Outline

Green ICT (Green IT or Green Computing) is the study and practice of using computers and telecommunications in a way which maximises positive environmental benefit and minimise the negative impact.

The energy efficiency of operating equipment is a major concern of Green ICT. The embodied energy and lifecycle of the materials used in the design, manufacture and reuse and recycling of equipment and components are also concerns. Green ICT seeks to inform accepted management practices to achieve efficient and effective business interaction.

When preparing this subject, we have assumed that you and your fellow students are self-motivated, disciplined, and determined to succeed. You have prior knowledge and experience relevant to your study; you are willing to share your work and educational experiences; and you accept critical thinking as part of the learning process. Further, you are comfortable with, and competent in, written communications; and you recognise that effective learning can occur outside a traditional classroom. Most importantly, you want to control how, when, and where you learn.

Critical to your success in this subject is a regular and disciplined study routine. Only through consistency will you keep up-to-date. Every week there will be specific tasks to complete and, if you fall behind, it will be difficult to catch up.

Also important is that you correspond; at least twice every week; with your fellow students and tutor. Your correspondence must be intelligent and investigative. You will answer questions posed by your tutors, and then debate your answers with your classmates.

Learning Outcomes

Green ICT Strategies is an emerging discipline. This subject is drawn from practices being developed in the public and private sectors in Australia and internationally. Implementation methodologies and assessment tools currently being field-tested are introduced. At the completion of this subject the student can:

Competencies based on Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA)

The Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) provides a common reference model for the identification of the skills needed to develop effective Information Systems (IS) making use of Information & Communications Technology (ICT).

Green ICT Strategies will target SIFA Level 5 competencies: "ensure, advise:Broad direction, supervisory, objective setting responsibility. Influences organisation. Challenging and unpredictable work. Self sufficient in business skills". With the following skills:

Category/Subcategory/Skill from SFIA

Pre-requisites, Co-requisites

There are no courses require to be completed prior to undertaking this subject.

Content

The course consists of four major topics (modules) each with three sub-topics, one topic per week, with a week at the end for review:

  1. Politics, Science and Business of Sustainability

    Objective: Investigate the principles of environmental sustainability and the science of climate change. Learn how to estimate the carbon footprint of ICT systems. Look at methods to reduce the footprint both of ICT systems directly and of other systems by using ICT.

  2. Technical strategy and planning - Emerging technology monitoring

    Objective: Identify existing, new and emerging hardware, software and communication technologies for energy saving and materials reuse in ICT, and relate these technologies to ICT as it is used in organisations.

  3. Business/IS strategy and planning

    Objective: Apply improved ICT technology and practices into organisational processes, strategic planning and management. Incorporate Green ICT in the strategic requirements of the business. Recommend alternative solutions which reduce environmental impact.

  4. Procurement & management support

    Objective: Write green ICT requirement documents for products and services. Ensure that processes meet sustainability and quality standards.

  5. Week 13: Review and discuss

    Objective: Let us revisit the reasons we are studying Green ICT: to maximise positive environmental benefit and minimises negative impact.

Workload

To complete the subject you will need to spend 8-10 hours each week reading, communicating with colleagues and tutors, and preparing assignments.

Review/Evaluation Methods

There are 2 areas of assessment in the subject;

To pass the subject overall, it is necessary to pass in both areas of assessment.

Teaching Strategies

By distance education through online learning methods. Online learning is the main delivery method, moderated and supported by a tutor, mentor, student discussion forums and weekly feedback. Students are grouped in cohorts of 20.

Specialist Features or Equipment

The subject is supported by a website where the online learning takes place. Learning materials plus discussion forums are available through this site. Set readings elsewhere on the web are linked from the site.

Course Designer

Tom Worthington is an independent ICT consultant and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the Australian National University, where he teaches the design of web sites, e-commerce and professional ethics. In addition, he has an interest in environmental design, and is the founding chair of the ACS Green ICT Group. In 1999 Tom was elected a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society for his contribution to the development of public Internet policy. He is a past president, Fellow and Honorary Life Member of the Australian Computer Society, a voting member of the Association for Computing Machinery and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

References

The notes for this course are published as a book:

Green Technology Strategies: Using computers and telecommunications to reduce carbon emissions by Tom Worthington, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd, 2009

The notes are also available in various e-book and e-learning formats, under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License at: http://www.tomw.net.au/green/

Students can make their own copy of these notes, which are likely to be more up to date that the published version.

On-line references will be used, including:

  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. ACS Policy Statement for Green ICT, Australian Computer Society, 16 August 2007

  5. 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.

  6. ROI Analysis: Reducing 856,000 Pounds of CO2 Emissions through Remote Services and Off-Hours Power Management, Government Case Study: Power Management and CO2 Reduction, Intel, 2008.