Raising awareness about the energy data centres consume
STUDENTS from a local secondary school have devised an innovative project centred on raising awareness about the energy that data centres consume.
The pupils from Firhouse Community College developed the idea after being selected to participate in a pilot project called STE(A)M in Action in Schools.
STE(A)M in Action is aimed at Junior Cycle students and supports students and teachers in connecting school subject, curricular and classroom learning with real world societal issues.
The second year Firhouse Community College students turned their attention to the energy usage of data centres and data storage, in a bid to reduce energy consumption and their carbon footprint.
Nadia McCormack, a teacher in Firhouse CC, told The Echo: “We needed to come up with an innovative idea to engage and empower students to make a difference in their community and society as a whole.
“We listened to a psychologist discussing anxiety amongst young people and how they feel about the future of the planet and the quality of life that lies ahead of them.
“Students realised that if each of them took individual responsibility, the collective effort could lead to effective change.
“I discussed with my second-year students, topical environmental issues and decided to focus on the area of data centres in Ireland, particularly Dublin, and the effect their power usage has on the energy grid.
“The project involves raising awareness among students and the wider community on the energy consumption of data centres and how each individual can effect a change in the amount of energy data centres use.”
In the coming weeks, the enterprising young students plan to work with local schools and the community to carry out small tasks that could make a big difference.
These tasks include encouraging people to delete their junk mail, clear their browser history, save files to their hard drive rather than a cloud, and to delete duplicate photos and videos.
“Every week, we will give the students and others involved, a simple task to reduce their data storage and, accordingly, the energy output of data centres,” added Ms McCormack.
“The students will make posters advertising the dates and tasks we would like people to complete, and post them around the schools and local shops etc.
“We hope that by raising awareness about these data centres and the energy they consume, it will encourage people to delete unwanted and unnecessary data on a habitual basis.
“It will in turn reduce energy consumption and the students’ carbon footprint.”
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