Doing The Right Thing for the Environment Just Got Easier With a

Little Help from Information SystemsBy: Joseph Cazier

AndBrandy Hopkins

Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC

The Green Movement• The consensus is that many people and businesses

value being “Green” and want to save the planet. In addition to enjoying the way this makes them feel, it also offers other incentives:• Saves energy and money (American Psychological

Association, 2009)• Allows consumers to pursue “Competitive Altruism” or

for status purposes (Griskevicius, 2010, Bandyk, 2009).• However, consumers often do not know how to be

“green” (Begley, 2010).• Businesses sometimes need help seeing the benefit.• Going green is often a daunting task, even for those

who desire to change their habits. Most people simply need help with the follow through.

The Role of Information Systems

• Information systems can help to provide the information and tools necessary for this follow-through using:• Efficiency Systems• Forecasting• Reporting and Awareness• Energy Efficient Home Computing• Behavior Modification

Efficiency Systems

• Business and the environment are always linked and business always has an impact on the environment.

• Similarily, business is often dependent on a healthy environment to perform its business.

• By improving the environmental performance of a business, it is enabled to improve both its efficiency and that of the economy as well.

• By using resources more efficiently, the business can save money while promoting the sustainability of its actions for the environment creating goodwill among its customers (N.R.D.C., 2010).

• For these reasons, Information Systems enabled Efficiency Systems are usually an easy sell for businesses.

Examples of Efficiency Systems• Those that specifically aim to save

energy:• Eco2dc Initiative to design data centers with

IT equipment with lower environmental impact through greater efficiency of energy use (Hitachi, 2010).

• Green computing options offered by companies such as IBM and HP. Also, Google has invested in wind farms and solar panels to offset the carbon emissions from its data centers (Google, 2010).

Examples of Efficiency SystemsThose that increase efficiency through other means:

• Package Flow Technologies used by UPS to optimize delivery routes and use of fuel. In the air, UPS uses Continuous Decent Approach when landing to minimize fuel and emissions and Lido to account for weather, winds, terrain and other factors (UPS, 2010).

• Lumber industry uses software-operated automated saws to reduce waste and increase yield rates when harvesting trees (Zuo, 2003).

• Agricultural industry uses GIS for mapping and input and machine control to minimize fertilizers and pesticide usage, cutting costs while reducing pollutants released into the environment (Lorimer, n.d.).

• Furniture maker Herman Miller has constructed a database to rank the environmental attributes of all of its product components to eliminate highly polluting inputs (CIO, 2007).

Examples of Efficiency Systems

• Environmental Management Systems are systems used by businesses to manage, review, and improve the organization’s approach to business and the environment (FedCenter, 2010).

• Many government agencies as well as businesses use these systems to reduce their environmental impact while increasing efficiency (Business.gov, 2010).

• GE uses a $10 million system that evaluates its environmental performance, resource use, safety, and compliance. Since the installation of this system, GE’s regulation violations have fallen by more than 80% and the company has saved tens of millions of dollars through efficiency improvements derived from the program (CIO, 2010).

• Efficiency systems represent the most easiest and adopted ways to date that information systems can help to save the planet.

Forecasting• Through forecasting, information systems can

increase awareness of resource issues among businesses, governments, and citizens.

• Forecasting for energy, oil, climate, and forestry have been used to inform and better the use and allocation of existing resources.

• In addition, businesses often use forecasting within the organization to plan for future resource needs and economic factors.

Reporting and AwarenessSimilar to forecasting and efficiency systems, information systems has

the potential to inform consumers and therefore make it easier for them to do the right thing as well.

• Microsoft and GE have invested heavily in Smart Grid technology. This is a smarter power grid that combines smart meters and home energy-management systems to better inform consumers and enable them to alter their energy usage easily.

• Energy Monitoring Systems allow consumers to perform energy audits of their homes or businesses to monitor energy waste and air quality among many other factors (Onset, 2010).

