Beyond Virtualisation: What's next for IT sustainability?

Beyond Virtualisation

What's next for IT sustainability?“

Contents

1.Sustainability imperative2. What are we (should we) be doing

already3. Beyond own footprint4. Learning from Sustainability

computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/

Assoc Prof Samuel Mann

computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/

Sustainable practitioner.

Are we enabling people to do the right thing?

Sustainable practitioners

ImperativeComputing and IT underpins every sector of society as a

pervasive and influential discipline with global impact.

As a result, computing influences the environment and society either positively or negatively. While we have seen positive benefit from incremental changes such as reductions in energy usage and recycling components, more comprehensive and transformative changes are needed to meet contemporary challenges.

In short, we need to move beyond a focus on our own footprint and examine ways in which we can facilitate a much larger impact.

Imperative.

Why?

Imperative

• United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainability

• Digital Strategy

The skills and values of Otago Polytechnic graduates contribute to every sector of society. Our curriculum, teaching and learning therefore is pervasive and influential with global impact. The Otago Polytechnic sustainability vision is that our graduates, our practitioners and our academics understand the concepts of social, environmental and economic sustainability in order for them to evaluate, question and discuss their role in the world and to enable them to make changes where and when appropriate. Our goal is that every graduate may think and act as a “sustainable practitioner”.

Moreover, educators must take a lead in sustainability so that our graduates can be encouraged and supported to promote sustainable practices in their chosen career. This can primarily be achieved by fostering education for sustainability in all our qualifications and by re-visioning and changing our approach to teaching and learning to model a transformative context for all learners.

As a consequence sustainable practice becomes a context and a process for learning and recognised as a core capability within each discipline.

Creating a philosophy of Education for Sustainability will be enhanced if undertaken within a context of institutional operational practice. We will then be seen to be modelling good practice.

The skills and values of Otago Polytechnic graduates contribute to every sector of society. Our curriculum, teaching and learning therefore is pervasive and influential with global impact. The Otago Polytechnic sustainability vision is that our graduates, our practitioners and our academics understand the concepts of social, environmental and economic sustainability in order for them to evaluate, question and discuss their role in the world and to enable them to make changes where and when appropriate. Our goal is that every graduate may think and act as a “sustainable practitioner”.

Moreover, educators must take a lead in sustainability so that our graduates can be encouraged and supported to promote sustainable practices in their chosen career. This can primarily be achieved by fostering education for sustainability in all our qualifications and by re-visioning and changing our approach to teaching and learning to model a transformative context for all learners.

As a consequence sustainable practice becomes a context and a process for learning and recognised as a core capability within each discipline.

Creating a philosophy of Education for Sustainability will be enhanced if undertaken within a context of institutional operational practice. We will then be seen to be modelling good practice.

For more on Otago Polytechnic’s approach to Sustainable Practitioner, see http://computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/sustainable-practitioners-update/

Students

Curriculum

Operations

Staff Development

Otago Polytechnic Education for Sustainability Strands

Research

Community

Communication

Role of designer Role of designer reimaginedreimagined

Transparent communicator

Role of designer Role of designer reimaginedreimagined

Role of designer Role of designer reimaginedreimagined

IntegrationIntegration

Models best practice in Models best practice in transformation of discipline transformation of discipline understanding of social justice. Key is understanding of social justice. Key is social justice and sustainable social justice and sustainable relationships within contextsrelationships within contexts..

Integrated Integrated throughoutthroughout

Law, Treaty, workplace Law, Treaty, workplace practice, working with practice, working with others…others…

IPENZ: IPENZ: Professional Professional societysociety

IPENZ code of ethics rule 4 Sustainable Management and Care of the Environment: Members shall recognise and respect the need for sustainable management of the planet's resources and endeavour to minimise adverse environmental impacts of their engineering activities for both present and future generations. Under this clause you should have due regard to: 4.1 Using resources efficiently. 4.2 Endeavouring to minimise the generation of waste and encouraging environmentally sound reuse, recycling and disposal. 4.3 Recognising adverse impacts of your engineering activities on the environment and seeking to avoid or mitigate them. 4.4 Recognising the long-term imperative of sustainable management throughout your engineering activities. (Sustainable Management is often defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs).

Dublin Accord and Dublin Accord and ABET embeddedABET embedded

Applied projects and Applied projects and community engagementcommunity engagement

Systems view of Systems view of manufacturing and servicemanufacturing and service

Immersed in best Immersed in best practicepractice

Opportunity Opportunity (and need) to (and need) to educate educate customers customers

Sustainable Computing Practitioner.

What role does computing play?

Eli Blevis on the iPod• a deliberately

unsustainable act intent on driving consumption and with the clear side effect of premature disposal

• poor attempt to meet those basic 6th grade principles. No attempt to reduce the packaging that our consumables are delivered in. No attempt to reuse the waste, and certainly no attempt to recycle it.

full story of our skip: http://computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/skipping-back-to-the-future/

Forum for the Future

Forum for the Future: http://computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/compulsory-reading-connected-ict-and-sustainable-development/

Our own footprint.

