Welcome to the fifth edition of the Jisc Digital Sustainability Newsletter! Each month we delve into the latest news, trends, and insights at the intersection of technology and environmental sustainability.
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Digital Sustainability at Jisc:
As the academic year draws to a close, we have been very busy at Jisc reflecting on our achievements over the last year in our provision of digital sustainability advice and support, whilst also planning for the upcoming year. Here are a few of our own digital sustainability highlights from the last month:
EAUC Conference 2024
Last month the EAUC annual conference took place at The University of Winchester, bringing together sustainability professionals and leaders from the education sector to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and explore innovative solutions for sustainability in higher and further education institutions. At the conference, members of Jisc took part in two insightful sessions.
Clare Casey, Head of Environmental Sustainability at Jisc, led the session “The Benefits and Challenges of ICT and Digital Innovation,” discussing the rapid evolution of technology, its carbon footprint, and its impact on education.
Helen Nicholson, Jisc’s AI Specialist, shared her expertise in the plenary discussion panel “AI and the Future of Sustainability,” examining the challenges and opportunities AI presents for advancing sustainability in education. These sessions provided valuable perspectives on integrating innovative technologies into sustainable practices.
New FE News Article Championing Digital Sustainability in Tertiary Education
FE News have published an article by Cal Innes, Jisc’s Subject Specialist for Sustainability, advocating for digital sustainability in education. The article discusses the environmental impact of digital activities and provides actionable guidance to integrate sustainable practices in educational institutions. Read the full article here.
Latest news:
Here’s a roundup of some of the interesting digital sustainability news and developments from the last month across the UK and beyond. Click on the headline to find out more.
Microsoft and G42 Geothermal-Powered Data Centre
Microsoft and G42 are collaborating to build a geothermal-powered data centre in Kenya, aiming to enhance the sustainable energy use in data centre operations. This project represents a significant step towards reducing the carbon footprint of data centres by utilising renewable energy sources.
AI Drives 48% Increase in Google’s Emissions in 5 Years
Google’s greenhouse gas emissions have surged by 48% over the past five years due to the growing energy demands of AI technologies. This increase underscores the need for more efficient AI systems and sustainable practices within the tech industry.
Microsoft launches initiative to counter 30% rise in Scope 3 emissions since 2020
Microsoft aims to tackle its 30% rise in its Scope 3 emissions since 2020, focusing on comprehensive sustainability efforts. The initiative includes measures to reduce its environmental impact through better supply chain management, using artificial intelligence to gather insights and automate management of electricity consumption and implementing closed-loop water recycling systems for cooling in its data centres.
Resource Corner:
Each month we share a digital sustainability resource which we hope you might find useful.
This month, we would like to share a resource from the United Nation’s agency International Telecommunication Union. The ITU’s “Circular and Sustainable Public Procurement – ICT Equipment Guide” is a comprehensive guide which offers detailed strategies for implementing circular and sustainable procurement practices for ICT equipment. It covers key topics such as lifecycle assessment, eco-labels, and sustainable product design, providing practical recommendations to reduce environmental impact and promote resource efficiency. This resource is essential for policymakers, procurement professionals, and sustainability advocates aiming to integrate circular economy principles into their ICT procurement processes. Access the guide here.
Member Highlights:
In our monthly member highlights, we turn the green spotlight onto one of Jisc’s members in FE and HE who are implementing noteworthy digital sustainability initiatives.
Edinburgh University has made impressive strides in sustainability through its IT Reuse Program. Since 2015, the initiative has reused over 3,000 PCs and various other pieces of IT equipment like keyboards and monitors. The program involves fixing, cleaning, and securely wiping items for reuse. It also facilitates sourcing, moving, and rehoming IT equipment. This program not only reduces waste but also provides valuable resources for the community.
If you have a success story, project milestone, or accomplishment related to digital sustainability, we want to hear about it!
Digital Sustainability Articles:
Here are a selection of our favourite articles on digital sustainability from the last month. Click on the title link to be redirected to the full article:
AI Emissions: Should We Be Worried?
Janne Kalliola, chairman of the Green ICT project steering group, examines the environmental impact of AI, considering the potential benefits and drawbacks.
Sustainability in Cloud Computing: Going Green
This article explores the principles of green computing, the benefits of cloud computing, and how their integration can contribute to environmental sustainability.
Green coding – Cloudinary: Could a JPEG successor render greener?
Writing for Computer Weekly, Adrian Bridgewater discusses how adopting JPEG XL, a more efficient image format, could significantly reduce the environmental impact of storing and transferring digital images, compared to the widely used JPEG format.
GreenOps, FinOps, and the Sustainable Cloud
The article, written by Dario Maisto and Tracy Woo of Forrester, discusses the integration of GreenOps and FinOps to achieve sustainable cloud practices. It highlights the importance of minimizing the carbon footprint of cloud environments through efficient resource usage, regulatory compliance, and consumer pressure, suggesting specific actions organisations can take to reduce emissions.
Talking to Franklin Okeke from Techopedia discusses AI’s environmental impact with Suzanne DiBianca and Boris Gamazaychikov from Salesforce. The discussion covers AI’s energy demands on sustainability efforts and how Salesforce is addressing these challenges through initiatives like their Sustainable AI Strategy.
The cloud’s carbon footprint: Solutions for sustainable computing | TechRadar
Writing for TechRadar, Joel Khalili analyses the environmental impact of cloud computing. The article also explores the tools that major cloud providers provide to help customers monitor their cloud-based emissions, such as Microsoft’s Emission Impact Dashboard, AWS’s Customer Carbon Footprint Tool and Google Cloud’s Carbon Footprint tool.
Get Involved:
We want to hear from you! Share your comments, suggestions, and digital sustainability highlights. Contact our Subject Specialist for Sustainability, Cal Innes, at cal.innes@jisc.ac.uk.
And don’t forget to subscribe to our DIGITAL-SUSTAINABILITY JiscMail mailing list for future editions of the Digital Sustainability Newsletter.
