Climate Savers to undertake IT recruitment push

The WWF-backed Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) is to undertake a major recruitment push designed to encourage users of IT to sign up to the group.

Launched last year, the group is committed to halving computer power consumption and aims to cut emissions from IT equipment by 54m tonnes by 2010.

The initiative has attracted support from a raft of high-profile IT companies, including Google, Intel, Dell, HP and Microsoft, but is now seeking to extend its membership to incorporate more purchasers of IT equipment.

Luke Barlow, a director at IT services firm S3 Consulting, which sits on the CSCI's sub committee in the UK, said that the organisation was talking to banks, government departments and other intensive users of IT about joining the group.

He said that as part of signing up, firms would have to include energy efficiency criteria in their computer purchasing requirements and only procure Energy Star rated equipment.

"We are looking to rally support for the scheme and we are already seeing a lot of interest," he said. "The good thing is that what the CSCI is advocating makes real business sense for firms. If they are running large estates of computers moving to the most energy efficient models can deliver phenomenal savings."

He added that the group was also considering promoting virtualisation software that allows businesses to reduce the number of computers they use by allowing them to run several "virtual computers" on one machine. "We are working to try and encourage end users to get requirements for virtualisation into their procurement documents," he said. "It is unlikely to be a formal condition of entry to the CSCI but we want to offer guidance to businesses on the large energy savings they can get through virtualisation."