Environmental and Sustainability Issues 1 of 13 Boardworks

Environmental and Sustainability Issues 1 of 13 © Boardworks Ltd 2010

This lesson will cover: Energy, carbon footprints and e-waste. The need for sustainable energy. How ICT can be used to monitor and conserve environmental resources. Icons key: For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation Flash activity. These activities are not editable. Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page Student task accompanies this slide 2 of 13 Web addresses Functional Skills check Printable activity © Boardworks Ltd 2010

Energy consumption 3 of 13 © Boardworks Ltd 2010

Carbon footprints A carbon footprint is a measure of the greenhouse gases that are emitted when energy from non-green sources is used. If you take the bus to school, check Facebook, watch TV or switch on a light, these will all leave a carbon footprint. For some companies, manufacturing and delivery processes can create a large footprint. Even office-based businesses consume a lot of energy. Google, for instance, has a huge carbon footprint because it requires very large amounts of power to run all of its servers and store its data. 4 of 13 © Boardworks Ltd 2010

Carbon footprints and offsetting 5 of 13 © Boardworks Ltd 2010

How big is your carbon footprint? 6 of 13 © Boardworks Ltd 2010

E-waste 7 of 13 © Boardworks Ltd 2010

Scrapping e-waste 8 of 13 © Boardworks Ltd 2010

Sustainability Our planet only has limited resources, and people are becoming increasingly concerned about global warming and climate change. Sustainability is about making sure we live and work in a way which does not use up all of our planet’s resources or accelerate climate change. By recycling, refurbishing and reusing old electrical products, we can each make a positive difference to the environment. While the use of ICT can leave a carbon footprint, ICT can also be used to make environmentally-friendly devices. 9 of 13 © Boardworks Ltd 2010