Green Computing Aka Green IT

7/30/2019 Green Computing Aka Green IT

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Ref: IT Enquiries: GJPB Willemse

Telephone: 051 405 5067

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GREEN COMPUTING

CONTENTS

No Description Page

1. What is green computing? 3

2. Origins 3

3. Regulations and industry initiatives 3

3.1 Government 3

3.2 Industry 4

4. Approaches to green computing 4

4.1 Virtualization 4

4.2 Power management 5

4.3 Low performance computers 5

5. More efficient components 5

5.1 Power supply 5

5.2 Storage 5-6

5.3 Display 6

6. Materials recycling 6

7. Telecommuting 6

8. What are the carbon hotspots in the IT department? 7

9. Gartner Group 7

10. Top ten reasons to green IT 8-9

11. Techniques/tips for encouraging greener IT practices 9

11.1 The Canadian Center for Pollution Prevention 9

11.2 Scottish Environment Protection Agency 9-10

12. ITWeb Green IT Summit, 12 August 2008 @The Forum, Bryanston 10-1113. Conclusion 11-13


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GREEN COMPUTING(Internet Sources: Wikipedia; Networkworld; Environmental Leader; Computer

Weekly; Scottish Environmen Protection Agency; ITWeb)

1. What is Green Computing?

Green computing is the study and practice of using computing resourcesefficiently. The primary objective of such a program is to account for the triplebottom line (or "People, Planet, Profit"). The goals are similar to green chemistrynamely to reduce the use of hazardous materials; maximize energy efficiencyduring the product's lifetime; and promote recyclability or biodegradability ofdefunct products and factory waste.

Modern IT systems rely upon a complicated mix of people, networks andhardware; as such, a green computing initiative must be systemic in nature, and

address increasingly sophisticated problems.

2. Origins

In 1992, the US Environmental Protection Agency launched Energy Star, avoluntary labeling program which is designed to promote and recognize energy-efficiency in monitors, climate control equipment, and other technologies. Thisresulted in the widespread adoption of sleep mode among consumer electronics.The term "green computing" was probably coined shortly after the Energy Starprogram began.

Concurrently, the Swedish organization TCO Development launched the TCOCertification program to promote low magnetic and electrical emissions fromCathode Ray Tube-based computer displays; this program was later expanded toinclude criteria on energy consumption, ergonomics, and the use of hazardousmaterials in construction.

3. Regulations and industry initiatives

3.1 GovernmentMany governmental agencies abroad have continued to implement standards

and regulations that encourage green computing. The Energy Star programwas revised in October 2006 to include stricter efficiency requirements for


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computer equipment, along with a tiered ranking system for approvedproducts.

There are currently 26 US States that have established state-wide recyclingprograms for obsolete computers and consumer electronics equipment. The

statutes either impose a fee for each unit sold at retail (Advance RecoveryFee model), or require the manufacturers to reclaim the equipment atdisposal (Producer Responsibility model).

In 2008, a report published in the UK by the Department for Communitiesand Local Government, quantified that the potential carbon savings fromincreasing the usage of online public service delivery were significantly inexcess of the negative impact of extra IT server capacity.

3.2 IndustryThe Green Electronics Council offers the Electronic Products Environmental

Assessment Tool (EPEAT) to assist in the purchase of "green" computingsystems. The Council evaluates computing equipment on 28 criteria thatmeasure a product's efficiency and sustainability attributes.

The Green Grid is a global consortium dedicated to advancing energyefficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems. It wasfounded in February 2007 by several key companies in the industry AMD,APC, Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Rackable Systems, SprayCool, SunMicrosystems and VMware. The Green Grid has since grown to hundreds ofmembers, including end users and government organizations, all focused onimproving data center efficiency.

Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) is an effort to reduce the electricpower consumption of PCs in active and inactive states. The CSCI provides acatalog of green products from it's member organizations, and informationfor reducing PC power consumption. It was started on 12 June 2007. Thename stems from the World Wildlife Fund's Climate Savers program, whichwas launched in 1999. The WWF is also a member of the ComputingInitiative.

