Potentials of green coding – new project on resource-efficient software development
In their new project "potentials of green coding", the German Informatics Society (GI) together with the Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Economics (HTW), and the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld (part of Trier University of Applied Sciences) are developing concepts and recommendations to anchor Green Coding concepts in university curricula and as best practices in businesses.
Berlin, August 11, 2022 - Software – as the basis of the Internet and almost all modern technologies – has a significant impact on energy consumption, energy efficiency, and the useful life of the hardware that it runs on. Despite its great importance, general regulations or even recommendation for sustainable software are still in their infancy.
Green coding on the rise
Societies and economies are becoming increasingly dependent on Internet-based and software-controlled processes. With digital transformation on the rise, the increasing negative environmental impact is being discussed more frequently. Concepts that enable efficient use of resources are gaining popularity among experts and researchers. However, there is still a lack of awareness of the systematic connections between technical, economic, and ecological aspects of digital technologies in the discussion about green coding.
Prof. Dr. Volker Wohlgemuth (HTW Berlin): “Our goal is to find out which green coding concepts already exist and how they are applied in day-to-day practice. The aim is to create a comprehensive analysis in order to increase awareness of the systematic connections between technical, economic, and ecological aspects of ICT. Last but not least, we will formulate guidelines on how green coding concepts can be integrated into the curricula of existing courses.”
Prof. Dr. Stefan Naumann (Environmental Campus Birkenfeld): "In Germany, a first, important step forward has already been taken with the "Blue Angel for resource- and energy-efficient software products". This voluntary certification confirms that a software product is resource-saving and energy-efficient, runs on older hardware and can be updated over the long term. In addition, certified software is characterized by a high degree of transparency and autonomy. Nevertheless, there is still a lot more that can be done to raise awareness of environmentally and energy-conscious programming.”
We must look at the bigger picture
The project involves various stakeholder groups that are relevant for increasing the awareness on green coding: software developers, Internet-related companies, as well as computer science courses and their students at universities.
Elisabeth Schauermann (GI): "If we want green coding concepts to gain a foothold in the long term, we must not look at the fields of application in isolation. We must ensure that all relevant actors are involved. This is exactly what we are trying to initiate with our project.”
“Potentials of Green Coding” is funded by the Internet Society Foundation for the period of June 2022 to December 2023.
About the German Informatics Society
The Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI) is the largest specialist society for computer science in the German-speaking area. Since 1969 it has represented the interests of IT professionals in science, society and politics and is committed to digitization oriented towards the common good. With 14 departments, over 30 active regional groups and countless specialist groups, the GI is a platform and mouthpiece for all disciplines in computer science. Further information can be found at www.gi.de.
Project Partners
Environmental Campus Birkenfeld
Press Contact
German Informatics Society (GI)
Berlin office in the Spreepalais am Dom
Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Str.2, 10178 Berlin
Email: presse@gi.de
