Why must IT go green?

Green IT is not about compliance or coercion. It is about efficiency, says Stewart Baines. And that should make it more sustainable than any kowtowing to corporate social responsibility.

IT has been on an unsustainable path for years. Gigantic centralised data centres cannot get sufficient juice from the electricity network; millions of computers burn up processor power performing background processes while their users are in the pub; forests of emails, memos and presentations are needlessly printed off and never read.

If these factors alone are not reason enough to sign up to green IT, there are countless more. Many UK and EU regulations and campaigns demand greener businesses: the ethical disposal of equipment under the WEEE directive, transparency on companies' carbon footprint, and ultimately a cap-and-trade system for carbon credits set to be introduced in 2010.

Staff are increasingly green aware and want to see their company contributing to the solution, rather than exacerbating the problem.

"People like to work for companies they can be proud of, so being seen as a socially responsible organisation is certainly a factor in attracting and retaining top talent," says Alec Bruce, eco-solutions champion, Hitachi Data Systems UK.

"We hear from CIOs who have green IT programmes, that their staff gain a sense of empowerment from a green IT project."
The office, which has not felt the pinch on supply, also has energy issues.

Many small suppliers must comply with their large customers' own green policies. And investors are demanding to know more about long-term plans to transform their investment into a beacon for green excellence.

And perhaps most of all, energy is no longer like water - nor for that matter is water. Retail gas prices increased by 25 per cent in 2006 and volatility in the Middle East from the proposed sanctions on Iran and the conflict on the Turkish-Iraq border have helped nudge oil close to $100 a barrel.

A carbon levy on utility bills in the UK adds further to the rise in fuel costs. The long term trend for oil, gas, electricity and petrol costs is up, up, up.

Energy no longer trivial
The impact on IT is that the energy a computer consumes is no longer trivial. In the data centre, where supply rather than price is the issue, energy has mattered for some time.

"The National Grid is reaching breaking point. The electricity company EDF has warned it is no longer able to increase supply to data centres and requires formal notification of any plans to expand or create new centres," says David Elwen, a director of IT consultancy DMW Group.

Elwen continues: "There is a clear need to reduce the electricity requirement, which in turn will cut electricity bills."

The office, which has not felt the pinch on supply, also has energy issues. IBM estimates that IT is responsible for as much as 40 per cent of an office's entire electricity use. How much of this can be saved by turning PCs off at night and ensuring devices are not left in standby when not in use? The average office can be just as inefficient and power-hungry as a creaking 20th century server farm.

The industry in the past has measured its progress by faster processors, bigger hard drives and ever smarter smart phones, oblivious to their energy consumption. Now the vendor community has the green bug: everything, from desktop PCs to mobile base stations, professes to be green.

This is undoubtedly a good thing, and vendors should be applauded for tackling the energy thirstiness without ramping up prices. If energy-efficient PCs are the same price as inefficient machines, it is a no-brainer.

The rising energy costs compared with the general downward trend of hardware would suggest that organisations should shorten the refresh cycle. Last year, analyst house IDC reported for every dollar spent on IT hardware, 50 cents are spent on powering them: in three years, energy will account for 75 per cent. When factoring in cooling as well, power costs exceed purchase costs.

"CFOs are really focusing on operating costs," says Tony Rooke, UK environmental programme manager for services firm LogicaCMG. "They are prepared to invest in capital expenditure if it brings those operating expenditure costs down. The energy prices have gone up so much they will consider accelerating refresh rates if it gives them a better performance."

Green computer does not compute
However, there is a problem with directly equating the need to reduce energy costs and energy consumption with green IT, which, according to some, may not exist.

"There is no such thing as green IT. The equipment can't be green. It's the way that you use it," says Chris Gabriel, head of solutions at systems integrator Logicalis.

"You may think you are buying a green server but if you manage it inefficiently, it's not as green as my old server that's properly optimised. If I bought the greenest fridge and stick an organic lemon in it for five years, it's not efficient," adds Gabriel.

Colm Feighoney, a green IT consultant with IBM Global Services, says there are some simple things organisations could do with the standard operating environment that could really help.

"Pretty screen savers may only consume a few watts, but if you have 100,000 desktops, replacing them with a blank screen could give you million pounds a year savings from reduced energy use," says Feighoney.

Many IT managers are becoming cynical about green labelling with promises that each new server will reduce energy bills. Every vendor message these days screams that its hardware, peripherals, network equipment and even software is green.

But they are not inherently green if they are used inappropriately. If a PC is left on overnight, can you blame Dell? If a server is only 50 per cent optimised can you blame Sun?

Old equipment may consume more energy than newer versions, but a rip and replace campaign will not necessarily deliver the carbon reduction targets that government, shareholders, employees and the earth demands. This is because although each device may be more efficient, we're also asking it to do more and in many cases with the same inefficient processes as before.

"Obviously green IT needs to focus on efficiency; or rather efficient computing delivers green benefits. Being green is a return on being more efficient," adds Logicalis' Gabriel.

Kate Craig-Wood, managing director of web hosting company Memset, says being environmentally responsible generally means being more energy efficient, which directly benefits the bottom line.

