What is International Green IT Awareness Week (IGITAW)?

Green IT is a goal many businesses aspire to, however, to date it has been implemented inconsistently both within organisations and across the world.  Organisations are missing a centralised, cohesive initiative that will enable them to both understand the current research, enabling them to plan for the future; and learn about practical implementation of environmentally sustainable IT practices they can undertake today.

ComputersOFF.ORG wants to shine a spotlight Green IT and pave the way for organisations to initiate, promote and support Green IT discussions, emboldening employees with the knowledge and innovative ideas to reduce the environmental footprint of the organisation.

International Green IT Awareness Week (1st-7th June 2010) is being developed to encourage organisations during this week to bring together their IT leadership with their business managers, CFO, CEO and corporate environment managers to start the discussion around what their organisation can do to green their IT infrastructure.

On the other side, vendors across the world are working tirelessly to educate organisations on the technology available to assist them with reducing the environmental impact of their IT infrastructure and in turn reducing their carbon footprint and showing their corporate and social responsibility initiatives.

International Green IT Awareness Week will see a variety of programs and initiatives hosted by public and private sector organisations globally. The activities planned for “International Green IT Awareness Week” are valuable in their own right in raising awareness and support for Green IT initiatives and inciting continued and internally supported discussion within public and private organisations.

The main outcome of this week is to encourage individuals and organisations to demand more from themselves and their partners, holding each other to account for our impact on the environment.

Some of the topics covered during the week will include:-

• What is Green IT?
• What are we doing about Green IT?
• What is the latest in Green IT research?
• Why set up Green IT initiatives?
• What do we have to gain from implementing Green IT measures?
• What are the Green IT Quick Wins?How can ICT make our company and our staff more sustainable long term?
• How do we become Green IT Champions?
• How do organisations undertake cultural change for Green IT?
• What are the top examples of organisations achieving an environmentally sustainable IT?
• What are the risks if we wait too long to take actions?

The week will aim to host events that talk about Green IT solutions including:-

• Developing a Green IT Strategy
• Data Centre optimisation and consolidation
• Corporate Governance
• Cultural Change
• Lifecycle Management
• Paper
• Water
• Reduce Energy usage
• Energy Efficiency
• Green IT financial incentives
• Storage
• eWaste
• Best practices, metrics
• Assessing, Measuring and Monitoring
• Cloud computing
• Technology replacements for travel
• Green Procurement
• Current standards, legislation and associations

In addition to a centralised virtual conference centre hosted by ComputersOff.ORG, we will also co-ordinate Green IT events held across the globe including:

• Webcasts
• Seminars
• Conferences
• Networking breakfasts, lunches and drinks