30/06/2008

Computers Off Australia Launched

SYDNEY – Monday 30 June, 2008 – Remember Earth Hour back in March this year when we switched off all our lights and electrical equipment at home to help save the planet once a year.  Now there is a new campaign that aims to reduce our carbon footprint both at home and at the office EVERY DAY!. The not-for-profit ‘Computers Off Australia’ campaign and labelling initiative, officially launched today in Sydney, Australia, has been developed to encourage Australians to implement power management practices on their computers – at home and in the workplace and in doing so, save carbon emissions and our planet!
 
According to a Gartner Report, the global Information and Communications Technology industry (ICT) accounts for approximately 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to the emissions of the aviation industry!
 
Based on a recent report by the Department of Environment and Water Heritage, there are now more than 16 million PCs within government departments, institutions and businesses and approximately
8 million PC in Australian homes.
 
If Australian home users, businesses and the government start to turn of their computers when they are not in use and implement automated power management, they will collectively save in excess of $1.3 billion ($1,332,407,232) per annum and we will reduce our carbon emissions by 5,938,926 tonnes per annum!
 
This is equivalent to taking 1,373,517 cars off the road, planting 2,165,260 trees and 8,882,715 homes that would be lit for a year by the energy saved by turning on power management on our home and work computers. (at 12c electricity cost per kWh).
 
The objectives of the ‘Computers Off’ campaign is to form part of a new development of practical programs being offered by the Information and Communication Technologies industry to improve energy efficiency and deal with global climate change. This initiative also supports an industry-wide target to achieve a 50 per cent improvement in Australia’s and global computer energy efficiency by 2010.
 
The Computers Off campaign is a simple, yet important initiative which is designed to educate home users, business and government about how we can all help reduce Australia’s carbon footprint by implementing virtualisation and power management practices on our home and work computers.
 
The Computers off ‘label’ has been created as the computer industry’s guide to help business, government and individuals quickly and easily identify organisations that are doing their part to reduce their power consumption and in turn reducing their CO2 emissions. This non-for-profit initiative supports an industry-wide target to achieve a 50 per cent improvement in Australia’s and global computer energy efficiency by 2010.
 
Australians can now make a real, tangible and ‘easy’ difference to our environment – on a national and global scale – by turning off their computers when not in use.
 
-ends-
 
For media information or a media interview with Mark Winter, Founder of ‘Computers Off Australia’, please contact:
Kerryn Nelson
Managing Director
Big Mouth Marketing Communications P/L
Ph: + 61 3 9558 3122 E: kerryn.nelson@bigmouth.net.au
 
Did you know?
 
People don’t generally leave their televisions on all day while they are at work or away on holidays. 
Yet across Australia, millions of work computers are on all night – wasting energy, costing business,
learning places and the government over one billion dollars in electric generation costs, and
contributing to global climate change.
 
According to a Gartner Report, the global Information and Communications Technology industry (ICT) accounts for approximately 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to the emissions of the aviation industry.
 
According to a recent report by the Department of Environment and Water Heritage, there are now more than 16 million PCs within government departments, institutions and businesses and approximately 8 million PC in Australian homes.
 
If Australian home users, businesses and the government start to turn of their computers when they are not in use and implement automated power management, they will collectively save in excess of $1.3 billion ($1,332,407,232) per annum and we will reduce our carbon emissions by 7,938,926 tonnes per annum!
 
This is equivalent to taking 1,373,517 cars off the road, planting 2,165,260 trees and 8,882,715 homes that would be lit for a year by the energy saved by power management. (at 12c electricity cost per kWh).
 
How BIG an impact can you make by turning off your computer?

By turning off your computer each night when you leave work for a year you will help save as much energy as it takes:


o    to run a clock radio for 1,392 weeks
o    to make 9,280 bags of microwave popcorn
o    to wash 464 loads of washing
o    to use your blow dryer for 5,568 hours
o    to vacuum for 464 hours
o    to produce 3,480 plastic bags
o    to run your microwave 24 hours a day for a week
o    to boil your kettle for 24 hours a day for 268 days
 
By turning off your computer tonight when you leave work you will save as much energy as it takes:
 
o    to run a clock radio for over 3 weeks
o    to make over 20 bags of microwave popcorn
o    to wash over 1 load of washing
o    to blow dry your hair over 12 times
o    to vacuum for over 1 hour
o    to light a 100 watt light bulb for over 10 hours
 
By turning your computer off tonight when you leave work will save approximately 100kgs of coal from being used - that’s a saving of over about 120kgs of CO2 emissions.
 
What is the ‘Computers Off Australia’ Campaign and Labelling Initiative?
 
The objectives of the ‘Computers Off’ campaign and labelling initiative are a part of a new development of practical programs being offered by the Information and Communication Technologies industry to improve energy efficiency and deal with global climate change.
 
The Computers Off campaign is a simple, yet important initiative which is designed to educate business, government and home users about how we can all help reduce Australia’s carbon footprint by implementing power management practices on our work and home computers.
 
The Computers off ‘label’ has been created as the computer industry’s guide to help business, government and individuals quickly and easily identify organisations that are doing their part to reduce their power consumption and in turn reducing their CO2 emissions.


To find out more about how you can get involved, visit www.computersoff.org

 

Back to News