Private sector IT bosses are leading the way in carbon reduction
IT managers in the public sector are unaware of government targets to reduce carbon emissions, according to research by Global Action Plan. Technology accounts for two per cent of global carbon emissions but a much larger slice, currently 20 per cent, of the UK government's total emissions. The government's "Greening ICT Strategy" states that public sector IT systems will be carbon neutral by 2012, but the survey indicated that 60 per cent of public sector IT managers were not aware of the targets.
The report also shows that of the IT managers that were aware of the government's targets, almost a third said that they had made no changes to their technology usage and procurement, and had no intention of changing their procurement patterns. It's a blow for the government's plans to lead the way in carbon reduction. But regardless of the poor example set by the public sector, many private sector technology firms are already looking at reducing energy consumption, and making more efficient use of their IT equipment.
The environment isn't always the main reason. According to an IDC survey earlier this year, the primary motivation among IT professionals for going green is financial. Over half of those surveyed said their organisation pursued green initiatives because of the potential cost savings. "It's prudent business," says Stuart Hibbert, founder of cloud computing firm icomplete, "especially in these economic times, to think twice about what we are doing."
Computer hardware supplier Dell has responded well to suggestions from customers that it produce more environmentally friendly products, but vice president of the company's SME division Aongus Hegarty, says Dell has never felt pressured to go green. "In our products we make sure that each generation is more efficient [than the last]," he says. But "it's about connecting savings and efficiencies to the green message," he adds.
Hegarty points to changes made at Dell's new building in Dublin, Innovation House. Sensor equipment ensures that the lights are never left on while the building is empty. "Switching the lights off is simply good cost efficiency," he says. "The return on investment from the new sensor equipment is excellent. Everyone has their own sense of responsibility, but in business it comes down to cost efficiency and savings achieved by taking a greener view."
Martin Port, managing director of Masternaut Three X, a company that provides vehicle tracking technology, agrees there are savings to be made, but believes IT should play a bigger role in stressing the environmental side of energy savings. "Sometimes we all think it's too late, but it's never too late. We need to make a start. Younger people are more focused on the green aspects and I think these are good values to have."
Port has introduced an offset scheme and is also looking at a car pool for employees. "We're looking at a virtual bus idea where people share the same vehicle to work," he says. "You can receive a text to say [the driver] will be at the top of the road in five minutes, because there is a tracking system in the vehicle. We will offer a cash incentive for [employees] to bring three other people to work with them," says Port.
Digital mapping company Europa Technologies has introduced both energy saving and equipment efficiency techniques to reduce its carbon footprint. Executive director Warren Vick says he feels a responsibility to set an example. "Our philosophy is that no machine gets left on, idle. Once all our machines have finished working on maps they shut themselves off. At the moment we have to manually restart them but we're working on automatically lighting them up again."
Vick says that for "technical reasons" the processing power required for making digital maps can't be sourced from the cloud, but Europa's approach is similarly efficient. "We have our own micro cloud in the office that uses every free desktop machine and server to generate the content. When the machine is finished it shuts itself down," adds Vick.
He says IT firms should take the lead, but not for the sake of greenwash. "A lot of things in this area are PR driven, unfortunately, but I think at the very least people should have a moral obligation to think green. I don't blame companies for only changing to the greener option when there is a natural time for replacement, I think that is absolutely acceptable. But maybe don't make a press release about it. It's a standard responsibility," he adds, "you look after your staff, you look after the planet as well."
Posted 7 July 2009 : Director.co.uk