"The increased awareness of green issues is simply accelerating improvements in efficiency that any responsible CIO should have been implementing in the near future anyway," says Craig-Wood.
Src: http://management.silicon.com
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Green Computing Surveys

Following is the survey done for Green Computing (Ref:http://www.computerworld.com.au)

Attitude Towards Green Computing















Reasons for Adopting Green Services:















Reasons for not Implementing Green Services:















Future Energy Policies:

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New Carbon Zero Scheme from Toshiba: green choice for laptop buyers

Toshiba today launched a new scheme through which its customers can offset the carbon dioxide produced during the manufacture and lifetime use of their laptops. For a small donation of £1.18, Toshiba customers now have the option of making their laptops a ‘Carbon Zero’ purchase through a tree planting scheme at dedicated Toshiba woodland, delivered in partnership with co2balance, Toshiba’s carbon offset partner.

The trees planted as part of the Toshiba Carbon Zero scheme will be native broad-leafed trees, in a new developing woodland called Sand Martin Wood in Cumbria. Trees are an effective, natural means of absorbing carbon dioxide emissions as part of the carbon cycle, with each tree absorbing around one tonne of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

Announcing the new scheme, Tom Nickson, Environmental Manager, Toshiba Computer Systems said: “The Carbon Zero scheme is an important one for Toshiba, because we’re allowing our customers to make a positive environmental choice when buying one of our products. This scheme is an important part of Toshiba’s wider commitment to improving the value, eco-efficiency of its products and business processes, as well as reducing emissions of carbon dioxide related to the manufacture and use of its products. The fact the cost to the consumer to offset one of our lap-tops is so low, demonstrates the progress made so far.”

Mark Simpson, Director of co2balance adds: “All the trees are planted on land which we own and which we manage ourselves. This ensures that we have control over the trees, in order to ensure that every one planted can absorb carbon dioxide and help combat climate change. The scheme is also a totally ‘additional’ project, which means that the trees would not otherwise have been planted but for the investment of Toshiba’s customers.”

The scheme follows the Toshiba Corporation’s recent announcement of its Environmental Vision for 2050, a long-term commitment to contribute to a better environment by recognising and responding to environmental issues. In implementing this vision, Toshiba aims to improve the value and eco-efficiency of its products and business processes and to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by the equivalent of 57.6 million tons per year in 2025 compared with 2000. It will also work to enhance its environmental efficiency and raise overall eco-efficiency to a factor of 10 by 2050.

To find out more on Toshiba’s Carbon Zero laptops scheme, visit www.toshiba.co.uk/carbonzero
Src: http://www.product-reviews.net

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Google Going Green in a Big Way

The world's best-known Internet company on Tuesday announced a far-reaching initiative to stimulate the development of solar and other renewable energy sources.

As part of the program, Google Inc. and its nonprofit foundation, Google.org, has earmarked tens of millions of dollars to either spend on research and development or to invest in renewable energy in 2008. In the longer term, it also plans to build solar power plants, invest in more renewable energy companies, and sell or license any energy-related technologies it develops to other companies.

In part, Google wants to find cheaper, more reliable power to run the giant, energy-sucking computer data centers it operates or plans to open in more than 25 locations around the world, including Atlanta, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma and Oregon.

But Google co-founder Larry Page said the company's ambitions extend far beyond its own business.

"Just providing energy for Google is not really enough of a goal," Page said in a conference call with reporters. "We really want to provide energy that's cheap enough that it can replace significant amounts of the energy that (is) used today."

Specifically, Google wants to develop technology to make solar and other energy sources less expensive than coal, which currently produces more than 40 percent of the country's electricity, but using it releases large amounts of climate-warming gases into the atmosphere.

Google officials decline to say just how much power its data centers use to run its vast Internet search site and its other businesses.

But by some estimates, the company spends more than $2 million per month on electricity to power its network of an estimated 450,000 computer servers.

Google has more than just cost-cutting and altruism in mind, however.

Page said the company expects to see returns "on a reasonable time scale" from its energy investments, either in the form of higher stock prices of the companies it invests in, in savings from producing its own power, or from the sale or licensing of solar and other technologies it develops.

Google, of course, isn't the only company that sees greenbacks in going green.

Atlanta media mogul Ted Turner, who has made big investments in solar energy lately, recently called the solar business "the greatest business opportunity in the history of humanity."
Src: http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2007/11/27/Google_1128.html
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Phillips Technologies Selling Energy Efficient Computers

For two decades, software giant Microsoft has had few challengers. While holding a majority of the software market in the palm of its hand, Microsoft has been able to charge hundreds or thousands of dollars for its programs.

That may be changing as alternative software emerges — software that is comparable to, and compatible with, Microsoft programs.

Much of this software is free, thanks to a community developed operating system named Ubuntu. Ubuntu offers software that can be downloaded online for home, school or commercial use. Ubuntu has its own programs for word processing, burning CDs, accounting, building databases, creating presentations, photography and other uses.

Until now, a large portion of the price for personal computers was the Microsoft software that provided programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

“If you buy a $1,000 machine, only about $400 of that is hardware,” said Jay Trent of Phillips Technologies in Beckley. “The rest (of the cost) is all software.”