Reducing, Reusing, Recycling

ECANZ see also 26 4th Rs on http://computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/an-a-z-of-the-4th-r-of-reduce-reuse-recycle/

Own footprint: Procurement

1.1.At Otago Polytechnic purchasing decisions, at whatever level these are made, are expected to take into account both financial and sustainability issues, and to contribute towards meeting the Polytechnics objectives in the area of sustainability.

1.2.A sustainable approach to purchasing means taking into account social, environmental and broad economic factors when meeting the Polytechnics needs for goods and/or services.

1.3.Otago Polytechnics objectives in the area of sustainability (green objectives)are:

• Support suppliers who are socially responsible and have adopted ethical practices

• Avoid unnecessary consumption• Select goods and/or services which have a lower environmental impact

across their life cycle than competing goods and/or services• Support suppliers whose work practices demonstrate innovation in

sustainability

Solutions

• Producer response

– Design for end of life

• “cradle to cradle” design

– Eco-labelling

– Supply chain management

• PC takeback, reuse, recycling and proper disposal after end of use

Own footprint: Disposal

Own footprint: Paper

• 1. Total number of pages?

• 2. Number of pages per student?

• 3. Size of the stack of paper?

Own footprint: Energy

• Data consolidation and virtualisation

• Desktop energy management

barriers

• 17.5% because it’s a hassle10.4% say no one else does9.8% say it’s not important7.7% say they forget in the rush to leave3.3% say they’re out of the office and don’t return1.8% say they worry they’ll lose work

http://computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/2007/07/29/report-oozes-bias-but-still-18-never-turned-off-times-118-idle-hours-times-power-use-times-carbon-or-money-times-number-of-workers-a-big-number/

barriers

• …variations on “It’s too slow logging back on in a morning”, which must, I suppose be linked to the hassle factor. (But just how much hassle is it to switch off a computer).

• And in another surprising result, only those aged over 35 reckoned that they were told to switch off their computer “every night”

• Another respondent seemed to believe that anti-virus scans only ran overnight.

Engaged and empowered staff

• Green not necessarily same as lean

Doing good.

Enabling others.

Doing good

• Doing less bad not the same as doing good

– Michael Braungart

Transparent communicator

design manifesto

There are pursuits more worthy of our problem-solving skills. Unprecedented environmental, social and cultural crises demand our attention. Many cultural interventions, social marketing campaigns, books, magazines, exhibitions, educational tools, television programs, films, charitable causes and other information design projects urgently require our expertise and help.

We propose a reversal of priorities in favor of more useful, lasting and democratic forms of communication - a mindshift away from product marketing and toward the exploration and production of a new kind of meaning. The scope of debate is shrinking; it must expand. Consumerism is running uncontested; it must be challenged by other perspectives expressed, in part, through the visual languages and resources of design.

But in computing we can’t seem to get past the energy rating of the cool new piece of equipment

Doing good

• Other people’s footprint

• Supporting Education for Sustainability in the Institution

• Regenerative Sustainability

Doing good: Other people’s footprint

• Collaboration tools

– Travel

– Participation

CC BY http://flickr.com/photos/leighblackall/tags/secondlife/

Doing good:

• Triple bottom line

www.johnelkington.com/activities/images/ideas/ideas4.jpg

Doing good: Regenerative sustainability

Doing good:

Doing good:

IT as a Learning organisation.

What can we learn from sustainability?

• Tate’s sustainability

mindset that the team is in it for the long haul as underlying sustainable development

continually minimising complexity, revisiting their plans, and paying attention to the health of their software and its ability to support change.

Willard’s stages

• Stage 1: The company feels no obligation beyond profits. It cuts corners and tries not to get caught if it breaks the law or uses exploitative practices that cheat the system. It ignores sustainability and actively fights against related regulations.

willard’s stages

• Stage 2: The business manages its liabilities by obeying the law and all labour, environmental, health, and safety regulations. It reactively does what it legally has to do and does it well. Emerging environmental and philanthropic social actions are treated as costs, projects are end-of-pipe retrofits, and CSR is given lip service.

willard’s stages

• Stage 3: The company moves from defense to offense. It realizes it can save expenses with proactive and incremental operational eco-efficiencies, cleaner processes, and better waste management. It recognizes community investment and social marketing can minimize uncertainty, enhance its reputation, and help maximize shareholder value. However, sustainability initiatives are still marginalized in specialized departments — they are tacked on as “green housekeeping,” not built in and institutionalized.

willard’s stages

• Stage 4: The firm transforms itself. It re-brands itself as a company committed to sustainability and integrates sustainability with key business strategies. It captures added value from breakthrough sustainability initiatives that benefit all stakeholders. Instead of costs and risks, it sees investments and opportunities. It makes cleaner products, applies eco-effectiveness and life-cycle stewardship, and enjoys competitive advantages from sustainability initiatives.

willard’s stages

• Stage 5: Driven by a passionate, values-based commitment to improving the well-being of the company, society, and the environment, the company helps build a better world because it is the right thing to do.

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Questions?

Samuel Mann.

Contents

1.Sustainability imperative2. What are we (should we) be doing

already3. Beyond own footprint4. Learning from Sustainability

computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/

computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/

smann@tekotago.ac.nz