Thanks to last Saturday’s Live Earth concerts promoting environmentalism, green issues have been high in the public consciousness this week.

But the campaign has attracted equal amounts of cynicism, and perhaps something of a lukewarm response.

Not in the IT profession, however.

Computing has recently hosted a series of web seminars examining technology and the environment, attracting hundreds of IT managers eager to find out how to build a green IT department. In an online poll during one of these events, 90 per cent of respondents said they plan to put in place a green computing strategy within the next 12 months.

Why? Does the IT community contain an unusually high proportion of tree huggers? Of course not – the reality is that more and more IT leaders are realising that green computing is all about best practice IT management.

Regardless of the scientific and political arguments around climate change, we do all have a responsibility to be more energy-efficient.

For hard-nosed businesses, social commitment is seen as good PR, if not necessarily great for profits.

But as HSBC shows, green computing is about both. The banking giant’s ambitious green strategy is delivering improvements in IT operations, significant cost savings, and environmental benefits.

Put the cynicism to one side, and go green with your technology anyway – it is simply good practice, and that should be a part of every IT strategy.