The government claims it saved £7m last year by
turning computers off and
printing double-sided paper as it reduces its carbon
footprint.
According to Cabinet Office Minister Angela Smith, government
reduced its carbon footprint by 12,000 tonnes in the past year by
taking a few relatively simple steps.
Government departments were given 18 steps to follow, including
switching off PCs at night and extending the lifecycle of
computers.
"A year ago the British Government became the first in the world
to set tough targets to tackle the huge environmental and financial
costs of computer use," said Angela Smith.
"All departments have risen to the challenge of cutting their IT
carbon footprints and countries from around the world are now
looking to us for advice on how to follow our lead," Smith
added.
Smith highlighted some examples of how the money and carbon had
been saved, including the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service
to save £2.35m by replacing 9,500 computers and 2,500 printers
every five years rather than every three.
A version of this story originally appeared on
MicroScope