Dec. 20, 2007 Cisco plans to set carbon emissions quotas for each of its business departments, BusinessGreen blogger James Murray reports. Under the scheme, each department will be given both emissions targets and the tools to achieve them, such as a booking system that enables executives to schedule teleconferences instead of in-person meetings that would require air travel.

"The aim is to start to introduce a degree of accountability for carbon emission reductions," says Phil Smith, vice president for technology and corporate marketing at Cisco. "We feel that if we can give people goals and means of assessing their performance then it will prove far more effective than just telling employees that they have to green."

It's unclear how the quotas will be enforced, although the company says it favors incentives over penalties. Cisco hopes the program will encourage friendly competition among departments.

Cisco will pilot the program early next year, with plans for companywide expansion in the second half of 2008.

In November Cisco hired Paul Marcoux, one of the founders of The Green Grid, too serve as the company's new "green guru." Its TelePresence video conferencing service just netted its 100th customer.