"This practical guide to sustainable IT offers a detailed, hands-on introduction to thinking about sustainable computing holistically; starting with the choices you make when buying technology, the software and peripherals you use, through to how you store and work with information, manage your security, save power, and maintain and dispose of your old hardware. Suggestions and advice for policy makers are also included, along with some practical tips for internet service providers. Written by IT expert and environmentalist Paul Mobbs, the purpose of the guide is to encourage ICT-for-development (ICTD) practitioners to begin using technology in an environmentally sound way. But its usefulness extends beyond this to everyday consumers of technology, whether in the home or office environment. We can all play our part, and the practice of sustainable computing will go a long way in helping to tackle the environmental crisis facing our planet." (Back cover)
1 Introduction: What is sustainable information technology? 9
2 The ecology of information technology, 15
3 Hardware: Putting the system together, 27
4 Operating systems: Making the system work, 51
5 Desktops: Programs, peripherals and gadgets, 69
6 Information storage, 85
7 Local and global networks, 101
8 Maintenance, security and resilience, 116
9 End of life and disposal, 133
10 Reuse and reclamation, 141
11 Renewable power, 149
12 Further information and index, 159