Friday, February 01, 2008

Saving energy using broadband

I am on a panel and the lunchtime speaker at the Department of Environment's Labelling Workshop on Computers and Monitors, 8 February 2008 (details below, more delegates welcome). So I thought I should find an energy efficient way to get there.

The NSW government provides a very useful trip planner on the web. With this I was able to enter where I was staying in Sydney and where the workshop was and the system plotted me a public transport route. The system had some difficulty with finding a location on the corner of two roads and the map was not very detailed. Google maps produced a better map and could identify a corner, but could only give driving directions for a car, not a bus route. This may all seem trivial, but if the Internet can provide good planning data to rival a car GPS, then people will be more ready to use public transport and reduce energy use.

Labelling Workshop - Computers and Monitors

Friday, 8 February 2008

Sydney

Workshop programme:

8.30am

Arrivals, Registration & Networking

9.00am

Welcoming words - Idris Sulaiman, Assistant Director, ICT Equipment, E3

9.10am

"How energy efficiency and labelling makes a difference" Kate Norris – Australian Consumers Association/Choice

9.30am

"The case for labelling for computers and computer monitors"Richard Collins – Consultant to Government

9.50am

Panel discussion of three questions

Why label ICT equipment?”
Should any labelling scheme be voluntary or mandatory?”
What is the best way to implement a label for ICT equipment?”

Experts explain and debate their views on these questions:

John Ashes, Laboratory/Technical Director, ACA/Choice
Tom Worthington, ACS - professional group representative (see below)
Two industry/manufacturer representatives (TBA)

Facilitator – Shane Holt, Director, E3 and Chair, E3 Programme

11:30

Questions & Answers Session

Attendees can put questions to the panel or earlier speakers on their pressing labelling issues
Facilitator – Shane Holt, E3
Rapporteur - Idris Sulaiman, E3

12.30pm

Lunch

Reducing Australia’s ICT Greenhouse Emissions & the Role of Labelling” Speaker: Tom Worthington, FACS HLM,Chair-Green ICT Group, Australian Computing Society, Director-Tomw Communications Pty. Ltd, Visiting Fellow-The Australian National University.

1.30pm

Meeting summary and future timetable

Attendees will settle a short summary of the workshop discussions
Idris Sulaiman, E3

2.00pm

Meeting Close

Government’s regulatory plans for computers and monitors can be found at:

'Computer & Monitor MEPS Fact Sheets':

http://www.energyrating.gov.au/library/details2007-factsheet-computer-monitor.html

and 'Computers & Monitors MEPS Technical Report':

http://www.energyrating.gov.au/library/details200712-computers-monitors.html

There is no charge for attending this event and anyone involved in ICT is welcome to attend. All attendees should register their interest prior to the event to assist us to manage numbers and to cater adequately

RSVP: Dana Domazet, Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Team, DEWHA, Email: dana.domazet@environment.gov.au Tel: 02 6275 9266

1 comment:

Tom Worthington said...

I commented that if the Internet can provide good planning data to rival a car GPS, then people will be more ready to use public transport and reduce energy use.

Nokia have released the 6210 Navigator phone which is equipped for pedestrian navigation. It has GPS, like units used in cars, but also accelerometers to allow pedestrians moving at low speed to navigate.

This could also be useful for tourists, if equipped with a suitable database: you could point it at something and ask "what is that". The phone would know which way it is pointing, where it is and so be able to work out what is in front of you ("Macquarie University Library", for example).

The Nokia 6210 Navigator is not yet available from Amazon.