The cover story on Issue 25 of Education Technology Solutions is titled GREEN COMPUTING: Saving the Planet One Classroom at a Time, and reminded me of some unfinished business.
Nearly a month ago I asked How Green is your DER?
The focus of what I wrote then is very similar to the points made in the GREEN COMPUTING article. As a result of that first blog post, I consulted with teachers on what they already see in place in their schools and what advice they need. What follows here is a summary of what I found out.
Round one of the Australian Government Digital Education Revolution applications has resulted in 896 schools slated to receive 117,000 computers. The map provided on the DER site displays a list of successful schools by state.
A section of the dedicated DER site titled Environmental Issues attempts to focus the attention of schools on the need to become aware of the potential impacts of the influx of new computers on energy usage, wasted resources and the volume of harmful emissions.
Environmental Issues contains a table of recommended actions with a description and an estimation of difficulty each action could pose.
Other sections of the page focus on re-use of equipment, safe disposal and disposal exchanges. Links at the bottom of the page direct the reader to further Australian government resources.
The Australian public would be surprised to know how energy-hungry their local schools are. A press release from South Australian Minister of Education Jane Lomax-Smith recently stated that 600 South Australian state schools alone “ consume.. over 12 months..enough (energy) to power 11,500 homes.”
Some schools are already putting energy-saving measures into action, including:
* setting up a script that will shut down and start up networks at pre-programmed times each
* partnering with a Green Recycling programme
* using laptops instead of desktops
* instructing students to “shutdown” at the end of a lesson rather than “logoff”;
* creating an award for classes who remember to shut down equipment at designated times during the day.
However, anecdotal evidence suggests that most Australian schools have not yet come to terms with the impending blow-out of their electricity usage caused by the influx of new computers.
One point many have missed - and this is probably too late for the purchase of the 117,000 computers mentioned earlier - is that laptop computers can use up to 90% less energy than equivalent desktops.
There is a real need for a practical list for schools attempting to make their DER rollout greener to guide purchase designs and use.
Guidelines could include:
* replacing desktop computers with laptops
* buying laptops with green power supplies
* buying new hardware items with a good Energy Star rating
* replace old CRT monitors with LCD monitors
* using equipment with low stand-by consumption
* implementing stand-by procedures for all hardware
* turning off monitors when not in use
* turning off screen savers
* turning off all computers overnight and at lunchtime
* switching off laptop chargers when not in use
* setting print default settings to double-sided using black and white ink
* using inkjet rather than laser printers
* turning off printers when not in use - particularly overnight and on weekends.
Benchmarking is also important.
Doing an audit of current energy consumption related to IT is vital to measuring the success of any energy saving measures put into place.
Useful links
* Environmental Issues: Digital Education Revolution
* Sustainability Victoria – Energy Toolbox
* World of Energy – Energy saving Kit for Schools
* Energy Star: step by step instructions for enabling your computer
* Choice Magazine: Computers’ Energy Costs
* Climate Smart Living: Queensland Government
* eSchoolNews: Eco-Friendly Computing
* Australian Computer Society: Guidelines for Green ICT
* ACT – Australian Sustainable School Initiative
Education Technology Solutions says that it seeks to showcase cutting edge products and practices with a view to expanding the boundaries and raising the standards of education curricula. It is a bi-monthly publication available for a small annual subscription.
10 Comments
A commendable initiative. I wonder how many new schools are wired with master switches that let you shut down all the power to classroom computers? Architects have some responsibility here.
One question here is the magnitude of ICT as part of the overall energy problem. If ICT use is only 5% of total energy usage (say) then perhaps some of the other 95% is a greater priority. Uninsulated buildings, ineffective heaters, poor building design etc might be higher in priority. Not saying we ignore ICT but we might be distracted with the immediate if we don’t think this through.
There is also the issue of building lifespan and energy. Building a school with a fixed design life means that the energy in materials used in construction need to be justified by use. Using the building for only 7 hours a day and only 40 weeks of the year is perhaps inefficient…
I would also suggest that there is a bit of vanity construction from time to time - schools that are built for political or showcase purposes, resulting in unnecessary expenditure of energy and materials. I’d also question the architecture “profession” when buildings from the 1970s are deemed inappropriate and replaced with new ones. Surely architects can design for more than 40 year lifespans? The Romans seemed to think further ahead than that…
Let’s hope thinking about sustainability helps us produce schools which model the future well.
Did Blackie.com figure in your research?
I think one of the messages might be that schools need to do an audit of their power usage on a regular basis, and also one of those checks on just what hardware they have running and what it is actually (possibly) consuming.
David. Not sure what you meant about blackie.com. When I look up that URL I get a rather dodgy site.
Some interesting pages on the ABC too about Recycling computers and other ewaste.
http://url.edna.edu.au/CuqP
“The good news is we’ve got the technology and systems to recycle about 98% of all components of computers, tvs and electronic gear - and the big recycling companies in Australia are doing just that.
The real problem is that at most only about 5% of the 3 million computers we throw out each year ever get sent for recycling - 95% of them go straight into landfill. Why?
Partly because there’s no regulation to enforce e-waste recycling in Australia, and partly because right now you have to pay up to $20 to have your old computer or tv recycled. “
Thanks for putting that together Kerry. A very important project for schools.
A change I have made in the home office, which has about 30 power
points, is to buy six way powerboards with individual switched outlets
and place them above bench height. Each plug is labelled as Laser
Printer, Nokia Mobile Phone, Scanner etc.
This makes it easy to leave all items turned off except when actually
needed. Much better and more likely to happen than crawling around
under and behind desks. The amount of power wasted by items on stand
by and AC/DC converters is quite significant.
I think this has made a significant saving in our energy use.
An issue in some systems is that power use is paid for centrally. Schools are encouraged to use less power but if they do, they don’t get the financial benefit. Or ther may be a baseline budget and the school pays the excess.
Closing the loop on that could make a difference. If a school could save $100,000 a year on power and keep it, they would be much more motivated.
Bryn, if the power board is still on, although it has individual switches, I guess it is still receiving power (it runs that little light), but that amount of power is minimal??
I’m thinking David meant blackle.com - a version of google with black where google has white. Projecing black is supposed to have a lower energy cost than white.
Projecting black is fine if your display technology uses energy to either place pixels on the screen or to open the gates that allow the light behind the pixel to shine through.
It is my understanding that LCD Displays use energy to close their pixel gates.
Use a Watt-o-meter to confirm the energy difference.
Great post Kerrie. An important issue for us all. I agree with the other post about other building issues - getting schools properly insulated, with solar power options, grey water recycling, as well as green ICT would reduce overall costs in the longer term (insulated buildings would also make life more comfortable for students and teachers!). They same goes for government buildings, our own homes etc. The less we have to rely on the national infrastructure for power and water and can generate or save our own, the better the more likely it is we can can maintain sustainable communities.
Post a Comment