GREEN COMPUTING – UNIT 1

Ø Enterprises, Government and societies have a new important agenda: tackling environmental issues and adopting
environmentally sound practices. Over the years, IT has fundamentally altered our work and life and improved our
productivity, economy and social well-being.
Ø IT now has a new role to play – helping to create a greener, more sustainable environment whilst offering economic
benefits
Ø It has been contributing to environmental problems which most people don’t realize. Computers and other IT
infrastructure consume huge amounts of electricity which is increasing day by day and placing a heavy burden on
our electricity grids and contributing to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions.
Ø It also poses environmental problems both during production and disposal
Ø Whilst most people consider IT to be a part of the problem to environmental pollution, it can be a savior too. In
other words, it is both a solution and a problem
Ø Green IT or Green Computing is the study and practice of designing, manufacturing and using computers, servers,
monitors, printers, storage devices and networking and communication systems efficiently and effectively with
zero or minimal impact to the environment.
Ø Green IT benefits the environment by improving energy efficiency, lowering GHG emissions, using less harmful
materials and encouraging reuse and recycling.

Ø ENVIRONMENTRAL CONCERNS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

§ Numerous studies and reports offer evidence of climate change and its potential harmful effects. Specifically,
the growing accumulation of GHGs is changing the world’s climate and weather patterns. Global Warming is
an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth’s Surface which can contribute to
changes in global climate patterns. It refers to the warming that can occur due to increased GHG emissions
from human activities which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. This phenomenon is called
the Greenhouse Effect.
§ THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH: Climate change provides a new kind of risk: its impact is global and long term.
And the damage it causes is essentially irreversible. The imminent dangers of global warming and its impact is
highlighted by former US Vice President and Environmental Activist Al Gore in the Oscar winning
documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”.
Not everyone agrees, however, with these predictions regarding global warming and its impacts. For instance,
controversies exist concerning the causes of global warming. These controversies are political, scientific
and/or social in nature.
§ SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Sustainability is all about meeting needs and seeking a balance between.
People, the environment and the economy. According to the UN Global Commission on the Environment and
Development’s 1987 Report, it is defined as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.
§ WHY SHOULD YOU GO GREEN? Enterprises are now increasingly interested in creating strategies that will
help to handle environmental issues and pursue new opportunities. The reasons for going green are manifold:
§ Increasing energy consumptions and energy prices
§ Growing Customer interest in environmentally friendly goods and services
§ Higher expectations by the public on enterprises’ environmental responsibilities and
§ Emerging stricter regulatory and compliance requirements.

Ø ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF IT
§ IT affects our environment in several different ways from the time its manufactured to the time it is disposed.
§ Manufacturing computers and their various electronic and non-electronic components consume electricity,
raw materials, chemicals and water and generate hazardous waste. All these directly or indirectly increase
CO2 emissions and impact the environment.
§ Total energy consumption by devices such as monitors, servers, computers, data communication equipment,
cooling systems etc. is steadily increasing.
§ This increase results in greater GHG emissions as most electricity is generated by burning fossil fuel like coal,
oil and gas. So, each PC used generates a ton of CO2 every year.
§ Computer components contain a lot of toxic chemicals. And when consumers discard them inappropriately,
then these equipments end up in landfills, rivers etc. which gets polluted,
Ø GREEN IT
§ Green IT is an umbrella term referring to environmentally sound information, technologies and systems,
applications and practices. It encompasses three complementary IT-enabled approaches to improving
environmental sustainability.
§ The efficient and effective design, manufacture, use and disposal of computer hardware, software and
communication systems with no or minimal impact on the environment.
§ The use of IT and information systems to empower – that is support, assist and leverage – other
enterprise-wide environmental initiatives
§ The harnessing of IT to help create awareness among stakeholders and promot the green agenda and
green initiatives

§ OCED Green IT Framework:

§ The Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) has proposed a green IT framework
consisting of three analytical levels. Its objectives are similar to
the Green IT Dimensions:
§ Direct Impacts of IT: These are IT’s first-order effects on the
environment and include both positive and negative impacts
due to the physical existence of IT goods and services and
related processes.
§ Enabling Impacts of IT: These are the second-order effects that
arise from IT applications that reduce environmental impacts
across several economic and social activities.
§ Systemic Impacts of IT: These impacts and their application on
the environments also called third-order effects, involve
behavioral change, process change and other nontechnological
factors.

