Power to the people

Added by The Editor, about 1 year ago.

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A number of leading UK organisations have this week demonstrated their green credentials by taking part in the inaugural meeting of the UK's first end-user Environmental IT Leadership Team.

Those in attendance included representatives of Lloyds TSB, John Lewis Partnership, Sony UK, the British Medical Association, E.ON UK, CQS and the University of Cumbria.

Led by environmental charity Global Action Plan, and sponsored by international solutions provider Logicalis, the aim of the Environmental IT Leadership Team is to create an independent forum for exploring and publishing best-practice, sustainable IT strategies.

The group will question political, industry, technology, and expert witnesses and have the power to commission independent research into specific areas of concern such as the data centre developments, information growth and emerging legislation.

Speaking in advance of the first meeting, Trewin Restorick, Director of Global Action Plan and chair of the Environmental IT Leadership Team explained the thinking behind the group: "Currently, the advice available to IT Directors and CIOs comes from technology vendors. Although the intentions are good, the advice can be sometimes confusing and contradictory. This green IT team will provide a forum to review vendors' advice and government policy, cutting through the ‘techy' and political jargon to give practical advice for creating a sustainable IT structure. The team will help peers put carbon reduction policies into practice and greatly reduce their environmental impact."

Our take: This is a significant development for the IT industry and an opportunity for everyone involved to influence the future direction of IT in the UK. Participants in the Environmental IT Leadership Team represent some of the most forward-thinking organisations in the UK when it comes to sustainability and environmental best practice, so we're confident that the group will help push forward new areas of development, in both technology and operational procedures.