4. Approaches to green computing

4.1 Virtualization

Computer virtualization is the process of running two or more logicalcomputer systems on one set of physical hardware. The concept originatedwith the mainframe operating systems of the 1960s, but was commercializedfor x86-compatible computers only in the 1990s. With virtualization, asystem administrator could combine several physical systems into virtualmachines on one single, powerful system, thereby unplugging the originalhardware and reducing power and cooling consumption. Several commercialcompanies and open-source projects now offer software packages to enable atransition to virtual computing. Intel Corporation and AMD have also built

proprietary virtualization enhancements to the x86 instruction set into eachof their CPU product lines, in order to facilitate virtualized computing.


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4.2 Power management

The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), an open industrystandard, allows an operating system to directly control the power savingaspects of its underlying hardware. This allows a system to automatically

turn off components such as monitors and hard drives after set periods ofinactivity. In addition, a system may hibernate, where most components(including the CPU and the system RAM) are turned off. ACPI is a successorto an earlier Intel-Microsoft standard called Advanced Power Management,which allows a computer's BIOS to control power management functions.

Some programs allow the user to manually adjust the voltages supplied to theCPU, which reduces both the amount of heat produced and electricityconsumed. This process is called undervolting. Some CPUs canautomatically undervolt the processor depending on the workload.

4.3 Low performance computersAs of 2007, several personal computer vendors (e.g., Everex, Linutop,Systemax, Zonbu and OLPC) ship dedicated low-power PCs. These systemsprovide minimal hardware peripherals and low performance processors,which makes them impractical for applications that require a lot ofprocessing power such as computer gaming and video production. A low-power PCs is usually much smaller than traditional desktop. The limitedcapacity for upgrades, low performance and proprietary may lead to shorterlifespans and greater difficulty in repair.

Older laptops may provide similar performance with low powerconsumption. Reusing second-hand laptops may be an even more energy andmaterial efficient alternative to such systems.

Routers, such as those compatible with the Linksys WRT54G, may beadapted for use in low power applications using replacement firmware.]

5. More efficient components

5.1 Power supply

Desktop computer power supplies (PSUs) are generally 7075% efficient,

dissipating the remaining energy as heat. An industry initiative called 80PLUS certifies PSUs that are at least 80% efficient; typically these modelsare drop-in replacements for older, less efficient PSUs of the same formfactor. As of 20 July 2007, all new Energy Star 4.0-certified desktop PSUsmust be at least 80% efficient.

5.2 Storage

Smaller form factor (e.g. 2.5 inch) hard disk drives often consume less powerthan physically larger drives. Unlike hard disk drives, solid-state drives storedata in flash memory or DRAM. With no moving parts, power consumptionmay be reduced somewhat for low capacity flash based devices. Even at

modest sizes, DRAM based SSDs may use more power than hard disks.Flash based drives are generally slower for writing than hard disks. Flashbased solid state drives generally allow far fewer write cycles than hard


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drives. Shorter lifetimes may make SSDs less energy and materialefficient in some applications.

5.3 Display

LCD monitors typically use a cold-cathode fluorescent bulb to provide light

for the display. Some newer displays use an array of light-emitting diodes(LEDs) in place of the fluorescent bulb, which reduces the amount ofelectricity used by the display.

6. Materials recycling

Computer systems that have outlived their particular function can be repurposed, ordonated to various charities and non-profit organizations. However, many charitieshave recently imposed minimum system requirements for donated equipment.Additionally, parts from outdated systems may be salvaged and recycled throughcertain retail outlets and municipal or private recycling centers.

Recycling computing equipment can keep harmful materials such as lead, mercury,and hexavalent chromium out of landfills, but often computers gathered throughrecycling drives are shipped to developing countries where environmental standardsare less strict than in North America and Europe. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalitionestimates that 80% of the post-consumer e-waste collected for recycling is shippedabroad to developing countries.

