...put in place plans to establish an environmentally friendly model of computing aimed at local authorities, households, and small businesses and has asked Manchester City Council to take the lead.

The Green Shift initiative, made up of at least eight local authorities and their partners, proposes a "thin client" computing model and will be led by the council's Manchester Digital Development Agency (MDDA - http://www.manchesterdda.com/ ).

The group was chosen from finalists of the Digital Challenge competition
( http://www.digitalchallenge.gov.uk/ ),

the "DC-10," launched by the Government last year to combat digital exclusion and enhance public sector innovation.

While the technology may be adapted from traditional thin client models, the programme will see all computer functions, such as Microsoft Office applications, email and the internet delivered to the user from data centres via broadband. Users will receive applications via a small box similar to a digital TV set top box, rather than by traditional computer ‘towers.' The scheme's green credentials may be further boosted by plans to use renewable energy to power data centres.

The Green Shift model would use 75 per cent fewer resources in production and 98 per cent less energy in operation.

While pilots to take place within local authority departments are currently under discussion, a pilot will begin next year with 10-100 households and in 2009, the initiative will widen to include households across the country. An advisor to the MDDA Atul Hatwal said "The idea is to do small scale operational testing next year then look at a bigger pilot, looking at the impact on behaviour up and down the country,".

Government ministers will receive regular reports from the taskforce as plans progress. "Before we get to piloting, the work done by the taskforce will feed into policymaking," said Hatwal.

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary David Miliband this week launched an online calculator ( http://www.direct.gov.uk/actonCO2 ) allowing the public to work out their carbon use based on home energy, home appliances and transport use. The calculator develops a personalised action plan including measures they can take to reduce their emissions.