Organizational Energy Conservation Matters in the Anthropocene

Abstract

Almost a century after its onset, the present era—when human endeavor significantly affects the environment and the future of the Earth’s ecosystem—is now regularly being referred to as the “Anthropocene”. Electric energy is recognized as one of the main forces of change that have contributed to the rise of the human reign. Moreover, its consumption, especially in organizations, is considered responsible for a large part of the greenhouse gas emissions whose curtailment is necessary for the preservation of our climate. This work focuses on turning the spotlight onto the importance of a far-from-exhausted resource in the fight for environmental protection: organizational energy conservation—as exhibited by both the organization and its members individually. Reviewing existing literature, we find that organizational energy conservation is concurrently a matter of environmental sustainability, ethics, and social justice and a matter entwined with crises. Aiming to further guide future research and practice in this field, we discriminate between and provide guidelines for conducting both “hard” (which include facility retrofitting and automation and pose the highest cost in their execution) and “soft” (which include the utilization of IS and/or behavioral interventions and pose a significantly lower cost in their execution) organizational energy-saving interventions.