Green ICT

“Printing is out of control” it has been said, and certainly in many universities and colleges, this is true of staff printing. In many institutions there is to be found a plethora of  individual use, low-capacity printers attached to individual computers about which the users exhibit strong proprietorial and territorial behaviour.  Typically these printers do not print on both sides of the paper (Duplex) and may have high stand-by rates of power usage.

The way out of this state of affairs is, in theory, quite straightforward. Instead of the mixed economy of printing provision provide a much smaller number of energy efficient multi-function devices (MFDs), with Duplex enabled by default, and add in “pull printing” so that jobs are printed only when the user wlaks up to the device and requests the job using a PIN code or smart card. That’s the theory.

However, experience shows that this is not always that easy. There are always the special cases and a reluctance to relinquish cherished pieces of what are seen as personal equipment. People don’t necessarily want to have to get out of their chairs and walk across the office to a printer, or to walk down the corridor to another office. In many older buildings on our campuses it may be hard to find places where MFDs can be sensibly positioned.

In the Greening ICT programme, JISC has funded a project called “Printing Efficiently and Greener (PEG)” at the University of East London:

“The overall aim of PEG is to investigate how barriers to GreenICT can be overcome within a HEI, especially in terms of cross-departmental working and implementing staff behavioural change programmes. This will be achieved by looking at the specific issue of improving the efficiency of printing to deliver a long-term sustainable solution. Rather than just merely implementing changes at an operational level, this project aims to increase understanding of a consultative approach to behavioural change.”

To help insitutions to tackle these issues the JISC funded ICT Energy and Carbon Management project, being run by the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC), is running a workshop at East London University on may 27th 2010. This event is free to attend, but priority will be given to delegates from the London and Yorkshire & Humbershire region, where the EAUC is spearheading its work in helping institutions establish their carbon footprints and then reduce them.

Or UCCCfS – not the most cuddly acronym, but apparently better than some of the options discarded on the way. I’m just back from the north, and was in Edinburgh yesterday evening to be present at the official launch of this scheme.

So far 50 universities and colleges have signed up to the challenge of this scheme which  requires them to develop and publish a five year action plan to address emissions from across the range of their activities. This includes energy use, waste reduction and responsible disposal, sustainable estate development, travel and responsible and procurement of goods and services.

This initiative is run by the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC) Scotland. It is overseen by the gamut of higher and further education stakeholders across scotland – from the Scottish Government downwards. The initiative is backed up by a raft of  professional development opportunities available through programmes that the EAUC run.

It is heartening to see 80% of institutions in Scotland signed up to the commitment, and good to have  Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Climate Change in the Scottish Government speak at the launch ceremony.

Also at the launch ceremony was Anthony Cortese, co-founder of the American Universities and Colleges Presidents’ Climate Commitment, on which the Scottish initiative is modeled to some degree. Tony spoke with passion about the need to act and the importance of engaging all levels of the campus community in developing the necessary plans.More details about the UCCCfS are at: http://www.eauc.org.uk/scotlands_principals_climate_commitment and on the American Universities and Colleges Presidents’ Climate Commitment at: http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/

In Birmingham today for the Cloud computing workshop run by the JISC funded project that is looking at the environmental and organisational implications of the Cloud for higher and further education.After a quick review of the evidence collected from the interviews have conducted, its down to discussing some of the issues being raised. Trust seems to be a real issue for many, with interest in sector tailored shared clouds being of interest to some people. There is some skepticism about the environmental benefits, with many seeing the carbon load being shifted rather than reduced.Trusted sources of advice mentioned were Gartner, JISC, Educause, with vendors being treated with some suspicion.#cloud #greenict #greeningict

JISC has produced and released an eight minute video to provide some inspiration around the use of thin client approaches to reducing the carbon footprint of desktop computing. The video features the thin client installation at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, and follows on from the success that QMU had in winning the Green ICT category in the Green Gowns awards.

The debate over thin client solutions over more conventional thick client approaches continues. JISC has published a tool (an Excel Spreadsheet) that will allow institutions to use either the provided generic data or vendor’s data to make cost and energy comparisons across the two approaches.

Back from my holidays and able to flag up the launch of the first part of the JISC Greening ICT Programme.

