In the contemporary world, it's becoming increasingly clear that technology is the only way forward for any industry, and software is what lies at the center of it all. While software has practically transformed just about any process, the impact that this transformation has on the environment cannot be ignored.
The process of developing software generates a significant carbon footprint, which often goes unaccounted for. To reduce the environmental impact of software development, industry leaders have joined hands and taken the initiative called the Green Software Foundation.
What Is the Green Software Foundation?
Software development requires computing power and consumes energy and other resources. As software development becomes more advanced and complicated, the process becomes more resource-intensive, which means that the increased efficiency and ability that software offers come at the cost of a high carbon footprint.
The existing software development models are not sustainable as they’re inefficient, wasteful, and redundant as far as energy consumption is concerned. These concerns call for a more efficient software development model, and this is where the Green Software Foundation comes into play.
As different industries across the globe become more conscious about their carbon footprint and work towards reducing or eliminating it wherever possible. The Green Software Foundation is a significant step in the same direction as far as the software development industry is concerned.
Who Are the Key Players in This Initiative?
Microsoft has partnered with other tech giants, including Accenture, GitHub, and ThoughtWorks, to establish the Green Software Foundation. It’s a non-profit organization aimed at building an ecosystem of people, standards, tooling, and best practices—for a more sustainable form of software development.
The establishment of this foundation is also aligned with Microsoft’s pledge to gradually eliminate the carbon footprint associated with the organization and become carbon negative by 2030. As stated by Microsoft President Brad Smith:
The scientific consensus is clear: the world confronts an urgent carbon problem. It will take all of us working together to create innovative solutions to drastically reduce emissions.
Today, Microsoft is joining with organizations who are serious about an environmentally sustainable future to drive adoption of green software development to help our customers and partners around the world reduce their carbon footprint.
Alongside the founding members, other organizations such as Goldman Sachs, The Green Web Foundation, Watt Time, and Leaders for Climate Action have also become a part of this initiative, ensuring that the cause of climate is adequately represented within the newly-established Green Software Foundation.
What Are the Goals of the Green Software Foundation?
The emphasis of this foundation lies around the following focus areas:
- Standards: The Green Software Foundation aims to create and abide by green software standards and contribute towards greater adoption of those standards. It'd encourage voluntary adoption and guide policymaking at national and international stages.
- Innovation: The Foundation will also nurture the creation of trusted open-data and open-source projects. It’ll ensure that the industry continues to innovate and support continued research into green software development.
- Community: All of the Green Software Foundation's aims will be assisted by a diverse community of ambassadors of green software and programs involving training, education, and certifications.
Since collaboration is one of the major pillars of the Green Software Foundation, the community welcomes any organization that can demonstrate its commitment to green and sustainable software development to collaborate and contribute in its capacity. The website allows any eligible organization to apply for general membership and become a part of the green revolution in software development.
Bring Sustainability to Software Development
All of the founding organizations and those that have joined the cause as members agree that while software development must continue to evolve, it must not come at the cost of the environment. Initiatives like the Green Software Foundation will help put sustainability at the core of software development.