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SUSTAINABLE ICT IN
TERTIARY EDUCATION

JISC RSC Northwest Annual Conference 2008

Lisa Hopkinson
HEEPI
University of Bradford
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BACKGROUND
• Higher Education Environmental Performance
Improvement (HEEPI)
– Green Gown awards
– www.heepi.org.uk
• Sustainable IT in Tertiary Education (SUSTE-IT)
– JISC funded project
– Strategic review of ICT in FHE
– Identifying and disseminating good practice
– New Ways of Working event, Queen Margaret
University, Edinburgh, 21 August 2008
– www.susteit.org.uk
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ICT- THE BENEFITS

• Enhanced learning
• Greater efficiencies
• Reduced environmental impacts from travel
– videoconferencing etc
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ICT LIFE CYCLE IMPACTS

Transport
Manufacture

Materials

Use
Disposal
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AN INVISIBLE BURDEN

~30 components
~28 kg materials
~35 kg production waste
~32 kg use-related waste
assoc. ~end of life
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LIFE CYCLE WASTE FROM PCS

Source: IVF, 2007. Preparatory studies for Eco-design Requirements of Energy Using Products

35

30

25
Total waste (kg)

Production
20 Distribution
15 Use
End of life
10

0
Desktop Laptop CRT LCD
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LIFE CYCLE ENERGY OF PCS

Source: IVF, 2007. Preparatory studies for Eco-design Requirements of Energy Using Products

16000

14000
12000
Total Energy (MJ)

10000
Production
8000 Distribution
6000 Use
End of life
4000
2000

0
Desktop Laptop CRT LCD
-2000
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LIFE CYCLE ENERGY OF PRINTERS

Source: Franzhofer IZM and PE Europe, 2007. Preparatory studies for Eco-design Requirements of EuPs
Life cycle energy for b/w MFD

140

120
Total Energy (GJ)

100
Production
80 Distribution
60 Use
End of life
40

20

0
Excl. Paper Incl. Paper
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UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD –
ICT ENERGY BREAKDOWN

10% 1%
14%
2%
HPC
8%
Servers
PCs
18%
Networks
Telephony
Imaging
AV
Non-residential ICT:
47%
18% electricity
Analysis by Chris Cartledge, 2008 15% carbon
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The Coal-Powered Computer

 SERVER END USE
Power Conversions
100
& Distribution
Units

35 Units Cooling
Equipment Server
Load
/Computing
Operations
33 Units
Delivered

Source: US EPA
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WHY IT MATTERS TO FHE

• Cost
- 50 to 100% rise in electricity prices?
• Compliance
- growing regulation
- Carbon Reduction Commitment
• Corporate Social Responsibility
– Sustainable policy, reputation
• Operations
– e.g. lack of space
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ENERGY COSTS OF PCs

• Whole life costing essential
• Electricity costs desktop + CRT monitor
over lifetime (6 years) ~ £50 - £5,000
• Most PCs idle for most of the time – similar
energy to active mode. 13% electricity at
one HEI from idle student PCs
• Most PCs left on overnight - standby power
(e.g. 5W) adds up across campus
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PAPER SAVING ESSENTIAL

• Paper has huge embodied energy (17Wh
per sheet virgin, 12 Wh recycled)
• More energy to produce than to print/copy
• Typical university uses 40 million sheets
copier paper a year = £800,000 paper costs
• Ave UK worker prints 38pp/day; 30%
wasteful
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REDUCING ENERGY IMPACTS

IN USE
• PCs: laptops 50-80% less energy than desktop/CRT; LCD
monitor 50% less energy than CRT
• Imaging: Inkjets less energy than laser; b/w less energy
than colour; MFDs less energy than SFDs. Duplex facility
essential
• Procure the most energy efficient equipment that meets
requirements www.eu-energystar.org, OGC’s Quick Wins
• Powerdown networked computers - University of
Liverpool’s FREE powerdown software
http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/powerdown/
• Switch off computers & peripherals when not in use
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REDUCING ALL IMPACTS OVER

LIFE-CYCLE
• Dematerialise – smaller, lighter devices: MFDs
rather than SFDs; laptops or thin clients rather
than desktops; LCDs rather than CRTs
• Extend useful life of product – recycle internally
and refurbish
• Reduce toxic compounds – as of 1/2/08 all EEE
on market should comply with ROHS
• Facility to return product to producer end of life,
free of charge
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REDUCING PAPER USE

• Duplex facility for imaging equipment

• Built in user codes to record usage
• Print management software (e.g. GreenPrint)
• Procure recycled paper (lower embodied
energy) and ensure high rates recycling
• Educate users- review/store online
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OVERCOMING BARRIERS
• Lack of awareness and information
- footprinting and energy bills
• Unsupportive financial frameworks
- whole life costs
• Lack of capacity
- departmental champions; networks