Phillips Technologies is selling a personal computer that is designed for use with Ubuntu. The price of the computer is a fraction of what many other computers cost.

Additionally, Phillips’ computer saves money on electricity costs. The new machine is called “Green PC” because it operates with a VIA computer chip and motherboard that maximizes energy efficiency. The manufacturers of the VIA chip claim that their processors are designed to consume up to 76 percent less power than similar products on the market.

The Green PC is equipped with an 80-gig hard drive, 512 megabytes of RAM, a DVD burner and six USB ports. It comes with a keyboard and mouse. The computer sells for $299.

“Just about anything you can do on Microsoft you can do on this machine,” said David Fondale, sales manager at Phillips Technologies.

“Part of the selling point of this machine is that right out of the box, you can do anything you want — burn a CD, modify a photograph, watch a movie, listen to music, or browse the Internet,” Fondale said.

Ubuntu is a Linux-based operating system, which makes its programs somewhat different from the Microsoft-based programs commonly in use. But Ubuntu’s user-friendly design makes adjusting to the new programs easy, Trent said.

“We can customize it for any need,” Trent said. “Ubuntu has software for gamers, musicians, photographers and business.”

Fondale believes that PCs like the one offered by Phillips could revolutionize information technology, particularly with regard to the industry’s reliance on Microsoft. Fondale said that Wal-Mart recently offered a computer designed for use with free software, and quickly sold 10,000 of the models.

“To have everything that this thing (Green PC) has on it, you are probably talking about $1,200 to $1,500,” Fondale said. “We offer a machine for $299 that is comparable to what is out there, and is a better deal.”

For more information on the Green PC, contact Phillips Technologies at 253-5481, or stop by the company office on 324 George St. in Beckley’s Harper Industrial Park.

src: http://www.register-herald.com/business
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Clean and Green receives cleanup award

The Clermont 20/20 Clean and Green Program received a second place award in the Great American Cleanup Project at the recent Keep Cincinnati Beautiful "Just Desserts" event. The award was in recognition of the successful Clean and Green Spring Litter Pickup that was held in April. The award was presented by Brad Lindner, president of United Dairy Farmers, and Chris Monzel, Cincinnati City Council.

The purpose of the "Just Deserts" event is to recognize the work done by volunteers and communities in their effort to reduce or eliminate litter and to complete beautification projects. This year's event was sponsored by United Dairy Farmers and Heidelberg Distributing and hosted by H.J. Benken Florist and Greenhouse.

"I would like to recognize and thank the 14 Clermont County community captains who worked very hard to ensure that the Spring Litter Pickup would be a big success this year: Mark Menz, Rex Parsons, Mike Shiverski, Nancy Middleton, Barb Hertzer, Susan Ellerhorst, Lynn Baird, Dan Stauft, Theresa Brown, Patti Bates, Mark McIlrath, Gene Williams, Wendy Smith and Connie Taggart. They did a tremendous job of coordinating the efforts in their communities where 617 volunteers collected 985 bags of litter and 61 bags of recycling," said Becky Ploucha, director of the Clermont 20/20 Clean and Green Program. "We also partnered with Cincinnati Computer Cooperative to add the Computer Reuse/Recycling event to the Spring Litter Pickup, which made the event even more significant. About 780 computer components were dropped off at the Computer Reuse/Recycling staging area at Mark Williams Beechmont Ford."
Src: http://news.communitypress.com
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Zonbu goes mobile with green notebook computer

Silicon Valley company Zonbu has recently announced its newest product: a green laptop that comes with a hassle-free service plan, which includes online tech support and automatic updates.
The Zonbu laptop starts at $279, and the service plan costs an additional $15 per month. Additional features of the service include 20 software applications, online storage, remote file access, file sharing, automated backup, and free replacement warranty as long as you're a member. With this service plan, Zonbu is aiming at a family audience, and suggests the laptop might be ideal for younger children or anyone who doesn´t like to struggle with computer problems.

The laptop runs on Zonbu's OS software, a user-friendly interface that includes see-through menus, which is also highly secure and immune to Windows viruses. Conveniently, the system also enables remote access to your files from anywhere on the Internet, with nothing to set up.

Besides being easy to use, the laptop is also rated highly by the Green Electronics Council for its energy efficiency. The device uses recycled plastics, contains no dangerous chemicals such as lead, and Zonbu offers free recycling of the device. In this sense, the laptop shares similarities with the Zonbu PC released this past summer. As the world´s smallest desktop (5" x 6.5" x 2"), the Zonbu PC has local/remote hybrid storage that saves up to 90% in energy costs, with a starting price of $99.

Unlike the PC, the Zonbu laptop isn't ultra-tiny. Weighing in at 5.3 pounds (2.4 kg), it has a 15.4" widescreen (1440 x 900), a 1.5 GHz processor, 512 MB of memory, and 60 GB of hard disk local storage. The laptop also comes with built-in wifi, broadband-ready Ethernet, three USB ports, and a CD/DVD burner.

More information: www.zonbu.com
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