Cell Phone Recycling is an Easy Call

The nation's leading cell phone makers, service providers, and retailers have teamed up with the US Environmental Protection Agency to answer America's call for easy cell phone recycling. As part of EPA's Plug-In to eCycling program, partners supporting the cell phone recycling campaign include AT&T Wireless, Best Buy, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Office Depot, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, and T-Mobile.

"Thanks to our Plug-In partners' efforts, recycling an old cell phone has become a quick and easy way for Americans to help protect the environment," said Susan Bodine, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "By dropping it off at a store or sending it through the mail, Americans have more recycling options today than ever before."

To kick-off the campaign, EPA released today a series of print public service announcements, "Recycle Your Cell Phone. It's An Easy Call," which highlight the convenience and environmental and social benefits of recycling a cell phone. EPA also introduced a podcast that addresses many common questions on cell phone recycling.

EPA started the campaign because many consumers still do not know where or how they can recycle their unwanted cell phones. Consequently, less than 20 percent of unwanted cell phones are recycled each year.

Recycling a cell phone offers an opportunity for everyone to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy, and conserve natural resources. An estimated 100 to 130 million cell phones are no longer being used, many languishing in storage. If Americans recycled 100 million phones, we could save enough upstream energy to power more than 194,000 U.S. households for a year. If consumers were able to reuse those 100 million cell phones, the environmental savings would be even greater, saving enough energy to power more than 370,000 U.S. homes each year.

Plug-In To eCycling is a voluntary partnership between EPA and electronics manufacturers, retailers, and service providers to offer consumers more opportunities to donate or recycle their used electronics. In 2007, as part of their commitment to the program, retailers and electronics manufacturers voluntarily recycled more than 47 million pounds of electronics, mostly computers and televisions. For example, in 2007 Staples and Office Depot both launched in-store electronics take back programs across the continental U.S. and Sony teamed up with Waste Management Inc. to expand local TV recycling opportunities. Efforts like these have helped the Plug-In program to recycle more than 142 million pounds of electronics since 2003.

Source:greenprogress
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The ROI of PC Power Management

The green benefits of PC power management may have their allure, but given the state of the economy, I can't blame any IT manager for putting cost considerations first.

Therein lies the beauty of PC power management, though: I'm quite convinced the easy-to-calculate ROI makes it a no-brainer.

For those of you not in the know, PC power management software enables an IT admin to set all users' PCs and monitors to power down after a predetermined set of time -- but power up quickly when they're needed during the work day. Those solutions that include wake-on LAN capabilities can awaken machines automatically for patching or other remote maintenance, meaning those tasks can be easily completed after hours and the systems can still get their rest.

First, consider the costs of not powering down PCs when they're not in use. I've seen figures ranging from $25 to $75 for a computer/monitor combo. Why the range? I suppose it depends on what model computer and monitor you're running (LCDs use far less power than CRTs), as well as how much use your systems get in a day. If they go long spells without being touched, then there's more money to be saved from powering them down.

But let's just go with the low-end figure and say it costs you $25 to power each desktop and monitor in your organization when they're not in use.


Now let's look at the costs of software to power down PCs. I spoke with the CEO of Autonomic Software, Tony Gigliotti, today. His company offers its ANSA suites, which uses an intelligent agent for such tasks as vulnerability management, asset management, and, in line with the subject at hand, PC power management. He told me that Autonomic's Software costs around $33 per license for the first year, then $10 per license per year after that. (Notably, Autonomic isn't the only player in this space; BigFix, Verdiem Surveyor, KACE KBOX, and 1E NightWatchmanoffers offer competing solutions.)

So let’s do a little math. Say you have 500 computers at your organization, and you decide to invest in some PC power management software. If it's around $33 per license, you're looking to pay $16,500 for the software. But you're also going to be making back $25 (which, again, is a low-end estimate) per computer that year thanks to energy savings. That would mean $12,500 in savings for the first year.

Over two years, though, you'd make your money back. How so? Well, you're paying $10 per license, which totals $5,000 -- but you're saving another $12,500 (assuming power costs remain unchanged). So in two years, you'll have spent $21,500, but you'll have saved $25,000. Voila. Money in the bank.

The deal can becomes even sweeter if you happen to be served by a utility that offers rebates for purchasing PC power management licenses. PG&E, which serves Northern California, is one such utility. It offers a $15 rebate for each PC power management software license your purchase, according to Gigliotti.

Factor that into your equation, and the deal becomes even sweeter. After the rebate, you're paying a net of around $18 per license the first year, which for 500 PCs, which totals $9,000. You're saving the aforementioned $12,500 for the first year on energy costs. So in year one, you can save $3,500. The savings increase from there.

Also notable, most of the products I've mentioned don't just do PC power management; they offer other value through patch and configuration management, a point worth considering as you contemplate making the investment.

