Saving money, improving operational efficiency and enhancing reputations while reducing your environmental footprint will be the focus for a web-based event hosted by IBM and the Economist Intelligence Unit later this month.

The event, which is entitled 'The Global Eco-efficiency Jam - Smarter Solutions for Energy & Environment' and takes place on January 27 to 29, will provide an opportunity for thousands of public and private sector sustainability leaders, from medium to large organisations across the world, to pool their knowledge and experience through a series of debates and exchanges of best practices.

The aim of this event is to share the best practices that are being used by cutting edge organisations globally and enable senior representatives to co-operatively determine the way forward to meet their goals for a sustainable future.

It will look at measures that reduce overheads, boost output and reputations, as well as reducing an organisation's environmental footprint by utilising existing technologies and best practices based on operational measures adopted or already planned by experienced delegates.

A 'Jam' is a business collaboration hosted by IBM's Web 2.0 tool and is a massively-scaled virtual brainstorm session centered on strategic, business-critical issues.

For 51 hours, thousands of participants worldwide will build on each other's ideas with the help of various Jam technologies and tools, as well as a diverse group of leaders - all in real time.

The event was conceived by IBM and the Economist Intelligence Unit to identify what efficiencies and optimisations could be implemented to improve business operations both financially and environmentally.

Organisations will benefit from the active participation and insights of some of the most experienced solution providers, eNGOs (Environmental Non-governmental Organisations such as WWF and Greenpeace), analyst firms, and energy and environment experts.

It will also complement December's United Nations Copenhagen Climate Change Conference and will be an opportunity to develop action plans to make substantial progress in tackling the issue of climate change.

Participants will need a web browser and an Internet connection, and within 60 days of the event, every delegate will receive a full report of the findings, analysed and prepared by IBM's Institute for Business Value.

IBM will present topics to encourage discussion and idea generation, all in line with the Climate Group's 'Smart 2020 report' and IBM's 'Energy and Environment' framework, including green IT Infrastructure, sustainable solutions, intelligent systems, and raising the bar.

To take part in the event or for more information contact Celina Florendo of BCS - IBM Bermuda Agency at celina@bm.ibm.com