Computing supplies, such as printer cartridges, paper, and batteries may be recycledas well.

7. Telecommuting

Teleconferencing and telepresence technologies are often implemented in greencomputing initiatives. The advantages are many; increased worker satisfaction,reduction of greenhouse gas emissions related to travel, and increased profit marginsas a result of lower overhead costs for office space, heat, lighting, etc. The savings aresignificant; the average annual energy consumption for U.S. office buildings is over23 kilowatt hours per square foot, with heat, air conditioning and lighting accountingfor 70% of all energy consumed.

Other related initiatives, such as hotelling (method of supporting unassigned seatingin an office environment), reduce the square meter per employee as workers reservespace only when they need it. Many types of jobs sales, consulting, field serviceintegrate well with this technique.

Voice over IP (VoIP- protocol optimized for the transmission of voice through theInternet or other packet-switched networks.) reduces the telephony wiringinfrastructure by sharing the existing Ethernet copper (a toxic metal). VoIP and phoneextension mobility also made Hot desking and more practical.


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8. What are the carbon hotspots in the IT department?

Carbon hotspots are items such as servers, PCs and printers, which tend to be left oneven when not being used. PC monitors use 50% of the energy requirement. How toreduce carbon hotspots:

8.1 An easy way of reducing power consumption is by turning devices off whenthey are not in use, and not just switching them to standby mode.

8.2 IT departments can also configure PCs to shut down after a period ofinactivity

9. Gartner Group

Gartner has identified the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2008, and is urging ITexecutives to think about the risk of not implementing each one. One of the StrategicTechnologies is Green IT. Gartner analysts David Cearley and Carl Claunch reviewedthe list during May 2008 at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando; Florida. Heres

a summary of Green IT:

This one is taking on a bigger role for many reasons, including an increasedawareness of environmental danger; concern about power bills; regulatoryrequirements; government procurement rules; and a sense that corporations shouldembrace social responsibility.

Chip designers have realized that lowering per-core performance by 20% actually cutspower usage in half, so adding cores can improve chip performance and efficiency,but IT is still responsible for 2% of all carbon releases, and its coming from manysources. Fast memory is getting to be a surprisingly high energy consuming item,Claunch said.

One of the next steps is taking the power-saving features of mobile devices such asphones and laptops and bringing them to more computing platforms. Weve beenconfronting the power problem on mobile devices for a long time because of thosepesky batteries, he said. We can take those learnings and put them into servers. Inthe future, well have servers that will go to sleep if theyre not being used.

Power-guzzling hardware is just the "tip of a melting iceberg" of a green agenda thatCIOs and IT suppliers cannot ignore. Cutting costs is the biggest incentive for CIOs to

"think and act green", analysts explained at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Cannes.Large companies that ignore the green issues could see energy costs quadruple from4% to 8% of IT budget up to 16% to 32% within five years.

Its essential that CIOs must make short and long-term plans to tackle powerconsumption inside and outside the data center. This means taking a fresh look atlifecycle management to find ways to minimize the impact of IT on the environment.IT heads must also put pressure on IT suppliers to employ green practices. CIOsneed to ask suppliers and service providers about their activities to reduce greenhouseemissions and their broader environmental policies, says Rakesh Kumar, researchvice-president at Gartner.


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10. Top 10 reasons to Green IT

As business ramps up for 2008, sustainability is top of mind for IT managers. It isnow a major focus for organizations, and executives are considering how it pays, howit doesnt and where it counts to make changes. In 2007, many discovered that

sustainable practices can strengthen their reputation, improve employee morale,deliver cost savings, and benefit the environment.

Where do you begin and what is a logical, easy first step? Reducing PC energy waste.Below are Kevin Klustners President and CEO, Verdiem top 10 reasons whygreening the IT department is an important starting point toward sustainability. Thenumber-one reason is, of course, the bottom line.

