Welcome to the very first edition of the Jisc Digital Sustainability Newsletter. Each month we’ll be your guide through the latest news, trends and insights in the intersection of sustainability and digital technology.
Digital Sustainability at Jisc:
Here’s a quick update on some of the digital sustainability support projects currently underway at Jisc:
Launch of the DIGITAL-SUSTAINABILITY JiscMail Mailing list
We are excited to introduce the Digital Sustainability JiscMail Mailing List, a dynamic platform designed for professionals in FE and HE to foster discussions, share valuable resources, and stay updated on the latest trends in digital sustainability.
If you are interested in joining the Digital Sustainability JiscMail mailing list then please subscribe HERE.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not currently have a JiscMail account, you may need to set this up first in order to access the Digital Sustainability Mailing List. To do this, simply follow the link above, click “Get a new LISTSERV password” and enter your details).
New Digital Sustainability Working Group
Ahead of its launch in April, we are on the lookout for digital sustainability enthusiasts to join our Digital Sustainability Working Group. We are inviting passionate individuals from the FE sector to be part of our new collaborative online project. Engage in insightful discussions during our bi-monthly informal clinics and drop-in sessions, where we’ll delve into the latest news and topics around digital sustainability in education.
To express your interest in becoming part of the Digital Sustainability Working Group, or for more information, please contact our Subject Specialist for Sustainability, Cal Innes at cal.innes@jisc.ac.uk.
Exploring the Intersection Between Sustainability and Accessibility
In our latest news feature, “Prioritising accessibility could boost sustainability at your institution today,” we analyse the relationship between accessibility and digital sustainability. Top tips on how to prioritise sustainability and accessibility include content optimisation and maintaining efficiency through simplicity.
Latest News:
Here’s a roundup of some of the interesting digital sustainability developments from the last month. Click on the headline to find out more.
UK Government Invests £200M in Digital Skills for Sustainable Careers
In November the UK government announced a £200 million investment to enhance skills training. Aimed at cultivating expertise in sectors such as green energy, digital, and construction, this funding will help to support colleges and universities in addressing regional skills needs, fostering a skilled workforce crucial for the nation’s journey to net zero.
Octopus Energy has injected £200 million into Deep Green, an innovative green tech firm to fund a project aiming to utilise excess heat from data processing centres to help heat up to 150 public swimming pools across the UK, marking a pivotal step toward a cleaner, more sustainable future for energy-intensive organisations grappling with escalating operational costs.
The Alan Turing Institute has spearheaded a £5 million national program harnessing AI and digital twin technologies to tackle environmental and sustainability issues. The initiative seeks to automate biodiversity monitoring, deliver localized environmental predictions, optimise infrastructure for sustainable resource utilisation, and model interventions for sustainable cities.
Resource Corner
Each month we will shine the spotlight on a digital sustainability resource which we think our members might find useful.
For our first edition, we invite you to check out Jisc’s very own Exploring Digital Carbon Footprints Report. Written by Scott Stonham, Founder of Well That’s Interesting Tech!, the report explores the significant carbon impact of digital technologies in the education sector, emphasising the need to address the environmental consequences of the digital revolution. It highlights key areas, including procurement, on-premises IT, cloud technologies, and remote working, and emphasizes the importance of informed action in reducing the digital carbon footprint and is well worth a read.
Member Highlights
Each month we want to turn the green spotlight on some of the fantastic digital sustainability initiatives that our members are implementing.
For our first edition, we would like to congratulate Askham Bryan College on being awarded the Jisc-Sponsored Digital Futures Award at the Green Gown Awards, which were held in Liverpool in November.
The award celebrates the college’s use of mixed reality technology, such as virtual reality headsets and environmental management applications of lidar scanning, to help embed a number of sustainable development goals into their curriculum and help students to experience simulated training in difficult to reach locations. This has not only helped to support their progression towards a sustainable future, but has also demonstrated a pioneering new way to teach students about sustainability.
Stacy Vipas, Assistant Principal at Askham Bryan College, said: “The consideration of how both digital and sustainability could align has proven successful and allowed us to win the green gown award for digital futures. We are very excited to be a part of it and thankful to be recognised in such prestigious company.”
If you have a success story, project milestone, or accomplishment related to digital sustainability, we want to hear about it!
Digital Sustainability Articles
These are some of our favourite articles on digital sustainability from the last month:
- 5 Ways Tech Leaders Can Power Environmental Sustainability – Writing for TechTarget, Abhijit Sunil discusses how tech leaders can promote environmental sustainability through initiatives such as measurement tools and the evaluation of emerging technologies.
- Digital ESG Health Index Says Companies Need to Be Proactive – Sustainability Magazine editor Kate Birch explores the insights from Kearney’s Digital ESG Health index, emphasising the potential of data and AI to drive environmental, social and governance performance.
- Meet Red Hat’s Green Software Guru – An insightful GovInsider interview with Vencent Caladeira, CTO of American software giant Red Hat, shares how organisations can make their IT infrastructure more environmentally sustainable by embracing cloud-native architecture, utilising energy-efficient coding practices and making use of AI for continuous optimisation.
Get Involved
We want to hear from you! Share your comments, suggestions, and digital sustainability highlights. Contact our Digital Sustainability Specialist, Cal Innes, at cal.innes@jisc.ac.uk.
Be sure to subscribe to our DIGITAL-SUSTAINABILITY JiscMail mailing list for future editions of the Digital Sustainability Newsletter.
