ACUTA Survey Tracks the Greening of Technology

Two-thirds of colleges and universities have gone--or are going--green by taking energy-saving and environmentally conscious steps, according to a new survey by ACUTA, the Association for Information Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education. With the heightened consciousness of the environmental impact of individuals and organizations, the organization--which represents nearly 2000 individuals at some 780 institutions--set out to find out what its member schools are doing.

Here are some survey highlights:
• 80 percent of the green schools recycle computer and networking equipment, rather than sending it to a landfill.
• 73 percent said they had bought more efficient equipment with an eye toward saving energy.
• 63 percent said they had implemented a policy of reducing the amount of printing.
• 27 percent of the schools say alternative sources are providing some of the electrical power on campus. • 25 percent of schools say that at least some telecommuting is in place among faculty or staff.
• 22 percent say they have implemented or expanded their distance learning programs to reduce the need for student travels.

And those schools that haven’t yet gone green? They blame it on the lack of that other green: money.
Seventy-two percent blame budget limitations for holding them back, although 32 percent said the difficulty in finding energy-efficient equipment and the difficulty in proving future cost savings are additional obstacles.