1. It saves money (a lot of money): PC power management software can cutenergy costs by $20-60 dollars per PC per PC, which can translate to six- andseven-figure annual savings for large enterprises. For many organizations, this

can mean a 5-15 percent reduction in overall, organization-wide energyconsumption.

2. Its the right thing to do: 15 PCs can generate as much carbon emissions as amid-size car each year. Implementing effective PC power managementstrategies in your enterprise provides a way for your business to do its part inhelping the environment.

3. Its not easy being not green: In recent years, news coverage has exposed deepholes in many company sustainability initiatives, raising concerns about high-cost infrastructure changes and the validity of overseas carbon offsetprograms. Replacing office equipment can be time- and cost- intensive. Butmaking your existing equipment more energy-efficient is a fast and easyprocess that pays off within months, and makes it difficult being not green.

4. Sustained growth requires sustainable operations: The average PC consumes588 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, and wastes almost 400 kWh of thatby running at full-power when not in use. Putting a computer in sleep modeduring inactive times can cut energy use on average 60-70 percent and up to90 percent in aggressive scenarios. As your company grows and as demandson your IT and PC networks increase, getting control over energy use willbecome an important advantage.

5. Attract and retain customers: According to reporting from Verdiems currentcustomers, enterprises can cut PC carbon emission by as much as 440 pounds

per year per PC. For large enterprises, this can literally mean savings ofthousands of tons of carbon each year, simply by managing PC powerconsumption.

6. Inspire employees: Employees feel a deep sense of pride working inorganizations that do their part for the environment. When your employeesknow their computers are using less than half the power they used to, with noimpact on productivity, theyll know they personally are helping to reduce thecompanys carbon footprint.

7. Improved reputation and brand value: According to the BBMG ConsciousConsumer Report, the vast majority of Americans not only expect businessleaders and marketers to provide environmentally-friendly products, but

theyre adamant that those green friendly claims are backed up withlegitimate practices. Investing in a strong sustainability program (which can beled with Green IT) and communicating the value to your customers andstakeholders can do wonders for your reputation and brand.


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8. Be a cost-savings and sustainability hero for your organization. Every year,

enterprises waste nearly $4 billion powering devices that are not. in use. Curbthese expenses and the excess carbon emissions through the introduction ofpower management ideas and youll become a hero for your organization on

both fronts: sustainability and cost-savings.9. Lower exposure to energy prices: Energy sales are expected to grow 50

percent worldwide by 2030. By reducing the amount of power required tooperate your business, youll mitigate risk from factors well outside of yourcontrol.

10. Energy-efficient IT is high performance IT: IT equipment can account for ninepercent of all energy consumed by businesses- the third-largest source ofpower for the commercial sector. Putting power management policies in placeis the easiest way to control power consumption across your network.

11. Techniques / tips for encouraging greener IT practices

11.1 The Canadian Center for Pollution PreventionThe Canadian Center for Pollution Prevention has some greattechniques to promote greener behaviour among employees. Here's asampling of six techniques:1. Set clear targets. Establishing a specific, attainable, measurable

goal, such as "cutting energy waste by 20 percent in a week" iseasier to get behind than a vague objective such as "Let's cut wastesignificantly this year."

2. Connect behaviour with results. By sharing energy and wastefigures with staff, you show how their actions make a difference.

3. Provide concrete examples. Offer specific guidance as to whatemployees should do to cut waste, including printing double-sidedand in black-and-white; turning off monitors, PCs, and lights; andunplugging chargers.

4. Put expectations in writing. Add green policies to corporatedocuments such as employee handbooks and job descriptions (eg,"Employees are encouraged to report inefficiencies and to suggestimprovements"). Remind staff of these policies during orientationand training sessions.

5. Use visual and auditory reminders. Decals, stickers, and signs hung

around the office can be effective reminder for employees to turnoff lights, reduce printing, and so forth.6. Make people feel good about their actions. This ties in to rewards,

which again, need not be monetary. Public recognition and praise,for example, can be very effective.