§ GREEN IT 1.0 & 2.0

§ The first wave of Green IT or Green IT 1.0 was internally focused on reengineering IT products and
processes to improve IT’s energy efficiency, maximize its use and meet compliance requirements.
§ The second wave of Green IT or Green IT 2.0 is externally focused and empowers a range of other green
initiatives aimed at reducing environmental degradation and reducing GHG emissions. It is focused on
environmentally sound business transformation, IT-based sustainability innovation and enterprise-wide
sustainability.
§ IT can help create a sustainable environment by
• Coordinating, reengineering and optimizing supply chain, manufacturing activities and
organizational workflows
• Making business operations and other systems efficient
• Helping decision making by analyzing, modelling and simulating environmental impacts
• Providing platforms for eco-management and emissions trading
• Auditing and reporting energy consumption and savings
• Offering environmental knowledge management systems and decision support systems.
Ø HOLISTIC APPROACH TO GREENING IT
§ To comprehensively and effectively address the environmental impacts of IT, we must adopt a holistic
approach that addresses the problems along the following six dimensions
§ Green Design: Design energy-efficient and environmentally sound components, computers and servers
etc.
§ Green Manufacturing: Manufacture electronic components, computers and other associated subsystems
with minimal or no impact on the environment
§ Green Use: Reduce the energy Consumption of the computers and other information systems
§ Green Disposal: Refurbish and reuse old computers and properly recycle the unwanted resources
§ Green Standards and Metrics: These are required for promoting, comparing and benchmarking
sustainability initiatives, products and services
§ Green IT Strategies and Policies: These effective and actionable strategies and policies add value and
focus on both short- and long-term benefits

§ GREEN COMPUTER’S ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE

§ As shown in the figure, the entire life cycle of a computer, server etc. can be made greener, reducing
their GHG emissions, carbon footprint and minimizing toxic materials.

§ THE THREE R’s OF GREEN IT

§ Reuse
§ Refurbish
§ Recycle

Ø GREENING IT
§ We can significantly e=reduce energy consumption by making simple and small changes. Most desktops run
even when they aren’t in use. We can reduce energy consumption in the following ways.
§ Enabling Power Management Features: Without sacrificing performance, we can program computers to
automatically go into energy saving mode whenever possible.
§ Turn off the System when not in Use:
§ Using Screensavers
§ Use Thin-Client Computers
 § GREEN DATA CENTERS: are those Data centers in which the servers, computers, communication devices,
cooling systems, electrical and mechanical systems are all designed and operated in Maximum Efficiency, Low
Carbon Footprint and minimum negative environmental impacts
§ GREEN CLOUD COMPUTING: Cloud computing presents a new paradigm. It is a transition from computer-
as-a-product to computer-as-a-service which is shared and scalable. How can clouds be greener? Cloud
computing is a green solution as cloud infrastructure embraces two critical elements of green IT: resource
efficiency and energy efficiency
§ GREEN DATA STORAGE: Data and information storage requirements keep growing drastically. Storage
systems in data centers consume significant amounts of power and cooling. For instance, in a data dcenter,
storage systems consume anywhere between 24% to 40% of total IT Power usage. Several approaches
including MAID, SSDs, disk spin down, tiered storage are used to improve energy efficiency and cutting the
overall costs.
§ GREEN SOFTWARE: Software does impact the environments. For example a single ill-programmed software
can thwart all the power management benefits built into the hardware. Green software can be classified into
four broad categories:
§ Software that is greener – consumes less energy to run
§ Embedded software that assists other things in going green
§ Sustainability reporting software or Carbon Management Software
§ Software for understanding climate change and assessing its implications.
Sustainable Software Development refers to creating software by addressing environmental requirements
and perspectives.
§ GREEN NETWORKING AND COMMUNICATIONS: Green Networking refers to ways of minimizing
networks; impact on the environment by using energy-efficient networking technologies, protocols and
products and minimizing resource use wherever possible. Green Networking practices include the following:
§ Using newer, more energy efficient techniques, technologies and products
§ Upgrading older equipment
§ Employing smart systems, user management and energy conservation across IT networks
§ Substituting telecommuting, remote administration and video conferencing for travel.

Ø APPLYING IT FOR ENHANCING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

§ IT can be a key driver in greening several industries and activities and a positive force towards environmental
sustainability initiatives. We should make IT a positive force in environmental change. Some of the
opportunities for this is:
§ Software tools for analyzing, modelling and simulating environmental impacts
§ Platforms for eco-management, emission trading etc.
§ Tools for auditing and reporting energy consumption and savings
§ Environmental Knowledge Management Systems meaning acquisition and transfer of environmental
knowledge
§ Environmental Information Systems engineering, including geographic information systems and
environmental meta-data standards.
§ Urban Environmental planning tools and systems
§ IOT
§ Tools and systems for optimizing organizational workflows

Ø GREEN IT STANDARDS AND ECO-LABELLING OF IT: To promote and adopt standardizations a number of Green
IT standards and directives have emerged:
§ EPEAT – Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool – is a popular easy-to-use assessment tool that
is used by organizations to compare computing devices. EPEAT-registered products are classified as bronze,
silver or gold and they have reduced levels of cadmium, lead and mercury.
§ WEEE
§ Energy Star
§ LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
§ ISO 14001 – core set of standards for designing and implementing an effective environmental management
system
§ EN 16001 Energy Management System
Ø ENTERPRISE GREEN IT STRATEGY: Green IT and Green Initiatives are becoming a key agenda for governments
and organizations. To green their IT, enterprises can take any one or a combination of the following three
approaches:
§ Tactical Incremental Approach: In this approach, an enterprise preserves the existing IT infrastructure and
policies and incorporates simple measures to achieve moderate green goals such as reducing energy
consumption, adopting power management etc.
§ Strategic Approach: In this approach, enterprises conducts an audit of its IT infrastructure and its use from an
environmental perspective, develops a comprehensive plan addressing broader aspects of greening its IT and
implements distinctive new initiatives.
§ Deep Green Approach: This approach expands upon the measures highlighted in the strategic approach,
wherein an enterprise adopts additional measures such as implementing a carbon offset policy to neutralize
the GHG emissions – including planting trees, buying carbon credits from one of many carbon exchanges etc.

