Seeking the "Green" in "Green IS": A Spirit, Practice and Impact Perspective

In the research on the intersection of information systems (IS) and eco-sustainability, various terms such as Green IT, Green ICT, Green IT/IS, Green IS and Sustainable IS are used. These conundrums of terms can lead to ambiguity and confusion in the theory and practice of Green IS. What constitutes the “Greenness” in a Green IS and its loci are largely elusive. This paper proposes that Green IS can be identified by knowing the “what” to inscribe in IS to make it Green, the “where” to inscribe Green in IS, the “how” to inscribe Green in IS and the “when” to inscribe Green in IS. This conceptualisation is captured in a framework, which we call Green IS Lifecycle Framework (GISLF). The framework encapsulates the Greenness (the “what”); the spirit, practice and impacts locus of Greenness (the “where”); the processes (the “how”) and the lifecycle stages (the “when”) involved in seeking the Greenness in IS. The utility of the framework coupled with the Green IS typology is discussed. This new Green IS conceptualisation constitutes an original contribution to the information systems research in general and the Green IS sub-research in particular.