11.2 Scottish Ervironment Protection Agency

The Scottish Ervironment Protection Agency offers the followinggreen IT tips:1. Switch off your monitor every time you are away from your desk

for a few minutes. Change the settings to automatically switch off

monitors and/or shut down when not in use.2. Shut down your PC every time you are away from your desk for

more than a couple of hours.3. Avoid printing long e-mails. Rather save the message/attachments.


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4. Instead of printing a web page, bookmark it or save the page.5. Proof the document on screen before printing.6. Consider changing the margin sizes, especially on drafts. Reducing

the point size of your text may save lots of paper.7. Print only the page(s) that you need and not the whole document.8. Check if your printer can print double sided.9. Re-use paper that's already printed on one side by manually

feeding it into printers for draft documents10. Switch the printer off when not in use.11. Recycle all ink toner cartridges.12. Re-use old paper for notepads.

12. ITWeb Green IT Summit; 12 August 2008 @ The Forum; Bryanston

(http://www.itweb.co.za/events/greenit/2008/)

By all indications, 2008 is shaping up to be an eventful year for green IT, as SouthAfricas electricity crisis pushes energy constraints and environmental issues to thetop of the sustainability agenda. Escom load-shedding aside, understanding and actingon the environmental impacts and potential environmental benefits of IT has becomean essential strategic imperative for every organisation in the 21st century. Accordingto Gartner, companies now spend as much as 10% of their technology budgets onenergy. More importantly, reports Gartner, the intense power requirements needed torun and cool data centers now account for almost a quarter of global carbon dioxideemissions from ICT.

But the green IT agenda is not just about lessening the negative impacts of technology(like the carbon footprint of energy usage). It's also about applying IT positively tohelp support individual behaviour change, and to lessen the overall environmentalimpact of doing business. Of course, according to the Butler Group, a green focus canalso result in significant cost savings of between 10% and 20%. Whatever the goals,IT managers have more options than ever for getting their companies thinking andacting green. The big question is - What are technology executives going to do aboutit? Are they establishing policies that encourage environmentally sound approaches?Have they established long-range green IT strategies to reduce the carbon footprintsof data centers?

ITWeb is hosting a Green IT Summit to find out what corporate SA and the local ICTindustry are doing about getting more energy efficient and eco-friendly, and curb theadverse effects of ICT on environmental sustainability. The intensive one-dayprogramme has been specifically designed to provide IT users with practical insightson how to deploy an intelligent IT strategy that will transform their IT and data centeroperations into more environmentally-conscious yet efficient solutions.

TheITWeb Green IT Summit 2008 will help you to frame and size the challenges, tounderstand their significance and to reinvigorate your own green IT agenda by:

1. Examining the role enterprise IT is playing within the green debate.

2. Identifying the elements of a green IT strategy and highlight best practices.3. Positioning green IT issues clearly within the wider corporate responsibility

agenda.


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4. Demonstrating business benefits from positive action in green IT.5. Reviewing IT capabilities needed to support enterprise-wide green initiatives.6. Reviewing IT capabilities needed to support enterprise-wide green initiatives.7. Exploring solutions to solving environmental challenges in data centers.

8. Understanding future legislation that will regulate the environmental impact ofICT.

Subject-matter experts from industry and business will explore the technologies,techniques and strategies driving IT eco-efficiency. Topics on the agenda include:

1. South Africa's green agenda.2. The green CIO and connected real estate.3. Eco-innovation: good for your business, good for our planet.4. Enterprise carbon management: cutting through the chaff.5. What is a green IT strategy and wheres the pay-off?6. Where to start with "green IT" methodology

7. How green should vendors be?8. Green IT: Beyond the data-center.9. E-waste in Southern Africa: the good, the bad and how to get it right?10. The future of greening in IT.

Who should attend?

