Ollie Ross from The Corporate IT Forum has written an article on the uptake of green technologies in the UK corporate setting and suggested how the adoption of green IT can be accelerated. The answer: make it more affordable.

It seems a fairly straightforward solution. As she says, “At The Corporate IT Forum, we know that many IT chiefs would go green if the financial barriers for adoption were taken away.” So, the desire is there, it’s just the budget that’s holding some corporations back.

But is that really the case? Does it take “large sums of money” to go green? As Ross herself mentions, basic energy-saving initiatives and better management of business consumables is essentially free – things like installation of computer power saving features, and more careful use and recycling of printer paper.

Here’s a 1GB USB memory stick, that’s literally a…stick. Each 3” device is individually crafted – no two are alike. On the pricey side at US$170, but that’s what you have to pay for this all-in-one fire starter/dog toy/coffee stirrer…and flash memory stick.

It might look a little out of place plugged into your plastic computer, next to your plastic mouse and keyboard, but imagine it connected to this fully functioning wooden system made by Holz Kontor.

I stumbled across this article, published in The New Zealand Herald. Their tech reporter had just attended CES in Las Vegas, and was very interested to find that with all the new, exciting and innovative gadgets appearing at the event, the major selling point for many of the devices was not their ease of use, price point or sleek design, but that they were green.

As the reporter mentions, even the best new gadget at CES, as voted by the major technology website CNet.com, was Dutch electronics maker Philips’ Eco TV. He also talks about a new eco-friendly Nokia phone, as well as a USB hub that's capable of charging all your devices; eliminating the need to carry bulky power adapters and power cables.

You can check out the full article here.