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About us
  1. Queen Mary University of London
  2. About us
  3. Sustainability
  4. Sustainable Campus
  5. Sustainable Digital Infrastructure

Sustainable Digital Infrastructure

Queen Mary University of London is committed to ensuring that digital technologies support our wider sustainability ambitions. Through sustainable digital infrastructure, responsible use of emerging technologies such as AI, and circular approaches to IT equipment and services, we are embedding environmental sustainability into the way our digital operations are designed, procured and managed.

Guidance on AI Usage for Staff and Students 

Our ITS colleagues have published a useful guide on AI, designed to:  

  • Explain what Generative AI is and how to use it safely and effectively, including its sustainability impact  
  • Describe our AI approach at Queen Mary and its governance  
  • What tools are approved at Queen Mary and how to access them  
  • How to suggest new tools  
  • Training available and how to get involved 

We also welcome the publication of EAUC and Jisc’s report on AI and environmental sustainability in post-16 education, which provides a comprehensive overview of how the post-16 education sector can align AI use with sustainability goals. 

Minimising Energy Consumption and E-Waste from Digital Infrastructure

We are pleased to partner with Stone Group who collect our defective IT equipment and other WEEE waste. Items collected are classified into either assets that can be reused with limited repairs, items for harvesting of working elements that can be reused to create a new asset, and items that have no scope for reuse and are therefore recycled. 

Sustainability is integrated into Queen Mary's Enterprise Architecture, and Sustainable IT is a strategic principle across all IT Services-controlled areas, to ensure alignment and consistent behaviour across the institution. This includes monitoring and minimising power consumption, heat, and carbon footprint; following sustainable procurement practices; adopting circular economy models where possible. 

Head to our Researching Sustainably webpages for more information on making your research practices more environmentally responsible, which includes toolkits for digital practices.

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