If you’re standing, like me recently, among the lava fields of Iceland during a visit to one of the world’s largest geothermal power plants, it’s easy to believe that making technology sustainable rather than an ongoing challenge. to be resolved.
From hydroelectricity and geothermal power to air-cooled data centers and newly installed underground cabling allowing businesses across Europe to harness the country’s sustainable computing resources, the system Iceland’s technological ecology points the way to a more sustainable future.
But the reality is that getting people to see the potential of sustainability is not a simple journey — and it has a lot to do with the attitudes of those who use technology and the challenges in creating it. Greener IT.
During my trip, I met Gisli Kr., commercial director and data center specialist at North, who has focused on producing sustainable technology in Iceland since 2009, a time when most people around the world were not. Demanders rarely think about the source of their computing power.
Also: This huge geothermal plant is surrounded by lava. It can help solve the energy problem of technology
Back then people didn’t really associate their Google search with anything, he said: “It was just a battery-powered computer. They didn’t think there was a data center behind it all. activities start working when you start browsing.”
Gisli Kr. says one of the first things North did was quantify web searches for carbon emissions. The company also looked at popular videos viewed online and presented carbon emissions.
Although it may be a creative idea, it is not met with much enthusiasm. “We were considered activists at the time,” he said.
“In fact, we had a bit of a challenge when it came to our go-to-market strategy and marketing messaging. Back in those days, no one would argue with you that sustainability is People will say ‘yes, obviously sustainability is important’ – – but no one will act.”
More than a decade later, there has been a remarkable shift in perception.
But today not everyone has access to geothermal power plants in lava fields or hydroelectricity, which Iceland also has in abundance. And the sustainability issues of using our technology go far beyond the electricity that powers it.
While Gisli Kr. says sustainability is now a big topic of discussion in the boardroom, other evidence that too many executives are still too slow to translate concerns for the environment into affirmative action.
Also: Business travel, energy consumption in the spotlight as sustainability rises on the agenda
Recruiter Nash Squared said in its annual digital leadership report released late last year that it expects sustainability to play a larger role in the decision-making process.
However, less than a quarter (23%) of digital leaders say that sustainability plays a minor or no role in business.
Furthermore, only 22% of digital leaders are using technology to measure their organization’s carbon footprint to any extent.
While those results are discouraging for readers, Nash Squared CEO Bev White says it’s important to focus on positive trends.
As technology faces the challenge of keeping people working during the coronavirus pandemic, the use of video conferencing and cloud-based collaboration technology has also grown exponentially. All evidence points to the shift to video — and possibly even VR-based meetings one day — as a permanent fixture of post-pandemic working style.
Also: Teleportation and virtual high five: What I learned about VR meetings
While running these digital services still requires a significant amount of electricity, this change means fewer people flying around the world to hold meetings.
It’s a positive step in the right direction, but White said tech decision-makers and their executive colleagues need to do more: “Research says the tech industry now has a major impact on carbon side like air travel.”
Estimates show that the IT industry about 3% of global carbon emissions. The most special thing greenhouse gas contributors in the IT sector is the data center (45%).
Despite these concerns, sustainability has historically been neither a revenue-generating nor a cost-constrained activity. This is an activity that is often led by voluntary or in some cases mandatory disclosure requirements due to government or company policy.
However, change is in the air. Advise McKinsey found that 83% of C-suite leaders expects environmental, social and governance (ESG) programs to contribute more to shareholder value in 2025 than they do today.
Given the need to integrate sustainability into core businesses and customer recommendations, Nash Squared recommends business leaders adopt a dual lens of sustainability: first, design and deploy sustainability tools; and second, attach sustainability to the company’s values, products and services.
With these requirements in mind, Nash Squared’s White suggests five tactics for creating a proactive approach to sustainability:
- Take responsibility for change “As business leaders, we now need to think about our carbon footprint,” says White, reporting her company research that only a quarter of organizations has a leader in sustainability.
- Keep pushing down air travel – “Technologists have done a lot to limit the number of passengers traveling by plane. So how about putting in some tools to continue to monitor that change?”
- Monitor technology usage – “As we start to use more and more IoT connected devices, there are many tools available to monitor business use of digital assets, so your organization can function more efficient and generates less waste.”
- Extend technology lifecycle – “Use your tools longer. Don’t rush to throw away your cell phone, desktop or laptop — extend their life because they last longer than you think and cause no harm. any effect on productivity.”
- Consider safe handling – “How will the product you’re recycling be disposed of? There are many small things we can do to reduce our organization’s carbon footprint.”
