Sustainable ICT

Being more sustainable and reducing your carbon footprint is front of mind for most schools. Coupled with managing an increased demand for ICT, and increasing pressure on funds, this is a dilemma that many of you have spoken to us about.

Reducing energy use and our carbon footprint is important to us at RM too. We've put plans in place and have reduced our electricity use by over 10%.

We'd like to share with you our thoughts about how you can use technology to tread a path through this challenge, to make your investment go further, to be more sustainable and use less energy, as well as educate pupils to be more conscious about their environment.

Purchasing
Schools have more responsibility during the procurement process, both in terms of value for money and assessing the environmental credentials of the companies they partner with. RM can help you be responsible purchasers.

Green
This is about the overall environmental impact of your ICT and how it can make a difference. With advancements in technology, there are greener choices you can make.

Energy
Over past 10 years ICT energy usage has increased dramatically. There are ways that you can significantly reduce your school's ICT energy bill.

Development
Plan for the lifespan of systems (both hardware and software) so that budgets can be proactively managed rather than being reactive. Consider the total cost of ownership, including running costs, not just the initial investment.

Resources
This is about reduce, reuse, repair or recycle! Maximise the effectiveness of existing kit by reusing in other areas, planning when it will no longer meet curriculum requirements and ensure that its timely replacement does not adversely impact teaching and learning.