In 2010 environmental issues will continue to dominate the business and political agenda. The Copenhagen conference may not have delivered the outcomes many were hoping for, and carbon trading is not yet a done deal, but moves towards a more sustainable way of doing business continue to become more important.

Many people are talking about Green IT. The IT process can be responsible for 10 per cent or more of an organisation's power consumption, depending on the industry sector, so Green IT is seen as a way of reducing that component of the organisation's carbon footprint.

To many people, Green IT is about practices like turning computers off when they are not in use, or adopting power-saving technologies such as flat screens or virtualised servers. But there is much more to Green IT than that.

IT is an enabling technology. Computers by themselves are nothing more than pieces of metal and plastic, and software nothing more than magnetised dust on a hard disk. IT systems exist to help individuals and organisations perform better - they are a means to an end.

Just as IT can bring greater efficiencies to Supply Chain Management, or automate direct marketing campaigns, or improve the manufacturing process, so can it help reduce an organisation's carbon footprint - both within and outside the IT department.

Technology, and especially information technology, is the key to a more sustainable future. From smart metering in the home to international carbon trading systems, it is IT-based systems that provide the measurement tools, the reporting systems, and the data repositories that make it all work. IT-based systems are used to design renewable energy platforms and run waste management facilities.

We need to take a holistic view of sustainability. IT does not exist in a vacuum or as a separate silo of technology. It is an essential component of reducing pollution and reducing the environmental impact of all of our activities. The built environment, for example, is responsible for up to 20 per cent of any organisation's carbon footprint. More efficient building management systems can vastly reduce this figure, by such simple things as optimising the use of heating and cooling.

There is also the issue of an organisation's environmental responsibility and the increasing need to comply with regulatory issues. This means choosing IT recycling or methods of disposal that minimise landfill need to be considered beyond the traditional view of business cases focused only on cost savings. Australian governments agreed in October 2009 to introduce a nation-wide e-waste scheme, based on Victoria's successful Byteback program (www.bytebackaustralia.com.au) to encourage organisations to dispose of computer equipment in an environmentally responsible manner.

You can also visit Planet Ark to find the council recycling services offered in near you.

The bottom line in being more sustainable is greater efficiency. It is no coincidence that this is also the bottom line in success in business. The two go hand in hand. And more often than not, it is the effective use of IT that is the key to success.