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Existing software engineering models do not pay much attention to green computing that focuses on the effective use of natural resources. However, making information systems greener is possible through different steps of projects: design, development per se, installation phase...
On top of that, more and more models are being discussed and tested: green holistic methodologies, emergence of EI (environmental informatics) or Science Based Targets (SBT) methodology.
Even if some models are being thought out, it is quite hard to enforce global green methodologies because there is no silver bullet yet. Before implementing any further big holistic methodologies, the section here should help you deploy quick-wins.
Any IT project is made of design steps. Here are some tips to create quick wins:
If you develop your softwares / websites yourself, make sure you follow these easy steps below to follow a sustainable mindset:
If you wish to go deeper, ask a specialist to help you implement sustainable design Best Practices on your website.
Developing a greener software relies on several focuses. There is no perfect methodology at the moment, but still, you can start following these steps:
- Sustainability - This means the software has to be created reliable, lifelong and efficient to fulfill the users' needs it is made for and, if possible, trying to aim at sustainable goals.
- Frugality - Do not develop complex architectures for simple projects. Also build reliable structures if the solution is made to last and grow. It takes more time to build things twice rather than building one structure in the first place. Simplify your code as much as possible. Always design your solution the best way to reduce your carbon footprint.
- Methodology revamp - Waterfall and Agile methodologies are the most popular at the moment. Waterfall model is definitely very energy consuming (much work can be deployed for nothing, for instance), and Agile methodologies are flexible but can create extra work or additional tasks that could be merged. The solution is simple: to save time and energy, work and design your projects before going through. It will save steps and help all stakeholders see your vision.
- Testing optimization - Testing is practically one of the longest steps in software development. To save time and energy, prefer automated tests solution for large scales phases and use human brains for simple testing before using an entire infrastructure!
- Smart monitoring - Deploy easy monitoring solutions or track your energy consumption yourself to make sure the software you maintain is on track.
By applying all these tips, you will also save money!
If you do not have time or resources to do this yourself (we know, it takes a lot of time!), go for software development agencies. You have the choice between:
Before developing a new solution for your HR department or your faster-than-light traders, find out if you could merge different business cases together? Developing a new solution will need time, energy, money.
Merging business cases within the same solution may reduce your carbon footprint. To make sure you can (or cannot!) merge business cases, follow these easy steps:
Buying an existing software is of course more sustainable than creating a new software. You need sometimes to adapt your own process to fit it. In addition to the sustainable benefits, buying an existing software is quite cheaper because it has been developed and upgraded for several customers.
Still, if you have to develop a new solution...follow our other recommendations and browse our website!
Train your IT teams on the digital world footprint and impact, talk with them about digital sobriety, eco-responsibility design, development of best practices mentioned in our digital Footprint & IT part and also in other sections of the website, including but not limited to Paper & Printing Best Practices , how to increase lifespan of IT equipments (and why)....
If you are not aware of the problems, you cannot resolve them!
Once they understand the problem, your IT team will eventually question their needs and habits. They will become great supporters and facilitators when conducting digital footprint audits, action plans implementation and monitoring.
Sustainable IT collage workshops can be perfect to kick-off sustainable actions! Liaise with us for more information.
For the hardware they need and the data traffic they generate, AI and IoT are definitely power hungry. On top of that, some of business cases that are supposed to enforce greener processes deliberately boosted the rebound effect. As a reminder, note that rebound effect stands the reduction in expected gains from new technologies that increase the efficiency of resource use for other reasons. For instance, working from home seems eco-friendly but if you spend the day turning the A/C on, you will end up using more energy than if you merely go to the office. As a consequence, new habits can lead to offset the beneficial effects of the new technology or any other measures taken, if these new habits are not sustainable.
AI and IoT can also bring up good news if they are used in a responsible way, to green up existing processes and hardware. Based on an Intel study delivered in 2018, 74% of the top 200 decision makers in businesses agreed that AI would help them enable solutions for a more sustainable world. So, who is right?
Actually, the question is not that easy to settle...
Even if no real study was delivered this way, it is quite easy to understand that AI and IoT, if not developed properly for green purposes is the opposite of sustainability.
It requires specific hardware (that need high performance and up-to-date versions) and the infrastructure they need (network, back-end, servers...) must be changed often. Also, the competitive aspect of such technologies - companies must show and deploy the best projects to ensure they are better than competitors - require companies to work on new processes and devices all the time. This indirect impact should not be underestimated, some tech companies (and their AI suppliers of course) spend time, energy and money to develop all kinds of new projects.
Nevertheless, seeing things under that only point of view is very restrictive.
It would take days, weeks to draw an exhaustive list of all green AI business cases. So, instead of giving such a list, let's just think out some wide guidelines to deploy AI for a better world:
All these guidelines up there were deployed for recent business cases. If you wish to know more, just ask us!
