Feeling Warm and Fuzzy With Green IT
by David Deutsch
A little-known yet very interesting trend in the environmental movement involves Green IT, which is defined as the process of using information technology with less environmental impact. Green IT roughly began with the Energy Star rating guidelines published by EPA in 1992. The Energy Star system evaluates computers, servers, and a whole host of technologies for their energy usage and environmental impact. The program claims to have saved $14 billion in energy costs in 2008 alone and is very successful: since its inception, Energy Star has spread internationally and is used in the EU, New Zealand, and other countries.
But Green IT does not begin nor end with Energy Star, as these standards alone merely assist with using IT in sustainable ways. Making IT green requires a concerted and focused effort by all stakeholders in an organization because IT is a really big consumer of energy and it impacts everyone. If you have ever been in a data center you'll have a better understanding of how much energy IT utilizes. A data center is a secure room where large computer components, such as servers and telecommunications equipment, are stored. Since these servers run very hot and need to be constantly cooled to stay online, data centers need to be kept between 68 and 77 degrees and at a 40-55% humidity range all day, every day. Imagine blasting the A/C in a 10,000 square-foot mansion at its coldest possible temperature all day, every day, and keeping a whole bunch of humidifiers and dehumidifiers running to maintain perfect humidity. That is what it's like in a data center: the minute you walk into one, you can feel the A/C crawl up your skin. Although they are huge consumers of energy, data centers are merely the tip of the Green IT iceberg: personal computers, electricity monitoring, carbon footprint, and raw material mining are just a few of the issues in the overarching umbrella that is Green IT.
There are many ways to reduce the environmental impact of IT. One way is through something called server virtualization. In a nutshell, server virtualization involves tinkering with servers so one machine provides the functionality of several machines, thus reducing the number of servers needed to conduct business. This reduces the need for A/C and humidity control as well as the need to purchase other servers. Other Green IT initiatives include recycling and donating used equipment, power management, telecommuting, and much more. And power companies like Southern California Edison provide economic incentives to firms that implement Green IT solutions such as virtualizing servers. So Green IT can make good financial sense, but not always: for instance, if probably doesn’t make sense from an environmental perspective to purchase 1000 brand-new $5,000 laptops that save 0.01% on your electric bill over five years. It may be greener and a lot more fun to have fancy new laptops, but it doesn’t make good business sense.
OK, so we know Green IT is important for the environment, but what can it do for poor and disadvantaged people? A lot, as it turns out. For instance, IT donation programs such as Converge, Computers with Causes, and Hearts and Minds as well as OEMs like Dell and HP assist with donating computer equipment to organizations in need. So instead of simply recycling outdated yet well-functioning IT equipment, the poor can utilize the equipment instead. It may even be possible to get tax benefits from donating your old equipment to charity. A word of caution, though: before you donate your used IT equipment, make sure 100% of your data is erased from your machine, or you could find yourself in a whole mess of trouble.
Another connection between Green IT and the poor is that, unfortunately, technology has sparked bloody wars (and I'm not talking about the Metal Gear variety). Back in 2001, Industry Standard Magazine wrote a story on how mining for raw computer materials such as coltan fueled a series of civil wars in the Congo that killed millions. Nonprofit organizations such as The Enough Project aims to rally the global community to put an end to the use of such conflict minerals. Thanks in part to their efforts, a bipartisan coalition of U.S. Senators introduced the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009, which aims to “require companies that are involved in commercial activities involving three minerals (coltan, cassiterite, and wolframite) to disclose the country of origin of the minerals to the Securities and Exchange Commission. If the minerals are from DRC or neighboring countries, companies would have to also disclose the mine of origin.” A similar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, and The UN has been tracking the issue, stating that suppliers have largely moved their mining operations to Australia to help stop the bloody conflicts, but unfortunately there will likely always be some illegally-mined coltan originating from Congo so long as there is demand for it.
So paying attention to Green IT is very important for environmental, humanitarian, and business purposes. There are simple things you and your IT department can do to raise awareness about Green IT, including setting computers to sleep after ten minutes of inactivity, setting printers to double-sided printing, and even replacing paper towels with blow dryers in restrooms. Some of these ideas may seem silly and not related to IT at all, but they should be a part of a larger strategy to raise awareness among employees and encourage them to think about utilizing scarce resources. You can also hire a Green IT consultant, who will determine exactly how to green your firm's IT infrastructure. The initial outlay for such a consultant is expensive, but the long-term return on investment—not to mention potential tax savings—could be greater than the expense.
And you can feel all warm and fuzzy knowing you are helping the environment, the poor, and your organization's cash flow all at once.
Comments
great information on “conflict material”. didn’t know about The Enough Project. thanks.
2010-01-07 by teresa