1. Senior IT, technology, procurement and strategic planning executives taskedwith managing the environmental impacts and potential environmentalbenefits of IT within their organisations.

2. Enterprise executives with responsibility for IT, finance and environmentalsustainability programmes.

3. IT suppliers, vendors, distributors and service providers that want tounderstand and communicate the environmental attributes of their products.

Registration fees:R2 950.00 + VAT (14%) = R3 363.00 per delegate (Travel and Subsistenceexcluded).

Group bookings:Register three delegates at the same time and save 10% on the total registration fee.

Fees include:Refreshments, buffet lunch, parking and drinks as well as online access to speakerdocumentation. All delegates receive a CD via the post after the event that includesvideo interviews with speakers, speaker slides and a audio recording of eachpresentation

13. Conclusion

Green computing also called Green IT describes the environmentally responsible andefficient use of computers and related resources. Green IT starts with manufacturers

producing environmentally friendly products and encouraging IT departments toconsider more friendly options like virtualization, power management and properrecycling and disposal habits.


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The combination of the rising cost of energy and the global environmental debate areconverging to create a green consciousness in IT.

The density of IT equipment has increased dramatically over the past 10 years and IT

is more power hungry. Chips are running at faster and hotter rates. The mainmotivation to start "greening" IT operations appears to be to reduce the energy bill. ITrepresents a double jeopardy. It is not only the power required running IT equipment,but the power needed cooling it too.

Knowing where to start the greening of IT department is difficult. The green agenda isdiscussed at the macro or the micro level, with not a lot in between. If a CIO is notreading up on climate change and calculating how to offset the department's carbonemissions, he will be running around switching off lights.

The greening of IT should be on the Agenda of the Provincial GITO Council

(including the Standing Committees) and should be incorporated in the Provincial ITPolicy. Only if a broad policy dealing with amongst others the procurement,deployment, replacement and disposal of IT is in place, fundamental changes arepossible over time.

According to the stipulations of the SITA Act, 1998 (Act 88 of 1998 as amended byAct 38 of 2002) and Regulations, the procurement of IT goods and services shouldhappen through State Information Technology Agency (SITA) in other words fromcontracts arranged by SITA and suppliers accredited by SITA. In the most instancesthe DPSA is the designated Department in respect of the contracts. The DPSA and theAgency should ensure that green products conforming to international standards areavailable on contract.

Efforts to obtain guidelines, white papers, policies or regulations for green computingin Government were fruitless. This is not to say that such documentations do not existand it would be interesting to understand the DPSAs and the National GITOCs takeon green IT.

Policies or regulations, however well intentioned, are only part of an overall greencomputing philosophy. The work habits of computer users and businesses should bemodified to minimize adverse impact on the global environment. Here are some steps

that can be taken:

1. Power-down the CPU and all peripherals during extended periods ofinactivity.

2. Try to do computer-related tasks during contiguous, intensive blocks of time,leaving hardware off at other times.

3. Power-up and power-down energy-intensive peripherals such as laser printersaccording to need.

4. Use liquid-crystal-display (LCD) monitors rather than cathode-ray-tube (CRT)monitors.

5. Use mobile computers rather than desktop computers whenever possible (they

are more power efficient and have a number of power-saving features built-in).

6. Use the power-management features to turn off hard drives and displays afterseveral minutes of inactivity.


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7. Minimize the use of paper and properly recycle waste paper.8. Dispose of e-waste (refuse created by discarded electronic devices and

components as well as substances involved in their manufacture or use)

according to regulations (that is to say if it exists).9. Employ alternative energy sources for computing workstations, servers,

networks and data centers (solar panels?).

The Green IT Summit to be hosted by ITWeb on 12 August 2008 (paragraph 12)offers an ideal opportunity for IT Managers to obtain knowledge and understanding ofGreen Computing and members of the Provincial GITOC should therefore attend theSummit.

Documents

Green Computing Aka Green IT