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June 22, 2007 • Vol.29 Issue 25Page(s) 1 in print issue

Green Computing In The Data Center

Is Your Enterprise Doing Its Part?

The world is making an effort to make everything “greener.” But according to some experts, the data center could pitch in a little more help. In fact, Richard Hodges, principal of GreenIT (http://www.greenit.net/), says everything we do depends on and affects the natural environment that supports life on earth. Hodges says, “IT is both a significant (and rapidly growing) contributor to environmental problems and a potential enabler of solutions to environmental problems.”

The Concept Defined

Today, green computing is more than just sticking a nice green plant in the corner. The concept of green computing is all about understanding and management. Hodges explains, “What green computing means is understanding and managing the environmental impacts of your IT systems, including materials and resources used to make equipment, energy and materials used in operating systems, potential health effects on humans from using equipment, and responsibility for the waste products that are created from IT systems.”

Scot Case, customer services and relations manager for the Green Electronics Council’s EPEAT (electronic product environmental assessment tool) Program, says IT managers are gradually recognizing that every single purchase they make has hidden human health and environmental impacts. “With electronic products,” Case notes, “these impacts range from the hazardous materials used to manufacture them to the electricity they consume when they are used. Computers and other office electronics, for example, consume 74 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 7 million households. Since most electricity in this country is generated by highly polluting coal-fired power plants, computers are actually a significant contributor to global warming.”

In addition, Case says some of the hazardous materials used to manufacture computers, such as brominated flame retardants, are being found in growing concentrations in human blood streams and breast milk. The consequences of these discoveries are unknown.

SMEs, Listen Up

Jim Pappas, representing Intel (http://www.intel.com/) as a board member of The Green Grid, says small to midsized enterprises should really care about the green computing concept. Pappas explains, “Energy efficiency in data centers is an issue for companies of all sizes, including small to midsized enterprises. Higher energy costs are here to stay, and SMBs often can make a significant dent in energy bills with even a few small changes to processes and technologies in the data center.” He says The Green Grid’s goal is to help develop meaningful standards, measurements, and technologies to help companies of every size reduce power consumption and achieve data center efficiency.

Case agrees that SMEs should pay attention to the concept of green computing. “As reported in cover stories from The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Time, Newsweek, and even Soap Opera Digest, individuals and businesses are recognizing that everyone has a responsibility and an interest in preventing environmental catastrophe, whether it be global warming or growing piles of hazardous electronic products. Many businesses are also discovering that it makes financial sense,” he says.

Case says green companies are finding it is easier to hire and retain highly skilled workers. He says green companies also tend to outperform other companies. “In fact,” he notes, “many financial analysts are using a company’s environmental responsibility as a proxy for evaluating strong executive leadership. In the short term, green products save money by reducing energy costs. In the long run, they can save a lot more than money.”

According to Case, many people are talking about green computers, but many people focus almost exclusively on energy efficiency as if that is the only environmental impact. Case comments, “EPEAT, the green computer standard unveiled in July 2006, actually includes more than 51 environmental criteria. Energy efficiency is just one of the criteria.” Case adds that EPEAT is an easy-to-use purchasing tool that identifies green computer desktops, laptops, and monitors. He says products must meet 23 mandatory criteria to achieve EPEAT Bronze, the lowest EPEAT tier. “Products that meet additional optional criteria can earn EPEAT Silver or EPEAT Gold status,” he notes.

Case says based on very preliminary estimates and conservative assumptions, EPEAT-registered products during the next five years will save more than 13 million pounds of hazardous waste, 3 million pounds of nonhazardous waste, and nearly 600,000 megawatt-hours of energy.

Hodges says “green computing” is an opportunity for IT professionals to take a leadership role and demonstrate the central role of IT to the enterprise. “First, don’t wait for them to come to you. Get your own house in order with a plan for efficiency and eco-responsibility in IT. Then, show how IT can lead the way in reducing the environmental impacts of the enterprise in every area, including facilities (less, more-efficient building space; lower power bills; less tonnage of waste going to the dump), operations (improved employee productivity and accountability with less travel), and travel costs (fewer airplane trips).” He says, ultimately, greening the products and services the company sells is a goal IT professionals should set for themselves.

by Chris A. MacKinnon

Three Good Reasons To Go Green

Richard Hodges, principal of GreenIT (http://www.greenit.net/), says SMEs need to be concerned with “Green Computing” for three reasons:

Money. Any organization can reduce costs by making IT systems more efficient: using less electricity, designing systems for longer useful lives, reducing the amount of equipment purchased (and supported), and reducing the amount of waste produced saves money and has a positive environmental benefit (the GreenIT ER3 Principle: Eliminate, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).

Risk. Electricity supplies are less reliable, and prices are rising. Many governments now have strict rules on the management of e-waste and u-waste (universal waste), and data on improperly handled “surplus” devices is a potential security disaster. These are examples of risks that IT managers face that must be managed, even in SMEs.

Social responsibility. The issue of environmental sustainability will be a major and enduring trend for the foreseeable future. Customers of every enterprise will become more and more aware of what their suppliers are doing and not doing. SMEs selling to large global enterprises will rapidly find themselves compelled to meet rising standards for environmental responsibility throughout the supply chain.