Tech Stream

CeBIT: Greening Government

14 May 2009

Listen and download: MP3

We’ve discussed the concept of Green IT in the Tech Stream previously, but often in reference to how you and I can make changes in the way we use the electrical appliances, like PCs in our own homes. If we all do our bit to reduce the electricity we use we can not only save money, but also significantly reduce the impact we have on the environment. Governments and business too are looking at ways to do this. In Australia the Gershon Review was commissioned last year to review the Australian Government’s use and management of information and communication technology (ICT). It made a series of recommendations around improving sustainability and efficiency across all government agencies.

Issues around Green IT, sustainability and the challenges associated with getting government agencies and their ICT infrastructure in order were discussed in the e-Government Forum at CeBIT in Sydney. Speaking at the forum was Al Blake from the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts within the Australian Government. I spoke briefly with him about ‘greening’ the government’s ICT. You can listen with the MP3 link at the top of this story.

Al Blake makes reference to “thin clients” which are slim, small form factor PCs which get their services from a main server rather than running all programs or storing all data on a large, power hungry desktop PC.