Entrepreneurs for climate change mitigation

Tom Worthington FACS HLM

Author of Green Technology Strategies

Designer of the ACS and ANU Green Information Technology Courses

Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Australian National University
For the Startup BarCamp Sydney, ATP, 21 November 2009

Entrepreneurs can help reduce carbon emissions and thus fight global warming. Products and services can use social networking and information technology to reduce emissions. This can be done more rapidly and at lower cost, by using exiting IT infrastructure. Entrepreneurs can learn to estimate the carbon footprint of processes and assess ways to reduce them, by changes to procurement, operations and business processes.

Tom Worthington uses free open source Australia developed e-learning software to teach green technology strategies via the Internet for the Australian Computer Society and the Australian National University at the postgraduate level. He also gives the course material away online as a web pages, as well as selling a paperback book and down-loadable e-book

ICT Greening Public Transport

iButton on a plastic fob

Akbil

  1. E-tickets
  2. online timetables and mapping
  3. Encourage public transport to reduce CO2

The Istanbul Public Transport System uses the Akbil with a 1-Wire (iButton) smart chip in a small metal can. This is attached to a key fob or credit card, and pressed on a reader at the turn-style to board the train, tram, bus or ferry. Such electronic ticketing systems encourage the use of public transport, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from private cars. This system can be retrofitted to older forms of public transport, such as Instanbul's historic trams and ferries as well as modern Light-Rail Vehicles.

Online services such as Google's trip planner can be used to plot a route by public transport, in much the same way navigation devices in cars are now used. This can be used to replace private car use, as for example to get to this conference.

Learning Online Reduces CO2

Moodle e-learning system provides:

  1. Online discussion forums
  2. Tools for students to author content

The tutors fostering discussion, not presenting content.

See: Computer Professional Education using Mentored and Collaborative Online Learning, David Lindley, IJCIM Special Issues on e-learning, Vol.15 No. SP4, November, 2007.

The ANU uses the Australian developed Moodle open source Learning Management System. This is used to provide forums for students to discuss what they are learning, not just receive content prepared by teachers. This also teaches students how to use the same online collaboration techniques in the workplace.

The techniques of using mentored collaborative online learning for computer professional education were developed for the ACS by David Lindley.

Innovation ACT

ANU and University of Canberra Students learn how to:

InnovationACT provides eight weeks of seminars and mentoring from industry and business professionals for staff and students at the Australian National University and the University of Canberra. Participants form teams which are helped to write a business plan. Topics include sustainability

The slides and video of Innovation Seminars are valuable on-line:

  1. Introduction
  2. Intellectual Property: Simon Potter and Michael Curtotti
  3. Product and Market Definition: John Hemphill
  4. Financial and Resource Management Seminar: Nick McNaughton
  5. Environmental and Social Sustainable Seminar: Tom Worthington
  6. Business Plan Writing and Presentation Seminar: Lachlan James

First global Green ICT Course

Green ICT

Students learn how to:

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 life cycle 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 practises to achieve efficient and effective business interaction.

Business ICT Competencies

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

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

Students Teach Each Other

Moodle e-learning system provides:

  1. Online discussion forums
  2. Tools for students to author content

The tutors fostering discussion, not presenting content.

See: Computer Professional Education using Mentored and Collaborative Online Learning, David Lindley, IJCIM Special Issues on e-learning, Vol.15 No. SP4, November, 2007.

The ACS and the ANU use the Australian developed Moodle open source Learning Management System. This is used to provide forums for students to discuss what they are learning, not just receive content prepared by teachers. This also teaches students how to use the same online collaboration techniques in the workplace.

The techniques of using mentored collaborative online learning for computer professional education were developed for the ACS by David Lindley.

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.

Some Green ICT Topics

More Information

Slides for these notes are also available.

Copyright © 2009 (Version 1.0, 21 November 2009) Tom Worthington

Entrepreneurs for climate change mitigation by Tom Worthington is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.