There are many discussions, slogans, and myths out there when it comes to sustainability. But what is behind all those slogans? What does “carbon neutral” really mean and how does it compare to “net-zero”? Is my cloud really running on renewable energy? What are the low-hanging fruits when it comes to reducing carbon emissions? And how does “carbon offsetting” really work?

This session explains all those slogans and concepts, sheds some light at common myths, and provides the audience with a solid understanding of the topic.

Target Audience: Architects, Developers, Managers, Project Leaders
Prerequisites: No prerequisites
Level: Basic

The topic of Green Software is very important because software is everywhere and affects the environment indirectly through the usage of hardware. Jochen Joswig explains what Green Software means and more detailed how energy demand can rise through software usage. There are different degrees of software effects on the environment that can be considered and evaluated. Jochen Joswig is furthermore researching green software metrics, approaches, quality criteria and how they can be applied in the daily business of software development.

Target Audience: Software Engineers, IT-Architects, IT-Consultants, Manager, ESG-Consultants, Sustainability Manager
Prerequisites: None
Level: Basic

Extended Abstract:
Information and communication technology (ICT) is both a curse and a blessing when looking for solutions to environmental problems like the climate crisis. On the one hand, things like video calls and instant messaging reduce the need for travel and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, the total energy consumption and natural resource demand of ICT is growing. Therefore, in his opinion it is the responsibility of everyone involved in software development to use these resources as sparingly and efficiently as possible. Ideally during all parts of a software’s lifecycle.

There has been extensive research in recent years about Green Software. In this talk, Jochen Joswig will introduce some of the key ideas and methods from his research and make the matter of Green Software more accessible. Furthermore, he will introduce some areas in which in his opinion research is still lacking and provide a personal view on how this could be changed.

Over 95 % of companies in the EU are small businesses with less than 250 employees. Many of them would like to reduce their carbon emissions but very few have the knowledge and time needed to take action.
Reaching a sizable fraction of these companies with actionable information about their carbon footprint has a huge potential for climate impact. But is that possible for an organization with less than 10 employees? While also working at a sustainable pace?

Target Audience: Everybody willing to explore how to build software for our future
Prerequisites: none
Level: Basic

Extended Abstract:

Humanity of today is faced with several very serious challenges: environmental problems such as climate change are changing our conditions for living and producing food, making social problems like poverty and global inequality worse.  A good future for our Planet Earth and the humans it supports is possible, but only if we act for it. The aim of this session is to give more people the confidence and tools to get more people to do exactly that: act for a better future.

We’ll spend most of the session exploring the story of GoClimate, a company founded for the sole purpose of stopping climate change. From the example of GoClimate’s journey we’ll extract a toolbox for making an impact on a global problem with a small team. Hopefully you’ll leave this talk convinced that your actions matter and with concrete ideas on how you can act.