Environmental charity Global Action Plan will this week host the inaugural meeting of an Environmental IT Leadership Team, which it claims represents the UK's first green IT user group.

The group, which is sponsored by IT services provider Logicalis, includes IT chiefs from the British Medical Association (BMA), Sony UK, John Lewis, E.ON UK, CQS, the University of Cumbria and Lloyds TSB, who will focus on "exploring and publishing best practice sustainable IT strategies".

The group will also question political, industry, technology and expert witnesses about green IT and plan to commission independent research into specific areas of concern such as data centre energy use, managing information growth and environmental legislation.

Speaking prior to the first meeting, Trewin Restorick, director of Global Action Plan and chair of the Environmental IT Leadership Team, said the group aimed to provide clearer environmental best practice guidelines for firms keen to limit the environmental impact of their IT department.

"Currently, the [environmental] advice available to IT directors and CIOs comes from technology vendors [and] although the intentions are good, the advice can be sometimes confusing and contradictory," Restorick said. "This green IT team will provide a forum to review vendors’ advice and government policy, cutting through the techy and political jargon to give practical advice for creating a sustainable IT structure. The team will help peers put carbon reduction policies into practice and greatly reduce their environmental impact. "

Martin Kelmanson, head of the ICT division at the BMA, welcomed the new initiative, claiming it would help firms share environmental best practices right across the industry. "It will be a practical forum to share best practice with industry peers, suppliers and users to make a positive impact on the way IT organisations across the UK tackle climate change," he said. "It is an exciting step forward in our challenge to make our businesses green."