The lion's share of more than 1,000 companies surveyed by Forrester Research are not making any changes to their green programs. Among those who will, however, the number of companies accelerating green IT is twice as high as the number slowing down.

"The data is counterintuitive only at first glance," Forrester analyst Christopher Mines writes in released this week. "Companies are realizing that 'green means green' -- more sustainable computing operations are also more efficient and less costly."

Ten percent of the companies surveyed are accelerating green IT initiatives, while 5 percent are slowing down. The rest, 85 percent, are maintaining the same pace or say it's too early to know what impact the worsening economy will have on their green IT plans. Interest in the topic of energy efficiency seems to be growing, Forrester says, noting that its most recent poll in October garnered a larger response than any previous green survey the analyst firm has conducted.

The companies surveyed are distributed through the United States, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Japan and other regions, and are mostly large, with 71 percent having at least 1,000 employees.

Naturally, saving money on energy costs is the primary motivating factor causing corporations to ramp up green IT efforts, particularly in the United States. Overseas, there is more concern about aligning IT with corporate green initiatives and using green to improve brand image.