Australian Government
ICT Sustainability Plan 2010-2015
FACT SHEET 7: ICT sustainability initiatives
The Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan 2010-2015 (the Plan) introduces a number of
strategies and actions aimed at assisting agencies to better manage the environmental
performance and impacts of information and communications technology (ICT).
Appendix 2 of the Plan lists various ICT sustainability initiatives (below) which serve as a
planning guide for agencies to schedule initiatives and improve environmental performance in
order to reach the ICT sustainability targets set in the Plan.
The Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) released Green ICT Quick
Wins in July 2009. The Quick Wins are a set of immediate measures to address ICT energy
performance and management in Australian Government operations. These Quick Wins are
included in the list below.
To maximise cost saving opportunities, agencies should schedule ICT infrastructure changes
around refresh cycles and contract renewals.
Not actioned
Completed
In-progress
Planned
The list will be expanded over the duration of the plan as new technologies and practices
develop.
Sustainable ICT procurement (Section 2)
1
Improved ICT
sustainability
requirements in
tenders
Apply mandatory environmental standards
- minimum EPEAT Silver or equivalent (based on
ISO14021/ISO14024)
- meets minimum ENERGY STAR®
- product take-back for toner cartridges, mobile devices, and ICT
equipment covered under the National Waste Policy
- minimum 50 per cent post-consumer recycled content paper
- participation by ICT suppliers in the NPC/compliance with the
NEPM
- ICT suppliers EMS aligned to ISO 14001
Apply Green ICT Procurement Kit provisions
Apply relative weighting (or other model) to environmental criteria
2
Zero e-waste
and packaging
waste to landfill
Recycling infrastructure for batteries, mobile devices, cables and
ICT equipment
Re-use or recycling of packaging waste
National Packaging Covenant requirements or NEPM compliance
National Waste Policy requirements
Responsible gifting of usable ICT equipment
Energy and carbon management (Section 3)
3
Zero active
screensavers
Black screens
Static screens
4
Zero PCs left
‘on’ after office
hours
Staff shutdown PCs at the end of the day
PC fleet power management solution (auto shutdown)
Set monitors to standby after 10 minutes of inactivity
www.environment.gov.au/sustainability/government
6/2011
Not actioned
Completed
In-progress
2
Planned
ICT Sustainability Plan Fact Sheet 7: ICT sustainability initiatives
Energy and carbon management (Section 3) - (continued)
5
Optimised paper
and toner
cartridge use
Printers set to default duplex printing
Follow-me print solutions
Printing multiple pages per sheet
Online reading and editing
Effective use of the print preview function
Eco-font and fast draft
Printer density settings
Default grey scale for colour printers
E-forms, e-claiming and e-payments
6
Increased
energy
efficiency for
desktop fleet
Energy efficient PC, laptop and monitor
Desktop virtualisation
Thin client technology
Activate power management settings on all desktop computers
and peripherals (where operationally practical)
7
Optimised total
number of
desktop PCs
and laptops
Minimise PC and laptop duplication
Conduct a comprehensive analysis of desktop fleet numbers and
rationalise where necessary.
Laptop pooling and/or docking stations
Hot desking
8
Optimised
telephone
handsets
Minimise handset duplication
Integrate telephony
Soft phone technology
9
10
Optimised
printer utilisation
Centralised MFDs
Optimised ICT
equipment and
facilities energy
efficiency in data
centres and
server rooms
Conduct independent energy assessment for PUE or NABERS
energy rating
Server virtualisation (where suitable)
Follow-me print solutions
Cloud computing
Storage de-duplication
Thin provisioning
Disk spin-down
Location of data centre or server room
Optimise air conditioner coefficient of performance
Mitigate air blocks and leaks, and maximise air flow
Mitigate cold/hot air short circuiting
Optimise hot air collection and return air locations
Optimise server rack selection and use
Hot aisle and cold aisle containment and layout
Free cooling or liquid cooling
Power distribution efficiency
Other Australian Government Data Centre Strategy 2010-2025
initiatives
www.environment.gov.au/sustainability/government
6/2011
Not actioned
Completed
In-progress
3
Planned
ICT Sustainability Plan Fact Sheet 7: ICT sustainability initiatives
Effective use of ICT: Promoting sustainable solutions (Section 4)
11
Optimised ICT
utilisation in
Government
operations
Video and web conferencing
Electronic records management system
Tele-working
Follow-me network solutions
E-learning and video streaming
E-forms, e-claiming and e-payments
Integrated software systems
Integrated building management systems and smart metering
Agency environmental management systems (Section 5)
12
Improved ICT
sustainability
governance and
decision making
Update CEIs, policies and procedures
Update business case templates
Update new policy proposal templates
Update risk assessment templates
Update job description and performance agreements
Align processes to ISO 14001
13
Improved
organisational
knowledge
ICT sustainability awareness programs
ICT sustainability education and training
Induction training – staff, contractors and suppliers
Reporting (Section 3 and Section 5)
14 ICT energy
Measure energy consumption for each ICT equipment category
baseline
Independent energy assessments for data centres and server
established
rooms (Sec 3.3)
15
Green ICT
performance
reporting
Green ICT Scorecard with energy intensity measures and other
Green ICT key performance indicators (Sec 5.3)
Annual Report – ESD reporting (Sec 3.4)
Energy and carbon reporting – OSCAR database (Sec 3.4)
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Population and Communities.
www.environment.gov.au/sustainability/government
6/2011