Source:weblog.infoworld.com
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Make a Difference With These Green IT Tips

Green IT is taking center stage on campus as students, faculty and staff seek sustainable alternatives with both environmental and financial benefits. If you don't believe what you do makes a difference, think again. When it comes to simple decisions about the technology you use every day, the choices you make really can add up. Consider these statistics:

* Every person in America, on average, uses about SEVEN TREES worth of paper annually. That comes to 680 pounds of paper per person per year.
* E-waste is increasing dramatically each year as computers, printers, cell phones and other electronic appliances are discarded. These items may contain toxic mercury, lead or cadmium that can contaminate groundwater and lead to increased health risks. Latest numbers indicate Americans generate 16 pounds of e-waste per person per year.
* Electronic equipment and appliances left in standby mode can account for up to 10% of the total power you use in a year. This "phantom load" or "vampire power" also adds to your energy bill - about $150 during a twelve month period.

Things You Can Do

* Reduce your paper consumption. You can use WebSpace to collaborate on documents with classmates and Blackboard to turn in your class assignments. If you do need to print, print double-sided and recycle any paper you aren't going to use any more.
* Properly dispose of all e-waste. Apple and Dell both recycle computers, and Goodwill accepts unwanted computers for reuse and training purposes. Office Depot has also started an e-waste disposal program; contact a store to find out details.
* Turn off your desktop computer. It's an old myth that leaving your computer running saves anything! In fact, a computer left running all the time uses about 2,628 kilowatts of power, costing you around $262.80 per year in power. And this assumes prices don't go up! You can save over $175 per year by turning off your computer at night - which puts money in your pocket and helps the planet too.
* Use LCD monitors instead of CRT monitors. If you use a 17” LCD monitor you consume about 40 watts of power. A 17” CRT monitor uses 120 watts. You don't even need to be a math major to figure out one simple choice can save you three times the energy!
* Go mobile and go green with a laptop. Laptops beat desktops in more than convenience and mobility. Because they use only 45 watts of power they are a smart choice when compared to a desktop that uses about 300 watts. Turn off your laptop at night, and you'll only end up using about 131 kilowatts of power per year. Imagine everything can do from and with your laptop, all for about $13 per year!
* Keep checking the ITS Web site. We will be providing lots more information throughout the year about Green IT best practices, tips and suggestions.

Source:utexas.edu
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Tips To Make Computer More Green

The technology industry accounts for approximately 2 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions (mostly from the power generation), which is equivalent to the emissions generated by the aviation industry, according to Gartner Research. The popularity of the personal computer has no doubt had a major impact on our environment, and if we all start thinking about "green computing" we can collectively reduce the impact. Whether you want to help fight global warming or just save money on energy, these tips can help:

• Tip 1 — Activate the power saving options. Most computers have the ability to set power saving options for the monitor, the hard drive(s) and the entire system. To access the Power Options in Windows, click on the Start button, then on Control Panel and then on Power Options. To access the Energy Saver option in Mac OS X, choose System Preferences from the Apple menu, then choose Energy Saver from the View menu.

• Tip 2 — Turn it off! Your display screen is the biggest power consuming device, especially if it’s one of the older CRT monitors. Today’s flat panels consume less than half the power of older CRT screens, so consider replacing if you still have an old display. Hit the display’s power button when you are going to be away from your computer for a while, or, if you aren’t going to be using the computer for several hours or overnight, shut the entire system down instead of letting it go to sleep.

• Tip 3 — Optimize your computer’s performance. If your computer takes forever to boot up and seems to be getting slower for just about everything, not only is it aggravating, you’re wasting energy. Anything that’s running in the background is expending your computer’s resources and wasting energy at the same time. If you haven’t had your computer cleaned up in the past year or two, getting it serviced will lower your blood pressure and reduce the power consumption.

• Tip 4 — If you have a laptop, use it more. Laptops by design are more efficient users of electricity, so if you own both a desktop and a laptop, use the laptop as much as you can.

• Tip 5 — Get rid of the cutesy screen saver. Many improperly associate screen savers with power savers. Screen savers were designed to keep screens from “burning in” and are actually power wasters. Those cute photos of your family vacation when your screen saver kicks in cause power to be wasted by your hard drive, CPU and monitor. For the lowest power consumption, set your screen saver option to “blank.”

• Tip 6 — Dispose of old technology properly. Never dispose of any electronic device by throwing it away, as the toxic waste in all electronics is substantial. Check with your municipality for local charities, schools, churches or recycling programs to donate or recycle your old electronics properly. Tips for scrubbing your personal information from an old computer before donating or recycling can be found.

• Tip 7 — Keep it digital. The popularity of digital music downloads has reduced the number of CDs manufactured by the music industry. Using an iPod or other MP3 players instead of burning CDs reduces waste. Instead of using a fax machine, scan a document so it can be e-mailed. Businesses can set up a fax server instead of a traditional fax machine so all incoming faxes are digitized automatically and save the paper. Instead of printing out something so you can read it, read it on the screen.

Source:eastvalleytribune.com
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Go green with the Advent Eco PC

Every smug eco warrior knows that green gadgets are where it’s at. But fortunately you don’t need to eschew soap and carp on about ‘The Man’ to buy PC World’s awesome new Advent Eco PC. Just a going concern about saving the planet and a love of saving money will do.

