Seeking the "Green" and "IS" in Green IS

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PACIS2010_Green_IS_FINALISED_070710.pdf (4.4 MB)
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This particular slide was presented at the PACIS 2010 held in Taipei, Taiwan recently.The status of the paper is research-in-progress. And specifically, the paper attempts to answer the first RQ of the research. Therefore, it is conceptual in nature. We are in the process of unpacking the Green IS "blackbox", answer the second and third RQs and wil report from time to time our latest findings.

 

 

iPad vs. texbook. Which one is "greener"?

Students ditch the books in favour of iPads

SPAIN-US-IT-COMPANY-LIFESTYLE-APPLE-IPAD

Some schools are phasing out textbooks in favour of the new iPad / AFP Source: AFP

SCHOOLS are moving to get rid of textbooks and replace them with hi-tech devices such as the new iPad.

Several state and private schools have started testing the iPad amid concerns that students' bags are being overloaded with books.

The launch of Apple's new product on Friday caused huge excitement with thousands of iPads bought over the weekend.

But Melbourne's Brighton Grammar has had one for two months as part of a research project on e-learning.

The school's community education director, John Phillips, said yesterday that the long-term goal was to phase out textbooks.

"With the one device we've replaced textbooks, we've replaced the student diary, we've replaced the need for a graphics calculator," he said.

Mr Phillips said that a Melbourne IT firm and senior students were working on education applications to deliver course material through the iPad.

Year 7 student James Kay said he couldn't wait for the day when school bags were lighter.

"I always have trouble getting all my textbooks and keeping track of them all," he said.

"They get pretty heavy and you start to get a bit of a sore shoulder. Having one or two things would be a lot easier to carry around and find."

Under a State Government program, eight public schools will get a total of 500 iPads to try out.

The schools include the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and Manor Lakes P-12 Specialist College in Wyndham Vale.

Premier John Brumby said the iPad would complement student use of netbooks and interactive whiteboards as the Government introduced the Ultranet - an online learning system for state schools.

"This trial will allow us to understand the impact of iPads on student learning and communication, and on the way teachers plan and deliver curriculum in the classroom," he said. ((BUT WHAT ABOUT THE IMPACT ON ECO-SUSTAINABILITY? LESSER PRINTED TEXTBOOKS = LESS PAPER, LESS INK TO PRINT THE BOOKS, LESS TREES BEING CUT DOWN)).

Parents Victoria spokeswoman Elaine Crowle said she welcomed the move away from textbooks provided the new technology was eventually rolled out to all students.

"It's a huge concern the amount of books that students are required to carry to get their homework done," she said.

Examples of "Green IS"

From: http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Cisco/Cisco-Iceland-Volcano-Boosts-Video-Conferencing-153040/

The Iceland Volcano that has created a cloud of ash over Europe is yielding an unexpected result -- an increase in video conferencing demand as business travel across the continent is disrupted.

OSLO/LONDON (Reuters) - The videoconferencing industry is getting a boost in demand from the disruption to business travel across Europe caused by a volcano in Iceland, Cisco Systems said.

"The only evidence is anecdotal, but you will not get a demo room in any of the Cisco facilities," said Fredrik Halvorsen, former Tandberg CEO and head of the Cisco Systems's TelePresence Technology Group. "We have seen a huge spike in usage."

Large parts of Europe enforced no-fly rulings for a fifth day on Monday because of a huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano that has caused the worst air travel chaos since the September 11 attacks.

Cisco became the biggest maker of videoconferencing equipment on Monday as its $3.3 billion acquisition of Tandberg, announced last October, closed. It is already the world's biggest network equipment maker.

Norwegian tech start-up Videoworks, which opened for business on Monday, said it would begin supplying a range of high-definition conferencing systems based on technology from Sony. One of the company's founders came from a top sales position at Tandberg.

Videoworks Chief Executive Even Zimmer said the volcano will make business people think about the benefits of videoconferencing.

"The timing is very good. The market's growing and the consequences of the ash cloud won't be forgotten very soon," Zimmer said.

The videoconferencing sector has seen a flurry of acquisitions and, analysts say, is a key growth area as companies seek to cut business travel costs.

