Green Information Technology (IT) Strategies in Institutions of Higher Learning in Kenya for Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Green IT strategies refers to measures and steps of promoting environmentally friendly products and services towards reducing the levels of environmental degradation due to such as carbon emissions, air pollution, to combat effects of climate change. There is also the element of leverage on energy-efficient and cost-effective products and services. In this paper an attempt has been made to review previous literature related to the green IT strategies from the early phases of IT as a producer(device and data center) to the later strategic phases(with future technologies). Drivers of green IT strategies have also been explored and include: costs, regulatory and legal, social and political, new markets, self-drive and enabling business eco-system. Opportunities and recommendations on measures to be taken to enhance green IT strategies in IHL have also been discussed. To be able appreciate the drivers of green IT strategies, methodology adopted was that of qualitative content analysis. The aspects of availability of government goodwill, societal goodwill, market infrastructure, costs savings, human resource capacity, cultural shift, laid down government regulations and policies, provided nuances for green IT drivers. Support and adoption of green IT strategies as well as coming up with action plans and frameworks goes along in entrenching the green IT concept for environmental and socio-economical sustainability. There is little research and content on green IT strategies in Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) in Kenya in terms of activities and institutional governance at the levels of operational, tactical and strategic. Perhaps, this is partly as result of weak link between national policies, institutional policies, and activities. The paper recommends re-configuring of Kenya government policies to better guide its institutions of higher learning in their role deliberated in responding to green IT strategies for sustainability.