EAD greens its IT

The manufacture and distribution of ICT equipment is one of the world's largest industries, consuming natural resources and energy, contributing to climate change, and a lot of waste.

The Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) last week completed a project where it 'greened' its IT. Their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) eco-footprint will now be managed through a comprehensive life-cycle programme.

As part of the project, EAD conducted a computer usage audit, which revealed that the majority of energy consumption was spent on electricity and IT. Awareness signs encouraging reduced use of energy and paper were displayed over every printer, scanner and photocopier.

All EAD's IT purchases became compliant with the Energy Star, which saves 15-20% on our energy expenditure. All CRT monitors were replaced with LCD monitors and desktops were replaced with laptops. Ultimately, this will help reduce energy consumption at EAD by at least 50%. An electronic data management system was also introduced, whereby all network printers and copiers were configured to automatically switch to Sleep Mode, if left inactive for a long period of time.

Last week, EAD employees marked this project with 'an hour without IT." During this hour, employees shut down all computers and printers and switched off their mobile phones in a symbolic move to highlight the growing eco-footprint of Information and Communication Technology in our personal and professional lives. At the end of the one hour, EAD's employee signed a pledge agreeing to make substantial change in the office and in their own daily lives to reduce their own ecological footprint.

"Greening our IT and becoming a role model in this field in the region is very important to us as an environmental agency. We are taking the necessary steps to become a global leader in the emerging field of sustainable management of ICT. We took this step not only to protect our environment but to encourage other government organizations and private businesses in the UAE to do the same," said Entesar Ahmed Al Hosani, Manager of EAD's Environment Information Management Department.

"We will be identifying and capitalizing on innovations enabled by ICT that can create significant system changes towards sustainability,"

she added.

More About the Impact of IT on the Environment
ICT, including Consumer Electronics, is one of the world's largest industries, consuming natural resources and energy, contributing to the problem of climate change, and producing ever-increasing amounts of waste.

Studies in Europe and Japan have estimated that by within a generation, the electronics we use at home and at work will consume 15% or more of the total electricity production of the world. The pervasiveness of ICT in modern life and the increasing rates of innovation also mean a rapidly growing volume of waste, much of it hazardous "e-waste".