Over the past years, blockchain has been deployed tremendously in many fields of activities: logistics, banking, retail...
Most large enterprises decided to go forth and use its powerful possibilities to ensure Smart contracts, safe processing and transactions or speculation. Among those large enterprises, FedEx, IBM, Siemens, HSBC proved themselves proficient and quite flexible regarding all possible business cases regarding blockchain technologies.
However, behind this huge potential lie some cons that must be spoken out loud. If blockchain is not necessarily bad for environment, companies should think twice before using it and keep it for large scale operations. Even so, for such usages, blockchain should remain used for few business cases because of its possible negative impact on environment. Here are some explanations about how blockchain can collide with environmental incentives:
- Blockchain does require much electricity. Outspoken critics point at cryptocurrencies actually. Why? Because they make the core of blockchain technology and "mining" such currencies involves huge amount of servers to mine (and "dig" cryptocurrencies") and maintain the system. On the one hand, mining needs computing power to deliver the proof of work (and thus vast amount of electricity), on the other hand, maintaining the system safe also needs massive energy. About 99% of the environmental impact come from the use of the mining equipment, with minimal contributions from production and recycling.
- Most of servers used for blockchain rely on fossil fuels. The location of the miners have the largest impact on the environment, with areas that use mostly fossil fuels for electricity, such as Inner Mongolia, China, contributing more to the carbon footprint than regions using renewable resources, such as Sichuan, China.
However, blockchain is being used more and more for environmental projects and purposes. There is a silver lining, especially if cryptocurrencies are being set apart from other blockchain usecases:
To sum it up, it is quite hard to quantify the impact of blockchain on the environment. Depending on its usage, it can provide amazing breakthroughs or demonstrate a significant harmful impact on our planet.
This is why it should be used with frugality for best purposes in order to save energy consumption in the end.
The « sustainability journey » may feel overwhelming sometimes, but you are not alone.
Our Buddies have tried, succeeded, failed to implement change in their companies. They share their experience so you can learn, take shortcuts, get inspired and ask questions.
Everybody can become a Buddy and give back to the community; if you are keen, get in touch with us.
I am Thibaut, French bald since 26 & bold since forever! Right now, I am the co-founder of The Transmutation Principle.
I come from an IT & software agency background so deeply into B2B and old-fashioned processes. I came to realize that sustainability cannot be only about consumers and half-measures. I also realized IT Sustainability was much underrated and not understood by most companies. It came quite as a surprise for me since I always considered IT Sustainability as one of the best ways to merge both ROI & Sustainability to make the latter sound acceptable, actionable, and realistic. Having seen that, I wanted to make a change in my own way.
My dedication came from the desire to be able to look my future kids in the eye and tell them that I tried to make the world a better place.
I co-founded The Transmutation Principle, a Singapore-based consultancy, to support businesses in their quest for impact, through actionable and tailor-made sustainability & ESG programmes.
I worked in Asia for 12 years (Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore) within the digital and technology space. I'm now the Europe Regional Managing Director at Palo IT.
I have founded and run several companies in different sectors such as IT Consulting, Education, and the F&B business.
I am passionate about how to use technology as a force for good.
Radhika is the Co-founder of Tulyā, A Sustainability Management Accounting (SMA) Services company. Her work includes measurement and understanding of the impact environmental and social factors will have on the value creation for SMEs. She develops tailored tools and practices that integrate material topics (ESG & Business) with accounting statements line items to demonstrate financial impact of action vs inaction.
She has worked with Lehman Brothers, Barclays and IT services companies before starting her entrepreneurial journey in sustainability.
She is a graduate in Chemical Engineering and has been certified in SASB , PMP, CSM & Design Thinking-MIT.
Li Seng is the founder of Green Nudge, a social enterprise that supports businesses and communities to achieve positive environmental impact through activities such as coastal cleanups and workshops, outreach talks and sustainability consulting. By raising awareness and co-creating call-to-actions with various stakeholders on sustainability efforts, Green Nudge aims to create a normative shift in the way we create and deal with waste to achieve a low carbon, zero waste future for Singapore.
Li Seng’s previous experience in the public sector in the central bank of Singapore dealing with financial regulations, combined with his current roles in the community and social enterprise sector reinforced his belief that effective public policies need to be supported by ground-up actions and engagement. Playing an interfacing role within the tri-sector, Li Seng is able to provide sectoral knowledge through a system thinking lens to make informed decisions and strategies. He is happy to discuss disposables, sustainability of events, public education, and is familiar with corporate social responsibility and community / youth engagement.
I'm passionate about walking the talk, breaking the silos within sustainability and making pathways relevant for all walks of life (especially heavy industry) to diversify their current standard operating procedures.
Patchareeboon Mam has more than 16 years of experience on international development and sustainability projects, especially relating to business and human rights and corporate sustainability
