SnipITs - Issue 2 2008

Welcome to the second issue of SnipITs.

The amount of positive feedback and interest generated by our first issue has been encouraging, with a number of members of staff subscribing to the mailing list.

Please pass this issue on to colleagues in your area who are not on the distribution list. They are able to subscribe using the instructions at the end of this issue.

Major manufacturers in the IT industry are reacting to the consumer demand for more environmentally friendly choices and have become ENERGY STAR partners (ENERGY STAR is an international standard for energy efficient electronic equipment).

This issue of SnipITs focuses on 'Going Green in IT Services' and confirms our commitment to lessen the University's impact on the environment in its use of information technology. By purchasing our computers from ENERGY STAR partners we plan to increase our energy efficiency.

Peter Nikoletatos
CIO

Profile - Going Green

IT Services supports the work of the University’s Environmental Sustainability Committee and is currently investigating and implementing a number of practices that will reduce our impact on the environment.

Actions already implemented include:

- Automated shutdown of Lab PCs at 10:30 pm,

- Introduction of flat screen monitors as part of the Managed Operating System standard desktop configuration,

- New Dell PCs purchased with energy smart power supplies,

- Student Lab printers set to print duplex as the default, and charging students per sheet of paper whether it is printed on a single page or doubled sided, to encourage duplex printing,

- Recycling toner cartridges

Ideas Under Investigation:

- Automatically turning off staff monitors after time period (15 min),

- Setting staff printers to print duplex by default,

- Setting staff colour printers to print B&W by default,

- Placing recycling bins in heavy print areas,

- Further investigation of times for lab shutdown to gain greater savings,

- Investigating the requirement for banner page for student printing,

- Trial usage of recycled paper in CT Labs.

SnipITs Stats

What difference can these changes make?

- By replacing all the CRT monitors in the student labs with flat screen LCD monitors, a total annual saving of approximately A$193,744.00 in energy costs was made (based on DELL Energy Calculator).

- A computer and monitor (without ENERGY STAR enabled) left on for a year will generate the same amount of CO2 as a car travelling from Sydney to Perth.

- Screensavers do not reduce the power consumption of a computer monitor unless they actually turn the monitor off.

Practical SnipITs

What can you do to minimise your environmental impact?

- Consider the need to print a document,

- Set your printer to duplex and/or B&W (where possible),

- Shutdown your computer at the end of the working day,

- Turn off your monitor if you are leaving your desk for an extended period of time,

- At the end of the current lease period, consider replacing your desktop computer with a laptop — laptops are more energy efficient,

- Replace older hardware eg. any computer with a bulky CRT monitor with a flat screen (LCD) monitor.

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