Green Computing

The Capital Region Society for technology in Education (CRSTE) promotes and supports the concept of green computing as a set of strategies that can be employed within K-16 educational institutions to save on the costs of technology, energy consumption and disposal of e-waste while maximizing the return on education’s investment in technology. As part of a larger movement towards community practices that decrease our carbon footprint and promote a healthy, sustainable environment for generations to come, today’s educational technology organizations are facing a myriad of challenges:

* rising costs and shrinking budgets to manage assets
* aging inventory that is less energy efficient and expensive to maintain
* quickly-changing technology industry standards for hardware and software
* networks in need of refurbishing and upgrading
* lack of bandwidth to handle heavier traffic and larger multimedia files
* disposal of e-waste the is inexpensive and in compliance with the law

While there are a variety of practices emerging to address these concerns, CRSTE supports the following strategies to promote the goals of green computing:

* devise a green computing plan for your school(s) that sets goals for improved cost and energy savings over the next five years
* establish a regular computer replacement cycle that promotes energy efficiency and savings
* consider the use of fair market leasing, wherein technology hardware is returned to the vendor at the end of the life of the lease
* craft an agreement with your procurement office to only purchase computers that display EPEAT and Energy Star registrations
* set computers to shut down after being idle for 30 minutes and monitors after 15 minutes
* use an energy use calculator to calculate your energy costs for the past fiscal year and identify a savings target for the new year
* combine technology purchases with those of other educational institutions to increase your purchasing power
* explore the possibilities for donating surplused technology to local groups or agencies
* utilize an EPA or BAN e-stewards approved program for removal and disposal of e-waste

CRSTE will facilitate a dialogue among educators in the region to generate additional ideas that promote green computing by maximizing the use of our resources in responsible ways that respect our environment.