Exploration and research
JISC recognises that while ICT is, in part, a major polluter through the embedded carbon from its manufacture and distribution, its carbon emissions linked to electricity generation and its legacy of waste, ICT is also potentially an enabler of change and provider of solutions.
JISC also recognises that in future the ICT landscape of higher and further education may look very different from today. JISC considers that there are areas where further information is required to fill in gaps in the knowledge base around ICT and the environment. This embraces ICT use both as polluter and generator of waste, and ICT as the provider of solutions. The projects that have been funded in this area of work are intended to address some of these issues.
The JISC funded Suste-IT project identified many areas where changing practices and policies within institutions and the sector as a whole can provide savings in energy use and carbon production. However there are still areas where there is as yet imperfect understanding and knowledge, for example:
- about aspects of the environmental and social impact of ICT;
- the relationship between sustainable ICT and wider contexts such as working practices, health and safety, and the physical estate;
- and the best means of implementing some of the desired changes.
There is also a need for applied research and analysis of general ICT trends with implications for sustainability, so that new ideas can be rapidly introduced into the sector.
Among the projects funded under this strand of the Greening ICT Programme are:
| Exploration & Research Projects |
|---|
| Project | Summary |
|---|
Managing Sustainable ICT in Higher and Further Education (Suste-IT) Higher Education Performance Initiative (HEEPI) & University of Bradford |
JISC's initial study into the area of Green ICT. The project looked across the board at all aspects of ICT and sustainability in the sector, including: - Overall ICT impacts
- Networks and configuration
- Hardware
- Applications and use
|
Review of the environmental & organisational implications of cloud computing in HE & FE Strathclyde University
|
- Reviewed the current evidence for the environmental costs and benefits of cloud computing;
- Reviewed the implications of cloud computing for institutional activities (excluding research);
- Reviewed the changes to institutional governance, policies, procedures and skills required by
adoption of cloud computing; - Made recommendations to the JISC for further areas for development.
|
How ‘green’ was my videoconference?
Swansea University & the Welsh Video Network |
- Investigated the environmental impact of deploying videoconferencing equipment (including peripherals) across its lifetime and produced metrics that can be used for environmental accounting;
- Generated recommendations for reducing carbon emissions;
- Investigated the overall environmental impact of actual videoconferences taking into account the amount of travel avoided (if any) and the impact of the videoconference.
|
Virtually Sustainable
University of Bradford & HEEPI |
This project focuses on videoconferencing (VC) and other virtual meeting technologies as a means of reducing travel-related energy and carbon in universities. The project is undertaking the following activities: - Surveys in a number of universities on conferencing use by staff and a comparative analysis of the use of virtual meeting technologies, including any fixed VC suites; the benefits of virtual meetings, including quantification of travel time and cost savings of their last virtual meeting; and the barriers to further usage of virtual meeting technologies.
- A survey of university travel managers from over 40 universities and colleges in the sector which will provide data on whether institutions promote virtual meetings in their travel plan , the potential for virtual meetings in their institution, the main barriers to the use of virtual meetings, and ways of encouraging more virtual meetings.
- A survey of JANET videoconferencing users (fixed suites and desktop VC) to analyse their usage and satisfaction with the service, quantify the travel costs and savings of their last virtual meeting, and the barriers to further usage.
|
Green in silico
University of Bradford & HEEPI |
Scientific and technical computing is already a major element in the energy consumption and carbon emissions of universities and research organisations. The bills and impacts are also growing rapidly as in silico work expands, driven by new opportunities such as enhanced visualisation, and actual substitution for in vivo and in vitro activity, e.g. replacement of physical manipulation of molecules by computer modelling. Absent radical action to improve computing and cooling efficiency, science-based institutions have growing difficulties in meeting environmental regulations and targets (especially in Europe), and are facing energy bills of a size that will greatly constrain actual research and teaching. |
Greening events
University of Bristol |
The Greening Events project proposes to conduct an exploratory investigation into how to minimise the sustainability impacts of academic events (such as conferences and seminars, training, administrative and project related events) while gaining the maximum benefit from them. The project will do this by using carefully chosen academic events (physical and virtual) as the basis for the exploration, combining two approaches: - Developing a systemic impact analysis methodology and using it to conduct assessments of the primary, secondary and tertiary sustainability impacts of events;
- Explore the use of a variety of technologies to help minimise the sustainability impact of events.
|
Energy Recovery for Server Rooms
UHI Millennium Institute |
Development of a Management Decision Support toolkit for the potential for use of Energy Recovery from computer server rooms, based on complete walk- through of at least three real-life scenarios. If applicable, one or more of the case studies would include identification of capital funding to install a recovery system, with walk-through of the grant application process, installation, and evaluation of real-world outcomes. |
Deliberative user approach in a living lab (DUALL)
De Montfort University |
The DUALL project will develop a socio-technical, deliberative approach enabling users of a large-scale, public-sector building to understand the potential for ICT to reduce energy consumption. The project will identify the approaches that enable both individuals and teams to access data about energy consumption, and the mechanisms that those users choose in order to change their behaviour. Key deliverables include a process-map for the deliberative process and the design of an ICT interface that connects building users to their electricity consumption. |
Environmental reporting for green outcomes (ERGO) Pembrokeshire College
|
The project will demonstrate an innovative way of taking action to reduce the environmental impact of institutional ICT through raising awareness of the effect small behavioural changes can make to reducing energy usage. |
Printing efficiently and greener University of East London |
The overall aim of PEG is to investigate how barriers to Green ICT can be overcome within a HEI, especially in terms of cross-departmental working and implementing staff behavioural change programmes. This will be achieved by looking at the specific issue of improving the efficiency of printing to deliver a long-term sustainable solution. Rather than just merely implementing changes at an operational level, this project aims to increase understanding of a consultative approach to behavioural change. |