Reducing IT Waste in the Education Sector and Managing Behavioral Changes
Save Energy -> Save Money -> Reduce Carbon Footprint
In a previous blog post, I wrote about IT power management. I wanted to show how IT energy management software (from different suppliers) has actually proven to deliver several financial and environmental benefits across a number of business sectors. When the IT equipment is not being used, the power must to be reduced!
HEALTH and EDUCATION – both VERY IMPORTANT! Focusing on the education sector in this blog post, this sector includes schools, colleges and universities. The lecturers, teachers, students, other employee departments (such as HR, facilities, catering, payroll, reception staff, librarians, etc) all tend to use IT equipment on-site and also, log into systems when off-site as well.
In Nov 2009, another IT energy management supplier who I personally met gave me a demonstration of their product in detail. Once I’d learned about the functionality, features and benefits, somehow I became their saleswoman for a while on the day! 
Anyway, their IT energy management product is a purely workstation-based solution. This means there are no extra costs to purchase a new server, and that itself will save money!
THE BENEFITS – — RETURN ON INVESTMENT PROVEN!
A number of schools, colleges and universities have proven to save considerable money through IT energy management.
Although IT energy management software will significantly eliminate IT waste, I always say that changes in behavior also needs to be addressed. When a person wants to live a healthy lifestyle, the two areas looked at are nutrition/diet and exercise. There’s no point in doing exercise if the food you’re eating is not healthy. There’s no point in eating healthy food, if you do not combine it with exercise. Gradual steps are taken which soon increase and become habit! I can go on and on about nutrition and exercise, how needs are different, how people are different, how certain food groups suits the individual, etc ! Anyway (stay focused Tripta!), similarly, once a PC has automatically been switched off, or lights as well for that matter, there is nothing to stop someone from switching it back on again. This is an observation which I’ve seen myself several times! Habits need to be changed as well and people need to, again as I always say, understand the ‘WHY’. The detailed Giving Time and Solutions Green IT Model on People-Process-Technology Model used since June 2009, explains this quite well. MANAGING BEHAVIOURAL CHANGES need to be addressed, again another topic that I cover. Results will be seen eventually.…. POSITIVE RESULTS!
| OTHER USEFUL LINKS | DESCRIPTION |
| http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/reducing-carbon-dioxide-emissions-and-saving-costs-through-it-power-management/ | Previous Blog Post on IT Power Management – written 13/11/2010 |
| http://www.givingtimeandsolutions.com/ | Giving Time and Solutions – Green IT |
DATE: 11/09/2011 01:15pm
Tripta Prashar
http://givingtimeandsolutions.com
ITU will urge world leaders to recognise the power of ICTs to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, at the UN Climate Change Conference
FABULOUS! – the BENEFITS of GREEN IT!
MUST READs below…
‘The International Telecommunication Union will back IT’s green credentials at the UN’s next climate conference
The ITU will urge world leaders to recognise the power of information technologys (ICTs) to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP17) in South Africa in November’
Please click here to read more about how ICT solutions can reduce other sectors emissions, monitoring deforestation, better waste management, etc.
…and there’s MORE!
World Leaders to be educated about Green IT benefits…
“Attendees at the South Africa-based event will be urged to recognise the role green IT could play in adapting to the effects of climate change and making businesses more eco-friendly places.
“It is now clear to most observers that ICTs have a very important role to play here,” said ITU secretary general Dr Hamadoun Tourév.
“Recognition of this at the international level will provide countries with a solid argument to roll out climate change strategies with a strong ICT element.”
Please click here to read the rest…
DATE: 22/07/2011
Tripta Prashar
Making 2020 Zero Waste Work – Achieving a low carbon resource efficient future
Following on from my previous blog post regarding the 2020 Zero Waste Initiative, http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/the-2020-zero-waste-initiative/, an update was given at Coventry’s Friends of the Earth meeting yesterday.
The ‘Making 2020 Zero Waste Work- Achieving a low carbon resource efficient future’ conference will be held on Friday 9th Sept 2011 at St. Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry.
Starting from 9.00am, there will be a number of speakers and workshops on waste review and best practice examples.
For full details of the programme, please visit the website http://www.climate-change-solutions.co.uk/.
DATE: 22/07/2011
Tripta Prashar
Waste statistics – recycle plastic and food waste
3 volunteers from Coventry Friends of the Earth surveyed 100 people to ask for their thoughts on recycling and packaging.
The feedback results from all 100 people showed 90 per cent want to be able to recycle more types of plastic and 84 per cent want kerbside collections of food waste.
