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OpenEco.org: an open source approach to sustainability

Sun has just launched OpenEco.org, which it describes as a “new global on-line community that provides free, easy-to-use tools to help participants assess, track, and compare business energy performance, share proven best practices to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and encourage sustainable innovation.”

It’s good to see this. Solved problems are going to be shared problems, so it makes a huge amount of sense to also share the fixes. GreenMonk was set up with the idea that shared problems are the only kind that get solved.

I forgot to hit post on this one, which is cool – because I can add a special bonus segment from my good friend Thomas Otter of vendorprisey fame.

I think it high time to add the role of the software vendor into this discussion.  I believe the software industry ought to do three things.

1. Start designing software that has a lower energy consumption footprint. After all people buy hardware to run software.  The equation is a simple one.  I like the concept of the Green API. (tip James)

2. Build software that helps others reduce and measure energy consumption. I’m thinking here of supply chain monitoring,  for instance, enabling customers to make buying decisions based on green criteria.  When I buy my next car, I’d be prepared to wait longer for delivery if my order was optimised for lower energy consumption in the production process.  I’m probably not the only one.

3. Ditch the fallacy that software is a clean industry without externalities.

I couldn’t agree more Thommo – funnily I recently wondered about your employer SAP as a green API.