Page 902 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
With regard to achievements in ICT energy usage and sustainability to date, I can reinforce to the Assembly that a number of initiatives are already completed or underway. Shared Services, through its InTACT team, have replaced most of its older, power-hungry server-based systems with new systems, including virtualisation technology that delivers not only better performance but also dramatically reduces the number of servers, the electricity consumed and the heat produced.
Aggressive power management on desktop and laptop computers has also contributed to reducing the ACT government’s carbon footprint. Energy consumption and power management capability for government computers is an important consideration in any tender evaluation process. The power management strategy introduced in 2008 now means that, when idle, most PCs are consuming less than seven per cent of the power they consume when they are active.
On 1 March 2011 the “at remote” technology initiative became live and is now gathering centralised information on paper consumption by printers across government. For the first time, Shared Services will be able to provide detailed consumption reports in relation to networked Ricoh printers and multifunction devices and higher level usage reports in relation to devices in each agency. This will give greater visibility of the usage of individual printers and will identify options to consolidate and rationalise the ACT government printer fleet. In addition, many printers and multifunction devices across government are now set at double-sided printing by default as a further effort to reduce paper usage.
Approximately 10 per cent of the ACT government’s 55,000 active ICT devices are replaced annually. All assets are now disposed of in accordance with the ISO 14001 standard, which represents world’s best practice in ICT asset disposal. A 10-year data management strategy has also been developed to underpin our forward planning. This includes the investigation of opportunities to use clean technologies for our future data storage strategies.
As the central provider of ICT to the ACT government, Shared Services has prepared a detailed methodology and approach to the government to measure the ICT carbon footprint, which includes systematic collection of data and regular reporting on environmental impacts. The proposed measurement and reporting regime forms part of a draft ACT government ICT sustainability plan that has been prepared by Shared Services in consultation with the Department of the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water. The plan proposes an environmental measurement methodology that acknowledges that the impact of ICT extends well beyond the operational life of the equipment to the energy used in ICT asset manufacture and potential waste produced at the end of life.
To ensure all aspects of environmental impact are included, a life cycle analysis approach to measurement has been developed which would be supported by the bi-annual data collection and reporting. Of course, while Shared Services has taken the central role in developing the plan, client agency input is essential to the plan’s success and that input is currently being sought. I anticipate that the final document will be released later this year.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video