The recent green IT revolution undertaken by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will be used as a template for all other government departments, it has emerged.

Defra's new scheme operates a main principle of giving each member of staff one IT device only, eliminating the chance of many workers operating up to three devices at any one time with laptops, desktop computers and internet-accessing mobile phones.

This, the department hopes, will lower the carbon footprint of IT support and other members of the team.

Chris Chant, the department's former chief information officer who has now assumed the same role with the Olympic Executive, said the scheme is something he believes will succeed.

He continued: "The Defra strategy has delivered many benefits to the department and I'm hoping these will translate across government."

Defra's primary concerns are to tackle the threat of climate change through domestic action as well as promoting a natural, productive and healthy environment.