Minister: Use IT to reduce carbon footprints

Cabinet Office minister Gillian Merron has called for the public sector to make greater use of information technology (IT) in order to reduce carbon emissions.

Ms Merron believes government departments could benefit in a similar way to large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who have implemented technologies such as VoIP telephony which allows calls to be made over the internet.

This can reduce carbon emissions by meaning fewer employees have to come into the office, as they can work just as well from home - even using the company's secure IP PBX or data network if a unified communications (UC) solution is implemented by the employer.

With large numbers of workers employed by the government, Ms Merron said that there could be large savings on the carbon produced if such schemes were given the go-ahead and called for ideas on how best to implement these technologies.

"We have a responsibility to set a positive example on the environment, so I am asking our IT leaders to work with industry to find new ways to improve the sustainability of government computer systems," she said.

"This doesn't just mean reducing the amount of electricity they use, but also looking at how they can be designed and built in ways that consume fewer materials and which make recycling easier."

The government's chief information officer, John Suffolk threw his support behind Ms Merron's call for action, saying: "There is real potential to deliver more sustainable IT that also costs less and provides better results for users. New technologies can help reduce energy consumption and allow more flexible working."