Previous MSc Theses

"Developing Guidelines for Green Information and Communication Technology." R. Jarbur. S. Buchanan. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde. 2014. Download PDF (BibTeX) MSc Information Management

Abstract:
Being 'green' has become increasingly more important during the last few years, due to the stringent environmental targets set by the United Nations, the European Union, and other international agencies. With Information and Communication Technology (ICT) playing a big part in most organisations, it is time to look at how it can become greener, and put less stress on the environment.
The aim of this dissertation is to define Green ICT, and explain the strategies one can use to lessen the environmental impact of ICT. Guidelines are produced, allowing organisations to see the green strategies and technologies available for different aspects of Green ICT.
It was found that there are two main ways in which the environmental impact of ICT can be lessened: the actual ICT equipment can be produced, used and recycled in a way that is more environmentally friendly, or ICT can act as a facilitator to make other parts of life greener, like in the commonly mentioned example of teleconferencing. Looking not only at the use phase, but the entire lifecycle of equipment, and having a person or group be in charge of Green ICT in the organisation were found to be important for Green ICT.
The guidelines produced are based on the literature review, where green strategies where uncovered, and refined with the help of interviews. The guidelines present suggestions for becoming greener, step-by-step, across five dimension; business, data, application, technology and policy. Both green technologies and green practices and behaviours are included in the guidelines.