Danny, of Coventry Friends of the Earth, said: “If the government helped councils to improve services and worked with businesses to make products longer lasting and easier to recycle, we could send much less rubbish to the incinerator. Recycling waste is not only more environmentally friendly, it’s also more cost-effective.”
Let’s hope the feedback from ‘the people’ will be listened to, and put into action!
DATE: 25/05/2011
Tripta Prashar
Green printing option – Vegetable-based inks reduces the impact on the environment
Nationwide Building society printed leaflets all have the following text….
‘Nationwide cares about the environment – this literature is printed in the UK with biodegradable vegetable inks on paper from well managed sources.’
Vegetable inks are another option to consider when you’re looking to print in a ‘green’ way.
There are a number of environmental benefits! In comparison to the mineral/petroleum inks, vegetable-based inks are derived from renewal resources, made from sources such as linseed oils and also have less impact when recycled. There are less toxins from the metals, such as cadmium which is in mineral-based inks. Lower volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions are emitted during printing, which are carbon-containing gases.
There is also less damage to the health and a reduced impact on the environment from using vegetable-based inks.
There are a number of suppliers/printers who offer the option to print using low VOC products and vegetable-based inks.
DATE: 18/04/2011
Tripta Prashar
How Corporate Social Responsiblity (CSR) could help save money and the environment
What impact does your business have on the environment and society?
You just need to go on some company websites and you’ll read about ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’, and there are many who are reporting well on their performances.
Commitment to CSR will improve an organisations Green Credentials, its relationship and how it is being perceived with its customers, employees, suppliers, community, media, etc. Who are all the internal and external stakeholders? How accountable are they also? Who you associate yourself with is also going to have an impact, and again on your reputation. It does say a lot about who you choose to interact with! How ethical are you? How is your business contributing and working with the community? Who makes the decisions on what you buy and how you minimise waste? Are you considering the whole life-cycle…raw materials, toxic substances, packaging, usage, etc ? Are employees being made aware of the organisations green policies and practices on a regular basis?
Running a business in a more environmentally friendly way needs to be done continuously. It will have a positive impact on the triple bottom line – People, Planet and Profit.
DATE: 04/03/2011
Tripta Prashar
Green ICT Standards
In December 2009, I was informed by one of my contacts at the British Standards Institution (BSI), of a number of Green ICT Standards/Publications. During this time, there were developments being made in new work around Data Centre Design. Since then, there has been quite some progress which has been made.
The information below was sent in Giving Time and Solutions December 2010 Newsletter.
ISO/IEC JTC1 is the Joint Technical Committee 1 of the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It deals with all matters of ICT and its official mandate is to develop, maintain, promote and facilitate ICT standards required by the Global Markets meeting business and user requirements.
ISO/IEC’s JTC1 set up a special group on Green ICT (SGGICT) in Oct 2009. SGGICT, like all the ISO/IEC special groups, intentionally began this journey by surveying the current activities of ‘standards developing organisations’ (SDOs), which include the British Standards Institution (BSI) and its national equivalents in other countries – plus other organisations and consortia. The SGGICT wished to ensure it was reaching out to other parties active in this space to avoid duplication.
In fast-emerging topics like Green ICT, ISO/IEC welcomes best practice initiatives from other sources and the formal standards-making process is a transparent one. Work continues across a range of topics which are all aimed at addressing ICT’s operational energy efficiency.
There are four factors that underpin the concept of Green ICT:
1. reducing the use of hazardous materials
2. recycling and reusing ICT products
3. maximizing energy efficiency
4. utilizing ICT products and technologies into other sectors for environmental improvement
SGGICT has decided, in turn, to further adopt the two definitions of ‘Green ICT’, namely ‘Green of ICT’ and ‘Green by ICT’. ‘Green of ICT’ means environmental improvement of ICT products and technologies (which covers the first 3 listed factors), whereas the last listed factor is handled by the other subsidiary terminology of ‘Green by ICT’ which means environmental improvement of other sectors by using ICT products and technologies.
At the last meeting of SGGICT, held in Nov 2010 in Belfast, the Group identified some ‘use cases’ – examples being ‘smart grid’, ‘telemedicine’ and ‘virtual meetings’. Future topics identified for possible standardization include the areas of ‘home network devices’ and ‘life cycle assessment methodology’.
Giving Time and Solutions Ltd are an authorized affiliates of BSI (not owned or operated by BSI). For more information, please click here.
DATE: 04/02/2011
Tripta Prashar
