Nortel Stands Out as ‘Green’ Leader

The “going green” buzzphrase admittedly is overused and tiresome. But the message remains relevant. That’s because “going green” grew in popularity throughout 2007 and 2008, the years the economy dove into what is now one of the worst recessions American has seen. Throughout those months, employers started looking for ways to save money, whether through more energy-efficient equipment or by letting people telecommute, cutting down on overhead costs.

Many companies are in the beginning stages of embracing these approaches. Nortel Networks (NT), however, has relied on them for more than 10 years. It was one of the first tech companies to encourage teleworking, in fact. Now it’s finding other ways to get employees excited about alternative transportation. At its Ottawa R&D campus, for example, Nortel has installed showers and lockers for people who ride bicycles to work. It’s also taken the best parking spots away from executives and allotted them for carpoolers.

These efforts lend additional credence to recent reports finding that corporations won’t stop “going green” efforts in 2009, despite the dismal economy. Nortel also says it’s making good use of telepresence technology, which means expensive trips are getting canceled, and basing new sites near public transit. We’re not sure how many new sites the struggling telecom equipment maker is actually opening, but any growth is to be applauded, particularly when it tries to mitigate environmental impact.