Advocacy Position 3: 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.
