Everyone understands the intent of green initiatives, but we are still struggling to comprehend the knock-on effects and how these could undermine the efforts.
The NHS, like most organisations, is grappling with the issue without yet getting on top of it. Our feature on energy consumption by IT suggests that a limited amount has been done so far to cut it in the health service, but it would be a surprise if IT chiefs are not at least giving it some serious thought by now. A look at the Assist website shows that, through its association with the BCS, it is providing a forum for ideas on the subject.
The green agenda is often tied up with the efficiency drive in the public sector, but at times there can be a tension between the two. For example, a move to more home working for some staff could help to reduce the demand for space and energy in the office, but would push up electricity and heating costs for the worker. It would be good for the organisation's bank balance, but the green audit could show that energy consumption was just dispersed, even increased, compared with the existing situation.
Similarly, the drive to reduce the volume of printing is increasing the production of PDF documents. A lot of people don't like reading anything beyond a couple of hundred words on screen, so they print the whole document, of which two or three pages may be relevant to the them. It burns up power and uses paper in the office. How much, if anything, does that gain?
There are lot of pitfalls and we're still finding our way, but progress is being made with a combination of hi-tech solutions - such as more energy efficient data centres - and common sense - like switching off PCs at the end of the day. The culture is changing in a way that will demand that IT departments have to get their collective heads around the issue over the next couple of years.
It's likely to lay the ground for a trend over the next couple of years where we see organisations appointing a member of staff, or maybe a consultant, to lead their work in the field. That's when "green" becomes more than a buzzword.
