GREENING THE CAMPUS:DESIGN OF A GENERIC GREEN IT MODEL FOR POSSIBLE ADOPTION. (A CASE STUDY OF AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN NIGERIA)

Abstract

Society’s reliance on Information Technology (IT) has increased tremendously in the last few decades. Unfortunately, the growth of the IT sector has seemingly occurred at the expense of the environment. The adverse environmental impact of IT operations is partly due to the production and disposal of IT equipment, which gives rise to the release of harmful pollution agents and toxic materials into the environment. The push for carbon footprint reduction by the international community and the realization by major IT organizations on the adverse effect of their operations on the environment are forces behind the evolution of the green IT framework. This reasearch work focuses on measuring the Carbon Footprint of an educational institution in Nigeria and the design of a Generic Green IT Model for possible adoption. The scopes laid out by the GHG (Greenhouse Gas) Protocol was adopted for this research. The CO2 emission from Scope 1 ( Fuel and diesel consumption on campus), scope 2 (purchased electricity) and scope 3 (staff and student commuting) were calculated respectively. Emission factor–based calculation approach was used to calculate the CO2 emission of the institution (WRI – World Resources Institute). The result of this calculation was used to design a Generic Green IT Model.