Green IT Crowd urged to consider social, ethical & environmental issues.
Making IT and technology more green is about more than just switching your monitor off at night - it is also about all the environmental, social and ethical issues surrounding production of the equipment.
That was the message from Miriam Kennet, director of the Green Economics Institute, as she addressed the Green IT Expo, in London, last week.
"Being 'green' is about providing social and environmental justice at the same time" she said. "It is up to the user and the buyer to make sure that what they are doing is not causing harm."
Mobile phones are one example of a widely-used piece of technology which is linked to the exploitation and suffering of people in developing countries, she told delegates.
Mobiles use coltan, an ore produced from the mineral tantalum, which is mainly found in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the United Nations, smuggling and exportation of coltan has helped fuel the war in the Congo, a crisis that has resulted in millions of deaths since 1998.
The mineral is often mined by prisoners in exchange for early release or by child labour, Ms Kennet said.
"We are all complicit in this - everyone who has a mobile phone," she said. "If we want to live in this high-tech world we have to think about these supply chains.
"It's up to us in the high-tech world to see if we can engineer our supply chains to make them more green."
But this does not mean that companies and individuals should ignore the more obvious ways to help the environment, by reducing their energy use and CO2 emissions, Ms Kennet added.
"It's going to be one of the big stories, I think, as IT develops," she said.
A report produced last year by UK charity Global Action Plan revealed that the ICT sector has a carbon footprint similar to that of the aviation industry . Environmental charity Global Action Plan, which commissioned the research, argued the sector now needed to be given the same level of attention as aviation or 4x4s.
An Inefficient Truth, says many UK companies are using vast amounts of energy by inefficiently storing data and failing to adopt sustainable habits such as switching off units at night.
It also revealed that many ICT departments have no idea how much energy they are using and are often not involved in their companies' sustainability policies.
Trewin Restorick, director of Global Action Plan, said: "We just cannot make the connection between our use of ICT and climate change. Somehow we have got to change."
He accused many companies in the ICT and communications sector of using green claims as a marketing tool.
The organisation is calling on the Government to change legislation governing the way data has to be stored in the UK.
He said: "Government legislation is just not connected at all to this debate. It is pressing more and more demands on businesses to store data for ever and if they bring in identity cards and road pricing all of these things are going to put more pressure on."
Shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth, who was hosting the event, added: "I think the main role for Government is actually to lead by example and to join up its thinking."
The report revealed that the ICT sector is now responsible for around 2% of man-made global carbon emissions.
Researchers found that only 40% of ICT departments are using more than half of the available space on their data servers and more than 60% thought they would run out of data storage within a year.
The report also raised concerns that more than half of the ICT departments surveyed do not see their organisations' energy bills and two-thirds do not pay their share of bills.
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British are "bored" with Climate Change
A new energy report suggests that British people are less environmentally conscious than they were five years ago.
4 out of 10 britons take no action at all to reduce their household carbon emissions, and twice as many people are now "bored" by talk of climate change as in 2005. Experts warn that green fatigue is one of the major reasons as to why there are more cars on the roads, more planes in the sky and no reductions in the mountain of packaging waste. The report reveals that too few people are making an effort to reduce their household CO2 emissions and environmentalists believe the recession is further undermining public commitment.
The report, by market researchers Mintel, shows that many of Britain's 26 million homes fail to make simple adjustments such as switching off lights, turning down thermostats, and switching off appliances rather than leaving them on standby. The findings also reveal that people are less willing to spend money on energy-efficient appliances than they were five years ago. Analysts believe the recession together with a backlash against "extreme" environmentalist pressure has reduced people's enthusiasm to combat climate change.
The report also found that resistance to saving the planet was greater among men; one in four said they think there is too much concern over the environment, compared with one in six women.
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More information on the 2016 definition of "Zero Carbon".
Housing Minister, Grant Shapps announced additional information about the new definition of "Zero Carbon".
The Government plans to investigate setting up a community energy fund which will be used to pay for district heating and renewable energy schemes.
Developers who pay into the fund will not have to install onsite renewables or microgeneration equipment. Many developers have welcomed the flexibility of paying into a fund rather than grappling with renewables on each site.
However, the full definition of 'zero-carbon' has once again been delayed. This is despite a pre-election promise to get the definition of zero carbon finalised “within weeks” of getting into office.
The new Government Housing Minister has recently announced that the coalition will review the level of on-site renewables required - before publishing the final definition of the standard, which all new homes will have to reach after 2016.
In the announcement, the Minister also re-affirmed his commitment to all new homes being zero-carbon from 2016 and confirmed the introduction of the ‘Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard' which requires a minimum standard in relation to insulation levels and air tightness and thermal bridging in buildings.
Zero carbon is required of all Code for Sustainable Homes level six homes. Clarification of what zero carbon will mean is still to be decided.
If you require assistance with your Code for Sustainable Homes level requirements, contact Ecowise - we are a fully accredited Code for Sustainable Homes assessment organisation.
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Pilot Tidal Energy Scheme for North Wales Coast
Conwy County Borough Council has backed plans for a pilot tidal energy scheme off the North Wales Coast.
The £150 million scheme at Llanddulas in North Wales would provide a testing facility for turbine designers and manufacturers, and assess the environmental impact of turbines.
The project was given approval by the council as part of a strategic regeneration strategy for the Conwy coast, prepared by consultant Capita Symonds.
Paul Terry, Capita Symonds, said: "Tidal power will play a key role in providing a sustainable energy source for future generations. The North Wales coast is an ideal place for such a scheme as it’s blessed with a good tidal range and suitable ocean depth." He added that the project could also help protect the coast from rising sea levels, storm surges and coastal erosion.
The regeneration strategy also calls for seven new visitor centres costing £30m should be built at key locations stretching from Conwy to Rhuddlan. But North Wales Tourism chairman Chris Jackson raised doubts over whether the proposals could realistically be funded in the current economic climate. The council’s approval now means that Capita Symonds will seek funding for feasibility studies and investigations to develop a business case for the scheme.
