Here is the outline of my presentation on "Learning to lower costs and carbon emissions with ICT" for the Computers Off Australia - Green IT breakfast briefing, Canberra, 20 January 2009. All are welcome for the event and you get a free breakfast. ;-)

Learning to lower costs and carbon emissions with ICT

Tom Worthington FACS HLM

Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Australian National University

Designer of the Green ICT Course for the Computer Professional Education Program, Australian Computer Society

For the Computers Off Australia - Green IT breakfast briefing, Canberra, 20 January 2008

First global Green ICT Course

• 13 Week E-learning course
• Sponsored by the Australian Computer Society
• Part of the Computer Professional Education Program (first globally accredited.)
• Masters-level with university articulation

Green ICT

Students learn how to:

• Estimate the carbon footprint of the ICT operations of an organisation,
• Assess ways to reduce the carbon footprint of an organisation, by changes to polices for procurement of ICT, changes to the ICT operations and revising business processes.

Business ICT Competencies

• Strategy & planning
  • Technical strategy and planning
  • Business/IS strategy and planning
• Procurement & management support
  • Supply management
    • Procurement
  • Quality management
    • Compliance audit

Learning by Doing

Two areas of assessment:

1. Assignments
   1. Write a report on the carbon footprint of the ICT operations of your organisation
   2. Write a report identify ways to reduce the carbon footprint of your organisation
2. Contributions to the discussion forums

Some Green ICT Topics

1. Understanding climate science
2. The Global ICT Footprint
3. Enabling ICT: Dematerialisation, smart motor systems, logistics, buildings and grids
4. Energy saving - Data Centres and Client Equipment
5. Procurement
6. Compliance audit

Online References Used

1. The Engineering Sustainable Solutions Program, Sustainable IT Lecture Series, Natural Edge Project, 2008
2. The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), Green Electronics Council. GEC 2006.
3. Energy Star Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, 2007
4. The Personal Computer and Monitors Energy Efficiency Strategy, Tom Worthington, Report and Recommended Plan of Action, prepared for the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Version 1.0, 23 September 2008.

More Information

• ACS Green ICT Course
• Green ICT Course Content
• ACS Policy Statement on Green ICT, 16 August 2007
• Audit of Carbon Emissions resulting from ICT usage by Australian Business, ACS, 16 August 2007
• ACS Green ICT Group
• Tom Worthington
• This document is available at: http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/green_ict_education/