Green IT

Green IT initiatives

Information Services is committed to a more sustainable way of working and as a result over the past three years there has been significant investment into Green IT projects. Information Services has successfully implemented the following initiatives:

• the Sustainable Print Service has been piloted in a number of departments and will be rolled out across the rest of the University by Summer 2013; reducing the number of office printers, copiers and faxes machines from approximately 2,000 to 300 shared printer/photocopiers (MFDs)
• the introduction of PowerMAN (a power management system) across all University PCs (including libraries and computer rooms). This means that University PCs hibernate after a defined period of inactivity, reducing their energy usage
• WakeMyPC which allows staff to switch on their PCs for remote working wherever and whenever they want with the click of a button
• all PCs and laptops come with an extended 4 year warranty. Student computers and staff PCs are now replaced on a minimum 4 year cycle with the lifetime of PCs in schools extended where appropriate.
• the IS procurement process which ensures that our suppliers provide low power demand equipment and that they reduce and recycle all waste packaging
• University email accounts can be accessed using email.nottingham.ac.uk, the full Outlook client can be configured for staff working from home
• access to a University filestore (Z-drive or shared drives) from anywhere
• printing and photocopying in libraries and IS computer rooms is delivered via energy efficient MFDs. They use recycled paper and are set to default print double sided to reduce paper consumption
• the Xerox MFDs provided under the Sustainable Print Service are set to print duplex as standard. 80% recycled paper is provided, manufactured from sustainable sources and produced using environmentally friendly techniques, for example using non-chlorine bleach
• all end of life IT equipment is disposed of via Stone who re-use and recycle all kit as a local authority approved waste disposal operative
• all Sustainable Print Service waste products are collected by Xerox and put back into the supply chain where possible through remanufacturing or by recycling
• the Moodle online learning environment offers opportunities to reduce the amount of printed material by viewing materials online. Assignments can be produced, submitted, marked and feedback given without the need to be printed out.

For further information, please see the Green IT Review and Green IT presentation PDF  [University of Nottingham access only].