On a smaller scale, Logitech International SA has acquired privately held video conferencing company LifeSize Communications and U.S. based Polycom is attracting interest as the only major public videoconferencing company left without a deal.

(Editing by Tarmo Virki and Erica Billingham)

>> What's the tipping point for the use of VC? Do we need to experience another natural disaster like the Icelandic volcano eruption in order for us to go "green"? Do we want to see a global endemic like the H1N1 or bird flu first before we decide that VC is a solution to reduce travel (and avoiding the hassle of flying/getting infected etc??)


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From: http://daysofchange.org/support/organisation-pledges/increase-use-of-teleconferencing-and-video-conferencing.aspx?idPledge=50d8927d-645e-4dda-9b44-a0216785c679&idGroupType=2a9cdea0-f7d2-440d-a187-9ce800cc858a

Avoid 10% of scheduled business air travel through increased use of webinars, teleconferences, videoconferences

Replace at least one out of ten business trip with a teleconference, and save time and money while reducing your ecological footprint.

Video Conferencing_optAir travel is much more damaging to the environment than train, bus or car travel.

The first reason is that planes make it possible for people to travel vast distances which was previously impossible or very restricted prior to the age of modern jet travel. Vast distances travelled equate to vast amounts of fuel consumed. This means high levels of CO2 produced, and also exacerbates the problem of peak oil, where the world is rapidly approaching the point at which oil reserves start to diminish rapidly, thereby pushing fuel prices skywards (pun intended).

As well as CO2, planes also emit nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, soot and water vapour directly into the atmosphere at high altitudes. The effect of these contrails on the environment may be double that of ground travel (1).

By reducing the amount of flights your employees take each year by increasing the use of video- and tele-conferencing, you'll be reducing your ecological footprint substantially, and you will significantly reduce your organisation's travel costs.

Video or phone-conferencing is much quicker, cheaper and more convenient than business travel - saving administration time lost in booking flights and accommodation, valuable working hours lost sitting on planes and in airports, and money spent on restaurant meals and taxi fares. There is no risk of turning up tired, washed out and cranky from hours on the 'red-eye', or losing your luggage on the walk to the boardroom.

Here are some answers to some of the most common questions around this pledge

  1. What if my organisation doesn't have video conference facilities?
  2. How can staff reduce their footprint even if they have to fly?
  3. What if my business can only be conducted face to face?

What if my organisation doesn't have video conference facilities?

Give Skype a go. It is completely free and easy. All you and the person you wish to call needs are:

  1. a computer with a video camera, microphone and speakers. Most laptop computers have these built in.
  2. a free Skype account.

If you need to deliver a slideshow presentation, you can even share this via Skype!

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How can staff reduce their footprint even if they have to fly?

For some people it is impossible to avoid flying completely. In these cases the advice is to try to combine as many possible trips into one longer trip. Encourage your staff to fly just once and achieve multiple things. Of course travel in economy class has a smaller footprint than travel in business or first class, so choosing that option is also better.

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What if my business can only be conducted face to face?

Video conferencing is high quality and high resolution, and you can hire the equipment short term at a much lower real and environmental cost than flying.

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Sources

(1): www.greenprogress.com/carbon_footprint_calculator.php

Green IT vs. Green IS

From: Jenkin, Webster & McShane, 2009

Green IT, which addresses energy consumption and waste associated with the use of hardware and software, tends to have a direct impact. Examples of Green IT applications include improving the energy efficiency of hardware and data centers, consolidating servers using virtualization software, and reducing the waste associated with obsolete equipment (Boudreau, Chen, & Huber, 2008).

Green IS, on the other hand, refers to the development and use of information systems to support or enable environmental sustainability initiatives and, thus, tends to have an indirect impact. Examples of Green IS applications include: collaborative group software and telepresence systems to enable remote meetings and reduce the environmental impacts associated with travel; environmental information systems (EIS: http://www.isess.org/) to track and monitor environmental variables such as waste, emissions, toxicity, water consumption, and carbon footprints; and supply chain systems to optimize product routing and transportation, thus reducing the amount of energy consumed moving products (Boudreau et al., 2008).