University IT and 10:10
Act Now. We Save. You Win.
Act Now
The University joined 10:10, the national carbon reduction campaign last September, and committed to reducing our carbon emissions by 10% during 2010.
To achieve this we are looking at the changes we can make to reduce our carbon emissions.
Our use of University IT amounts to approximately 25% of our electricity bill, so from January to March we aim to reduce our carbon footprint from the IT use by 3%.
To achieve this ambitious target we will all have to do our bit.
We Save
University IT in numbers:
- 4473 - University PCs of which 2170 are used in open access computer rooms, 303 in lecterns and the remaining 2000 are used by University staff.
- £240,000 – annual costs of funding University PCs
- 1,600 tonnes - amount of CO2 emissions per year from our PC use.
- 1,600 tonnes of CO2 equals 48,000 miles - twice around the world, the distance you’d need to drive to emit equivalent amount of CO2.
You Win
If we achieve our 3% target we’ll use some of the savings to offer two great prizes:
Prize 1: Prize draw for a bike
Prize 2: University donation to the Trees for Cities to make our city greener
So, act now, so we save, and you could win!
What we are doing
University IT and 10:10 is about more than just switching off PCs. We are also promoting a range of areas where we can make changes to reduce carbon emissions through our use of printers, photocopiers, printing paper and mobile IT.
ISLS (Information Systems and Library Services) has already started greening its practices through:
- Virtualisation (running software within a virtual environment and consolidating servers)
- New printers in libraries and computer labs enabling duplex (double-sided) printing
- Discount for choosing double-sided printing
- Reusing screens and keyboards
And will pilot these ideas:
- Save electricity in computer labs by not switching them on in the morning
- We will switch the labs off remotely at 9pm (instead of 10pm)
- We will switch off staff computers automatically after one hour of non-use
What you can do
We need you to support our efforts, together we can achieve our 3% target.
Follow our ten tips and facts to check if you are already doing what you can. Most of us are, so don’t get left behind. The tips are applicable both to work and home. Tips will be updated weekly on this page so keep checking back for more information.
Tell us what you think of these changes:
Staff and Students can enter the competition here.
Prizes
We will offer the following prizes if we achieve our reduction target.
- Give us your feedback and enter the Prize Draw. A lucky winner gets a bike (worth £500). Enter the Prize Draw (Staff and Students only)
- "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago – the next best time is now", says the old proverb. This is true and that’s why the University will link up with the Trees for Cities charity to support their valuable work in improving the greenness and oxygen levels of our city.