swan (53). His organization ‘2041’ works to preserve Antarctica and the environment in general. He chose this remarkable name for his organization because the treaty that protects the untamed nature of Antarctica will expire in 2014. In that year, the treaty may be subject to changes that may endanger nature in the Antarctic region.
An expedition to Antarctica is part of the sustainability leadership program in the Netherlands. Together with Robert Swan, several top managers will experience the overwhelming beauty of untouched nature and the impact of deterioration.
Kaynak : 