The new machine, which you can nab from today, packs in a self–cooling system without using a fan, keeping power down to just 25W. That’s less than your average non–green light bulb, which takes up a relatively hefty 60W.

But what about the PC itself? Surely it’s bobbins? Well, no. You get a Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB HDD. Plus Vista Premium, but let’s gloss over that shall we.

PC World reckons that if you leave the Eco PC in energy saver mode, it’ll cost you just £8 a year to run. Seeing as you’re probably being given a seeing to by the electricity board at the moment, that’s a corking deal.

The whole thing tots up to £599. Which if you ask us is awesome. Green and one for the credit crunch? It’s definitely a goer.

Essentials

Adent Eco PC
Price: £599
On sale: Now
Contact: PC World

Source:stuff.tv
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Lenovo Introduces Six New Green Computer Monitors

Lenovo Introduces Six New Green Computer Monitors. Lenovo today began a sweeping update of its ThinkVision desktop LCDs that all focus on more eco-friendly performance. The 17-, 19-, 22-, and 24-inch displays largely use a new technique that improves the amount of light reaching the LCD while cutting down on the amount of backlighting needed, improving their power use between 30 to 60 percent depending on the model. A new range-topping model, the L2440x Wide, also uses an LED backlight and a low-halogen screen that let it use just 29W of power even with its large 24-inch panel.

The 1920x1200 display also carries features that have been rare or non-existent in Lenovo's better LCDs, such as DisplayPort input, full pivoting and a four-port USB hub. A second variant of the 24-inch model known as the L2440p Wide carries the same size, resolution and USB ports but drops DisplayPort and switches to a conventional cold-cathode fluorescent backlight to lower prices.

The more conventional displays include the 4:3 ratio L1700p, the 1440x900 L1940p Wide and its European-only equivalent L1940, and the 1680x1050 L2240p Wide. The company is unspecific on details but claims an average pixel response time of 5ms for its displays and says that contrast ratios peak at 1,000:1 on some models, including 24-inch screens.

Launches start on September 19th, when the L1700p ships in the US for $240 and the L1940 reaches Europe with varying prices. Other prices aren't mentioned except for the L2440x Wide, which tops the line at $750.

Source:riverwired.com
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Green PC Buying Guide

It's not easy being green -- especially when it comes to computers.

While for years the computer industry has been touting green components and working to reduce the power used by individual components, a typical PC with monitor still uses about as much electricity as three or four 100 watt light bulbs.

Consider that many personal computers are left on all the time, and you're looking at some serious power consumption -- and some hefty electricity bills.

What you can do to reduce the power consumption of your current computer may be limited.

But when it's time to look for a new machine, it'll pay to keep an eye on how much power the machine will use. That's because there's never been a greater disparity between the power used by energy-sipping models and that used by the most powerful PCs.

Here's how you can distinguish the green PC from the rest.

Computer Case:

The size of a computer case doesn't have to mean anything about how power-efficient a computer is, but it's often a clue. Larger cases are typically used when heat dissipation is an issue, and heat dissipation is a concern when power-hungry components are at work.

Smaller cases are often used to house lower-power or energy-efficient components. So, while smaller doesn't always mean better, it's a safe bet to assume that it is.

Notebooks -- the smallest of all personal computers -- are typically the most power efficient as well. They are designed from the ground up to be able to perform standard computing tasks while drawing a minimum of power, and they go into power-saving mode more quickly than a standard desktop, since at times they have to run on a battery. So, notebook users today can almost always boast of having the greenest computers.

Processor:

You might think that the latest crop of powerful processors are also the most power-hungry. But you'd be wrong.

Advanced manufacturing techniques have not only allowed the big chip makers to cram two or even four processing cores on a chip that used to house only one, but the latest dual-core processors use about half as much energy as earlier models. Quad-core processors aren't quite so energy efficient, but they're still better than the older generation of chips.

So, if you're looking for a green desktop, look for mid-range chips from the latest lines from Intel and AMD.

Intel's new Core 2 Duo vPro line improves upon the already stellar power-saving features of the original Core 2 Duo line, and AMD's Phenom processor with its "cool and quiet" technology puts energy-savings in the forefront.

Power Supply:

Power supplies -- the piece of a computer that supplies power to the rest of the parts in a computer system are not a component that computer buyers generally pay much attention to. But for those buying green, that needs to change.

It's true that the amount of energy that a power supply draws depends greatly upon what exactly is installed in the computer. But, power supplies themselves have often been energy-wasters in the past.

If an earlier generation power supply had to provide 300 watts of power to the components in a PC, for example, it might actually use 500 watts in order to produce that power. The industry's answer has been the relatively new 80 Plus certification programme, which requires power supplies that wish to wear the 80 Plus logo to be "at least" 80 per cent efficient.

In other words, a power supply that needed to provide 300 watts of power to the components in a computer could draw a maximum of 375 watts in order to gain the 80 Plus seal of approval. So, when you're buying a green PC, look for computers that boast an 80 Plus logo.

Source:TOI
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