An information strategy for environmental sustainability

Abstract

V viewpoints illustration by yareK WasZul T hroUgh Three CenTUries of industrialization, humans have changed the chemical composition of the air, land, rivers, and oceans. The essentials of life for the majority of the Earth's flora and fauna have experienced profound alterations, and these species-threatening transformations show signs of accelerating unless we take action to change direction. Many of the proposed solutions, such as carbon sequestering, have an engineering orientation and are based on current technologies. 7 Often the suggested remedies do not adequately recognize the potential of information systems to greatly increase energy efficiency 12 or to influence individual and organizational behaviors. This is a critical oversight. Computer-based information systems have been the driving force for productivity improvements 10 in the last five decades. We contend that, in a similar way, information systems can be a driving force for sustainability improvements. Our quest for environmental sustainability needs an information strategy to parallel and complement engineering solutions: ACM members could and should play a critical role in creating and implementing an information strategy.Computing professionals and academics have many of the key skills needed to help solve the complex problems surrounding sustainability. This community is highly innovative, focused on efficiency gains and the customer experience, and has extensive knowledge of the design and implementation of systems. In this column, we want to stimulate the computing profession to address environmental sustainability collectively through action and research focusing on several imperatives at the heart of an information strategy. These imperatives arise from two views about human behavior-rational and social-

Green IS Research: A Modernity Perspective

“…As we note previously, green IS tends to be aligned with a transformation paradigm, and the green IS literature often reflects the call to action through scientific research (e.g., vom Watson et al, 2012). One can observe this pattern dating back to the early publications on green IS, and it is still strong today as scholars continue to place a priority on solution-oriented green IS research (e.g.,vom Watson et al, 2010b;Watson et al, 2012).…”

“…As we note previously, green IS tends to be aligned with a transformation paradigm, and the green IS literature often reflects the call to action through scientific research (e.g., vom Watson et al, 2012). One can observe this pattern dating back to the early publications on green IS, and it is still strong today as scholars continue to place a priority on solution-oriented green IS research (e.g.,vom Watson et al, 2010b;Watson et al, 2012). Researchers consider green IS, as an applied science, to be an ideal candidate for providing solutions to tackle this important challenge (Rickenberg et al, 2014;Seidel et al, 2013;vom Brocke et al, 2013), much in the same way as it helped to advance other domains of life (Melville, 2010a).…”

“…A transformation paradigm implies green IS research is focused on identifying solutions to important problems rather than pursuing purely disciplinary explanations (David, 1999). One can see evidence of this transformation paradigm in the various calls to action related to green IS (e.g., vom Brocke, Watson, Dwyer, Elliot, & Melville, 2013;Watson, Corbett, Boudreau, & Webster, 2012). This finding highlights one of the main influences of modernity on green IS research: the transformation paradigm follows the same logic of artificial science approach, which is itself a result of modernity.…”

Ten questions concerning integrating smart buildings into the smart grid

“…However, just because the technologies are in place does not guarantee they will be utilized. Humans operate from a blend of rational and social motivations [59]. The rational dimension underlies much of economic analysis, because it assumes that humans act in self-interest, whereas the social side recognizes that culture and society are influenced by the behaviors and opinions of others.…”

“…The rational dimension underlies much of economic analysis, because it assumes that humans act in self-interest, whereas the social side recognizes that culture and society are influenced by the behaviors and opinions of others. These conflicting goals are also presented as a battle between prices and perceptions [59]. Prices align with rational action and perceptions influence social behavior.…”