(P)REVIEW
EDITOR
Alex Wright
[e-mail]

numbers were relatively small and the planet’s resources appeared vast, nearly infinite. The situation has changed. The ecosystems that create the resources we depend on are now depleted and polluted faster than they can be restored. In terms of ecosystem equilibrium, the time scale on which humans have been operating is just too short. Addressing changes to ecosystems requires longer-term (on the order of decades or centuries), more expansive thinking. At this point in our development, this challenge is beyond human scale; Tomlinson proposes that we need help in broadening our conceptual horizons.

The Limitations

Tomlinson expands on the concept of broadening horizons by developing three categories of horizons: time, space, and complexity. These categories frame some of the most thought-provoking parts of the book. The idea that humans have been unsuccessful at working through issues that encompass long periods of time, vast expanses of space, or various levels of complexity is difficult to dispute—witness global climate change, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or the debate over peak oil. Tomlinson claims the data handling, networking, and communication power needed to address these types of problems are exactly what IT systems can provide. By leveraging the ever increasing capabilities of IT systems, we will be better prepared to take action on complex environmental problems.

The Terms

To deepen the discussion and clarify terminology, Greening through IT also conducts reflective conceptual investigations of the terms “ sustainability” and “information technology,” which calls attention to the complexities beneath both labels. The author avoids the use of heavy-handed philosophical language. For example, after exploring a number of different definitions, Tomlinson offers his own definition of sustainability: “…a characteristic of a system—in this case, the global ecosystem—in which all defining processes, such as the maintenance of biodiversity (including Homo sapiens) at a high quality of life, are able to continue indefinitely.” Notice he has raised the bar for sustainability by calling for a high quality of life—for all—to be maintained indefinitely. No small task.

His definition of IT is also simply stated and equally expansive. IT refers to “…the use of digital tools and techniques for manipulating information, and the social phenomena that surround these systems.” I call your attention to the social aspects of our information tools that Tomlinson includes in this definition. This socio-technical framing is increasingly prevalent in the literature, but using “IT” as the term to wrap it all together presents its own challenges. At times IT appears to refer just to features of information tools; at other times IT refers to the techniques and social context that develop around the use of an information tool. The conflation of these definitions into one überterm is particularly difficult to work with in the sections of the text that discuss the environmental costs of IT itself.

Consider that the resources used in the creation, use, and disposal of IT have significant environmental costs. Tomlinson acknowledges whether one is considering non-digital (e.g., paper) or digital (e.g., cellphones) IT, the physical form is dependent upon finite resources. These resources (e.g., trees, raw metals, petroleum) require a significant amount of processing before they are put into use. While in use, IT often requires a significant amount of resource-heavy, physical infrastructure to “work,” be it electricity or partner IT such as printers. Following IT to the end of its life cycle, once something is deemed obsolete, disposal depends upon yet another round of resources.

It is difficult to separate out the environmental costs of IT that are dependent upon its physical form and the costs that are dependent upon the social phenomena and techniques that have developed around how IT is manufactured, used, and disposed of. By using a broad definition of IT, one that includes physical features and the techniques and social structures that develop around their use, Tomlinson again sets out a formidable problem for those interested in working in this area. It is not enough to think about the physical form of the tools you are creating—it is critical to consider the infrastructure and social context surrounding their use.

November + December 2010

Extended Human-centered Computing Tomlinson frames his approach to addressing environmental issues as expanding the field of human-centered computing (HCC). HCC is described as centering on humans’ use of