The main Grant Funding Call went out on the 2nd September and has the following parts:

• Call for proposals to look at the relationship between ICT related energy usage and responsibility for paying for that energy
• A call for proposals for small scale studies into aspects of Green ICT
• A call for proposals to run small scale demonstrator projects in Green ICT

The details of this call are at:

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/fundingopportunities/funding_calls/2009/09/0909greenict.aspx

Around the same time JISC also issued n ITT for a study of the environmental and wider organisational implications of Cloud computing. The deatils of this ITT are at:

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/fundingopportunities/funding_calls/2009/09/implicationscloudcomputingitt.aspx

Carbon footprint tool from JISC helps universities and colleges tread more carefully

How green is IT?  A new tool from JISC is helping universities and colleges calculate just how eco-friendly they are, by estimating the carbon footprint left by their computers.

Institutions can calculate their carbon emissions by inputting information about the numbers of computing devices into the SUSTE-IT footprinting tool.

The  tool then estimates the overall amount of electricity used, and the related carbon emissions, to help the institutions target areas for energy saving.

Computers, servers, monitors, routers, faxes and even OHP’s are all examined as part of the process.
But there’s no need for time-consuming audits.   Where records are limited, users are encouraged to ‘guesstimate’ where necessary or use University of Sheffield figures as a rough rule of thumb.

The tool is based on a beta version developed by Lisa Hopkinson and Peter James of the University of Bradford, and a consultant, Chris Cartledge. It  is one of the outputs of theJISC-funded SusteIT study on sustainable ICT in further and higher education, which is being highlighted next week at a free event in Edinburgh.

The half-day workshop, which is part of a Scottish Funding Council supported project managed by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), will be providing guidance on implementing green IT It will offer IT and estate managers the chance to find out more about the footprinting tool, as well as how to cut IT energy bills by at least 10%, minimise power consumption and take action overall to reduce their institution’s carbon footprint.

The workshop will hear from institutions who are have successfully peionered the use of the footprinting tool and who have made significant energy savings, with speakers from Angus College; City College, Norwich; EAUC Edinburgh Napier University; and SusteIT.

The event is being held at on 24th August at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, winner of the JISC-sponsored Green IT category in the 2009 Green Gown Awards.2009. See details at http://www.rsc-eden.co.uk/events/event_details.asp?eid=29

Find out more about the Suste-IT footprinting tool at http://www.susteit.org.uk/files/index
and about JISC’s study on sustainable ICT at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/programme_jos/susteit

In March 2008, the University of Oxford hosted the ‘Towards Low Carbon ICT’ conference to stimulate discussion on the practical measures that can be taken to build ICT services that both reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and mitigate the effects that higher energy prices will have on our institutions.

Much happened over the months that followed: electricity prices sky-rocketed, plans for carbon pricing under the Carbon Reduction Commitment were finalized, and there is now the recession. The incentive to minimize costs has never been greater.

The JISC funded low-carbon ICT project at the University of Oxford has developed tools and techniques to reduce energy consumption and costs in networked desktop computing environments. At the time of last year’s conference, it was policy throughout most of the University departments to leave desktop computers switched on, all day, every day of the year.

This need no longer be the case: the tools developed through the project allow desktop computers to be switched off when not in use with, importantly, no inconvenience to the user nor their IT support teams.

You are invited to join us to learn more about our work as well as the work of others in this important field on Friday 22nd May 2009 at the Saïd Business School, Oxford University.

For more information about this free event please visit:
http://projects.oucs.ox.ac.uk/lowcarbonict/conferences/conf-2.htm

The JISC Regional Support Centres are organising a series of Smarter, Greener Learning Conferences which will launch at London’s City Hall on 26 February 2009 before moving on to Birmingham on 18 March and Edinburgh on 22 April. The conferences will bring the latest thinking and practical advice to managers in further education and skills to help inform their implementation of sustainable business practices in IT.

Principals, senior managers with responsibility for IT procurement, network managers, estates and e-Learning managers will benefit from a focus on strategic planning and emergent best practice in the FE and skills sector, supported by regional case studies.

Stephen Nichols, Contract Manager – Technology for Learning at the Learning and Skills Council says:

“The LSC is pleased to support this RSC initiative that supports other work that the LSC is undertaking with colleges particuarly in the new build area. These conferences will highlight not only the sustainibility benefits but also the cost and energy savings that can be achieved by changing business methods and practices.”

For further information or book your place at the first conference in London: http://www.rsc-london.ac.uk/

In this podcast, Rebecca O’Brien from JISC talks to Professor Peter James, Professor of Enviornmental Management at the University of Bradford and head of the JISC funded Suste-IT project, about the recently published report “Sustainable ICT in further and higher education”.  In the interview, Professor Peter James talks through how further and higher education institutions can make small changes to save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2009/01/podcast69peterjames.aspx