Planet Earth as a Stakeholder

Everyone is talking about sustainability, some are enthusiastic about it, others roll their eyes. But whichever way you look at it, it cannot be denied that we have become a throwaway society. In the past, all products, whether it was a washing machine, a television or software, had a much longer “shelf life” and were usable. In the case of software, the reason for this was that many capacities were only available to a very limited extent, which meant that development was resource-efficient. However, some energy-guzzling systems such as AI have become indispensable and have the potential to advance sustainability - even if this may sound paradoxical at first. There are many ways to conserve resources in software development, for example, you can simply ask yourself the question in a project: What if our planet was the stakeholder?

“We could also use the software we create to ensure that it can be used for much longer and also supports legacy systems and old hardware.” - Jutta Eckstein

Jutta works as a business coach, change manager and consultant with a focus on company-wide agility and sustainability. She is the founder of the “Agile Sustainability Initiative”, co-creator of a sustainability assessment for agile teams and author of the “BOSSA nova book” on corporate agility. With an M.A. in Business Coaching & Change Management, a Dipl.Ing. in Product Engineering and certification as a pollution control officer, she was recognized in 2011 by Computerwoche as one of the most important personalities in German IT.

Highlights of this episode:

• Jutta Eckstein is a well-known figure at the OOP conference and has many years of experience in the industry
• We will talk about the importance of environmental and social sustainability in IT
• We will discuss how teams can make their work more sustainable, including considering accessibility and inclusion
• The Green Software Foundation and the United Nations offer resources and courses on sustainability in software development
• A simple start to integrating more sustainability into work is to consider the earth as a stakeholder and what this would change
• The importance of data centers and their energy consumption is highlighted, as well as the opportunity to contribute to sustainability by consciously choosing data centers

Green IT: A dialog about ecological and social sustainability

Today I’m talking to Jutta Eckstein about the role of sustainability in IT and software development. We look at how Planet Earth can be viewed as a stakeholder and what steps teams can take to make their work more sustainable.

The importance of sustainability in IT

Today I spoke with Jutta Eckstein about sustainability in IT and software development. Jutta is widely known for her expertise and contributions to the topic and offered us deep insights on how technology can not only address environmental challenges but also take social aspects into account. Our conversation provides valuable perspectives on why it is essential to consider planet earth as a stakeholder in our work.

The two sides of sustainability

Sustainability is a complex topic with many facets. Jutta explained that in addition to the obvious ecological dimension, there is also a social component. The inclusivity and accessibility of systems are also part of the sustainability discussion. Especially in the IT industry, there is often a tendency to bring products to market quickly without considering sustainable practices or social impact. Our discussion made it clear that a rethink is required in order to treat both aspects equally.

Social sustainability: more than just a nice-to-have

Jutta offered a particularly poignant example of the need for social sustainability by referring to the issue of body scanners at airports for transgender people. This experience illustrates that software development can have a profound impact on people’s lives and that developers need to take their responsibilities seriously. We also talked about the importance of security and privacy and the challenge of making systems more inclusive and accessible.

Ecological sustainability: practical approaches for teams

When asked where there is the greatest need for action in the IT sector, we talked about practical solutions. For example, a first step could be taken by including energy consumption monitoring in the Definition of Done. Jutta also emphasized the importance of architecture and infrastructure decisions as well as the selection of more energy-efficient data centers as key factors for more environmental sustainability.

Creating awareness: The planet as a stakeholder

The idea of considering planet Earth as a stakeholder in our projects was a central idea of our conversation. Through this perspective, teams begin to think differently about their work - be it when planning new features or choosing their technology stacks. This shift in thinking can lead to more sustainable decisions being made that not only benefit the planet but also save costs and make systems more efficient in the long term.

An appeal for action

Our conversation ended with a call to all developers and testers: start thinking and acting more sustainably today.That doesn’t necessarily mean becoming an expert in green technologies.But simple questions, like considering the planet as a stakeholder, can make a big difference.There are already many resources and initiatives, like the Green Software Foundation, that can help educate and integrate sustainable practices into your daily work.