New green group sets U.K end-user agenda

Techworld.com - LONDON -- End users in the U.K. have set up a green group to cut through confusing advice from vendors and publish best practices for sustainable IT.

"Currently, the advice available to IT directors and CIOs comes from technology vendors," said Trewin Restorick, chairman of the Environmental IT Leadership Team (EITLT), explaining why the new group is needed. "Although the intentions are good, the advice can be sometimes confusing and contradictory."

The EITLT was set up by environmental charity Global Action Plan (GAP), which describes itself as focusing on practical action for a better world, and is being sponsored by service provider Logicalis Group. The EITLT has a dedicated program manager provided by GAP, and Restorick is director of GAP.

The eight-member group considered how to direct initial research into IT's environmental impact at its first meeting on Monday. "This green IT team will provide a forum to review vendors' advice and government policy, cutting through the techie and political jargon to give practical advice for creating a sustainable IT structure," said Restorick. "The team will help peers put carbon-reduction policies into practice and greatly reduce their environmental impact."

Green strategy groups in companies tend to ignore their firms' own IT people, despite the growth of green IT, and the contribution that IT can make to improve the environmental impact of any company, said Restorick.

Nor are end-user IT staff well served when general pressure groups, such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, weigh in on green IT. GAP works with a business, not against it, he said.

"The direction of the leadership team will be shaped by the evolving challenges and concerns that CIOs face, as the IT department becomes the focus of carbon-reduction strategies for many [midsize] to large organizations," said Restorick. "I am confident that through debate, research and discussion, we can have a powerful impact on the way IT is purchased and implemented in the future."

"I am sure the group will help push forward new areas of development, in both technology and operational procedures," said Tom Kelly, managing director of Logicalis, a service provider that has ISO 14001 environmental standard certification and is sponsoring the EITLT.

The EITLT's eight members are invitees, to make the group manageable, according to Restorick. They include the British Medical Association (BMA), Sony U.K., John Lewis Partnership, E.ON UK, CQS, the University of Cumbria and Lloyds TSB. These organizations were either known to GAP, or are current or potential customers of Logicalis.

The group will have a second tierof members, acting as 'interested reviewers' of EITLT output, which will be widely disseminated to U.K. businesses.

Martin Kelmanson, the BMA's ICTS division head, said, "It will be a practical forum to share best practice with industry peers, suppliers and users to make a positive impact on the way IT organizations across the U.K. tackle climate change. It is an exciting step forward in our challenge to make our businesses green."

Within the next three months, the group will meet again at the House of Commons, to launch the initial research.