Going green for IT Services Green Day
Have you ever considered using videoconferencing or teleconferencing rather than travelling to another campus? Do you need to have a face-to-face meeting or will you achieve the same outcome by using technology?
In 2011 alone, videoconferencing at UWS saved 81,646km of travel. Thursday 8 November is IT Services Green Day – a day you are encouraged to use technology to attend meetings rather than travel by car. This is an initiative of IT Services that is supported by Vice-Chancellor Janice Reid and the Office of Sustainability. "It's great to be involved in a joint initiative that supports the University's sustainability goals," says Jen Dollin, Sustainability Coordinator.
The benefits of using technology rather than travelling by car are many: you'll save money, the environment and time – not to mention your sanity if you're caught up in traffic along the way.
"Whether you have a passion for environmental issues, want to reduce costs or just want to save your time spent in the car driving from campus to campus, this is a great time to come and talk to us about some easy-to-use alternatives," says Sarah Chaloner, Associate Director IT Services. "We are aiming to raise awareness of the alternatives to physically travelling to meetings, and it's a great opportunity to help people use the technology and get feedback on some of these services."
To help you prepare for the day, IT Services Green Week is being held the week before, from Monday 29 October to Friday 2 November. During this week, IT Services will be holding showcases on each campus demonstrating the different technologies you can use, including videoconferencing, teleconferencing, Skype and Collaborate, so you can learn how to use the technologies before the day.
There will also be boxes for you to dispose of old mobile phones, so take the opportunity to recycle your old phones while you're there.
After IT Services Green Day, you'll have the opportunity to enter a competition simply by letting IT Services know what you did on the day. One lucky group will win a catered morning tea delivered to several locations with videoconference rooms and links provided so the winners can have a group morning tea together.
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