Plant the seed, help it grow

I get teased sometimes about my rural roots. You can take the boy out ofthe country, but you can't take the country out of the boy, or so I havebeen told.Take this issue's cover story about emerging opportunities on the greenfront in government. My suggestion to the art department was a little greenplant starting to sprout out of the ground."That's been done before," the art director said.What about a little green sprout and a strong root system digging downinto the soil?"Everything always goes back to the farm with you, doesn't it?" hescoffed.So we have a less clichéd, less agrarian cover for this issue.But I still think the metaphor works. More agencies are hiring contractorsto assess their carbon footprint and then help develop a strategic plan.More companies, particularly systems integrators, see that trend as anemerging opportunity, in part because it makes sense. A holistic approachisn't just about the information technology investment or the money spenton facilities ? it's about how all parts of an operation can contribute togreater efficiency and create a smaller carbon footprint.Like farmers, the companies interviewed for our cover story are nurturingthis opportunity because they believe it will grow.