Given the global realisation about the long term effects of human and business activities on the natural environment and the pace and magnitude of environmental deterioration, businesses are under increasing pressure to engage in ecologically sustainable practices. In this context, the impact of information technology (IT) on and its role in ecological sustainability has emerged as one of the key IT management issues.

This portends two challenges for IT management and industry.  First, IT managers, and the IT industry are required to minimise IT related emissions, energy, waste and water.  Second (and perhaps most importantly) the IT industry and IT managers are expected to provide IT solutions that enable sustainability. Enabling sustainability ranges from using IT to measure, monitor and report greenhouse gas emissions, to using information systems to reduce energy, waste and water within core business and supply chain processes. Sustainable IT/IS is a key platform in the sustainable development policies and procedures of the federal and state governments in Australia. It is also a focal area of corporate environmental responsibility of companies that are working to ensure their operations are both economically and environmentally sound. However, Sustainable IT/IS development practice is not easy to implement.

The School of Business IT & Logistics at RMIT has a world class capability in sustainable IT/IS. The group of academics and doctoral researchers in the school's Green IT team have between themselves some 30 years of accumulated experience in IT/IS management and in the transition to sustainable IT/IS.  The Green IT research has a strong industry focus and work with and/or is supported by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), Fujitsu Australia and Connection Research and is a member of the Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work, RMIT University.

VALUE ADD TO INDUSTRY

• The first ever G-readiness assessment tool to help organisations towards sustainable IS/IT. This tool has been adopted by Connection Research and Fujitsu and is currently used in their consulting engagements.
• The development of Green ICT capability maturity framework tailored for the ICT industry's transition to sustainable IT. The Australian Information Industry Association sponsored this project.
• Assessing the attitude of ICT professionals in applying sustainable IT. Both the Australian Computer Society and Australian Information Industry Association has benefited out of this project.
• Assessing the sustainability of data centres.