The world is on fire! None of our improvements in software development will matter at all if we can’t change the course of the climate crisis. The software lifecycle creates direct and indirect carbon emissions: it has a footprint, worsening environmental problems. However, the environmental aspect is not the only one we need to focus on. If we take our task seriously, we have to take a holistic view of software development in the sense of the so-called triple bottom line from all three sustainability perspectives: social, economic, and ecological. In this session, I want to broaden our horizon on having this holistic perspective on our responsibility for sustainability that comes with software development. I will share both ideas about possibilities and examples from companies who make already an effort in implementing this holistic perspective because sustainability becomes more and more a success factor for every company: For finding and keeping both clients as well as talent. Thus, this session is about raising awareness of our contribution to sustainability and understanding the (first) steps we can take to make a difference.

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The Planet sends an S.O.S.
Taking Responsibility for our Carbon Footprint
Jutta Eckstein

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What?

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Sustainability
Social/People
Aiming for equity, health,
liveability
Environment/Planet
Protecting the Planet
Economic/Profit
Improving the lives &
prospects of everyone,
everywhere

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Software to the Rescue!?

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©
Nature.
Jones,
N.:
How
to
stop
data
centres
from
gobbling
up
the
world‘s
electricity

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©
United
Nations
University:
The
Global
E-waste
Monitor
2020
In 2019, 53.6 million metric tonnes
of electronic waste was generated
worldwide (that’s plus 21% in 5 years.)
This is an equivalent of almost 5,400
Eiffel towers.

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In 2007, we became carbon neutral and in 2017, we became
the first company of our size to match 100% of our global,
annual electricity consumption with renewable energy. […]
Now, we’re carving a path forward to decarbonize our
electricity supply completely and operate on 24/7 carbon-free
energy, everywhere, by 2030.
©
Google
White
Paper.
Moving
toward
24x7
Carbon-Free
Energy
at
Google
Data
Centers:
Progress
and
Insights

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It is time for the computing community
to face up to computing’s growing
environmental impact – and take
responsibility for it!
Andrew A. Chien, Editor-in-Chief of the CACM

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Chef & Homeland Security
©
https://www.fedscoop.com/protest-open-source-software-
company-chef-will-let-ice-contract-expire/

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Society is demanding that companies, both
public and private, serve a social purpose.
To prosper over time, every company must
not only deliver financial performance, but
also show how it makes a positive
contribution to society.
Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock,
January 2018 open letter to CEOs.

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An organization produces a design
that reflects the organization's
biases.
Eckstein’s Law

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So What?

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We made a Promise!

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©
agilebossanova.com

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Now What?

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Sustainability by Agile
 Use agile practices & mindset to help solve the climate crisis
 For example:
– Use your skills for increasing sustainability
• E.g., as part of HackYourFuture, Nicole Belilos was a SM for
refugees creating a food saver app

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Sustainability in Agile
 Use sustainability to guide your actions and outcomes in
agile development
 For example:
– Have a definition of done that verifies that the energy
consumption of your system does (at least) not increase

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Where do we stand?
Assessing our Sustainability
 Take the quick survey:
https://bit.ly/agileindia-survey

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Assessing our Sustainability: Results!

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Assessing our Sustainability: Results!
Economic
Social
Holistic
Environmental

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Change your Conversations
for
Increasing Sustainability!

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Many Thanks!
 Jutta Eckstein | @JuttaEckstein
 https://jeckstein.com/sustainability
 https://agilebossanova.com
 Full assessment by
– https://bit.ly/agile-sustainability