• Google PowerMeter recently launched a program similar to Microsoft Hohm that allows consumers to view their energy consumption from anywhere using smart meters and energy monitoring devices (Google PowerMeter, 2010).

Reporting and Awareness

• Microsoft is working on the development of cheap, compact sensors to link the appliances in a house to enable a smarter home that is able to increase efficiencies. Perhaps this would enable an idle television to turn off or a furnace to check the weather prior to heating the house (Microsoft, 2010).

• A SmartPhone app is being developed that enables users to use their phones as sensory devices that can upload traffic information to a central database that can then be disseminated for the real-time benefit of many other users minimizing fuel output and therefore, emissions (Anthony, 2008).

Reporting and Awareness• Many SmartPhone and iPhone apps enable users

to make green decisions as well (Sherpa, 2010):• ZipCar and Carticipate aid with carpooling efforts.• Green Gas Saver informs the user when they are

driving unsustainably by accelerating or turning too fast. Greenmeter tracks your car's carbon footprint and fuel efficiency.

• Traffic aids users in revising routes to avoid traffic while PrimoSpot informs users of available parking spots, both reducing fuel use and emissions.

• Ped-Nav uses the inputted plans of the user to create an itinerary complete with public transit routes and times to make traveling by foot a breeze.

Reporting and Awareness• App FindGreen helps users find nearby green

businesses.

• The Good Guide is an app that reports detailed ratings for the environmental and social responsibility of more than 65,000 products and companies simply by scanning the barcode of a product.

• Information systems can be further developed to increase the awareness of consumers.

Energy Efficient Home Computing

• Home computing accounts for a measurable share of individual energy consumption and information systems has a duty to decrease this consumption.

• Windows 7 aims to do just that with new options, diagnostic tools, and factory settings to maximize energy efficiency (Microsoft Windows 7, 2010).

• More companies should aim to be like Apple, who ONLY produces Energy Star rated computers therefore lowering emissions (Apple, 2010).

Behavior Modification

• Information systems can help people do the right thing by helping them modify their behavior.

• There are currently apps that encourage users to diet or exercise, why not develop systems that provide reminders or encouragement when we do something good for the planet.

Behavior Modification• Current app Get Green provides daily tips about how

to make a difference.• Website Celsias.com enables users to find, discuss,

pledge, and then report on green activities.• Also, the Green Wars App adds a competitive

element in a game-like atmosphere where users compete to buy and sell green products.

• Perhaps, this element of competition could be further developed to build on the notion of “competitive altruism” to more effectively modify behavior.

Behavior Modification

• Based on the notion of competitive altruism, consumers are more likely to make green decisions when they are visible to others and can therefore affect their status (Griskevicius, 2010).

• By tieing in peer pressure and enabling people to compete with their friends as sustainable activities, such as recycling, biking to work, and reducing your carbon footprint, are tracked and praised, consumers may be more likely to modify their behavior.

Behavior Modification

• Information systems also enables the behavior modification of businesses through the consumerization of IT.

• Younger workers are driving change based on their own interactions with technology and many businesses are not prepared to handle, letalone capitalize on, this shift in the IT model (Unisys, 2010).

• Information systems could enable more efficient means of connecting and sharing while delivering IT flexibly to maintain competitiveness.

Social Responsibility – An Issue for Academics

There are many ways information systems can help consumers and businesses to do the right thing.

Some such as Efficiency Systems are more widely adopted whereas others, such as behavior modification, present new challenges for the industry.

We are all responsible to consider our effect on the environment and make necessary changes. This presentation calls on educators, practitioners, and citizens of the world to develop and use information systems to help people do the right thing.

Social Responsibility – An Issue for Academics

As urged by Watson (2010), academics have a responsibility to develop research on how IS can further the green movement.

One way to do this is to develop IS that increases the ease of going green by aiding with follow through for those that already desire to live green.

This is a real opportunity to help people with the right tools and technologies to enable them to do the right thing for the environment.

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