§ GREEN WASHING: refers to the practice of organizations exaggerating their green credentials and
environmental sustainability attributes and making false claims. Green washing is the amalgam of the terms
green and whitewash.
This socially irresponsible and unethical practice misleads customers and the public regarding the company’s
environmental practices or the environmental benefits of its products and services.
It is a marketing ploy to establish an eco-friendly image to consumers, investors and regulators.

Ø GREEN IT: Burden or Opportunity?

§ The green philosophy in general and the ‘go green’ movement and green demands on corporate IT in
particular, do not excessively or unduly burden IT systems, corporate IT departments or functional units. In
fact, these initiatives provide an opportunity to revisit and examine our IT systems and their operations in
terms of energy consumption, power management etc.
§ Very little attention was given to all this before
§ It is good for IT, businesses and the entire planet.
§ Though initially people saw this as a burden.
§ We need to look at it from a different viewpoint as well. Not complying to this might lead to adverse effects.

Ø GREEN DEVICES AND HARDWARE

§ Electronic devices have become ubiquitous and an intrinsic part of our lives. Although they have a lot of
positives, the downside is their negative impact on the available resources and our environment. With the
threat of Global Warming looming at large, prudent use of these devices becomes urgent.
§ Awareness of our usage patterns’ impact and ways to minimize the impact comprises of first step towards a
more sustainable practice
§ Digital Revolution – Initially Less power consumption – Not much importance given to power consumption -
More imp to improving processing speed – environmental impacts especially during dumping ignored –
§ Most CPUs today give option to optimize power consumption – hibernation, sleep etc.
§ Manufacturing the devices also has a significant impact on environment – look at green IT from two
perspectives – manufacturer and user
Ø LIFECYCLE OF A DEVICE OR HARDWARE

§ A green device cannot be built just by having an additional step in the life cycle of a device. There needs to
be concerted effort in every stage of the life cycle of the device – from the moment it is conceived to its usage
to its disposal.
§ The typical life cycle of a device is as shown in the figure above.
§ DESIGN
§ Typical steps in the Designs of a device

§ In the design stage, the idea is conceptualized and the device is designed, prototyped and tested. Though
this stage does not have a direct impact on the environment, design stage decisions such as those
regarding architecture, constituent components or materials and layout have a huge effect on the
environmental impact of other stages
§ MANUFACTURING
§ The manufacturing process is one of the main sources of environmental impact in the life cycle of a
device. Manufacturing processes are resource intensive and consume a lot of raw materials, water and
energy.
§ They also create different categories of waste which are toxic.
§ The EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) Rating System serves as a good
guideline for understanding how green a particular device is
§ The EPEAT Rating System takes into account the following factors:
• Reduction or Elimination of environmentally sensitive materials
• Material Selection
• Design for end of life
• Deice longevity or life extension
• Energy Conservation
• End-of-life Management
• Corporate Performance
• Packaging
§ PACKAGING & TRANSPORTATION
§ Also contribute to the carbon footprint in a device’s life cycle. The two main contributors in this segment
are the materials used for packaging and the carbon footprint of the vehicles used in transportation.
§ Since the materials used in packaging have an effect on the device’s carbon footprint, amount of material
used for packaging should be kept minimal.
§ The size of the device also affects the amount of packaging required. Therefore, proper measures need
to be taken during the design stage itself to keep the device as compact as possible
§ Following are the general recommendations for designing suitable packaging (US Environmental
Protection Agency, 2011:
• Packaging materials need to be recyclable
• Amount of packaging needs to be kept minimal
• Various materials used in packing must be easily separable
• Use of adhesives should be reduced by using folds and tabs instead
• Printed Documentation can be avoided wherever possible
§ USE
§ Quite a significant amount of energy is consumed by devices when they are being used (powered). This
increases a device’s carbon footprint, thus resulting in a profound impact on the environment.
§ The Energy Star rating system helps customers chose the most energy- efficient devices and, thereby,
reduce their energy consumption and cost.
§ Often people tend to apply a usage pattern without being aware of a device’s charac- teristic. For
example, the commonly held belief that, to ensure longer life of a battery, the battery needs to be drained
completely before recharging is not necessarily true for all battery types.
§ In case of lithium-ion batteries, commonly known as Li-ion batteries, the maximum number of charge
cycles decreases with increase in depth of discharge
§ Notebook Computers
§ Desktop Computers
§ Servers
§ Mobile Devices
§ Specialized Devices
§ REUSE, RECYCLE & DISPOSAL
§ Mobile phones and computers, as well as some other electronic gadgets, become obsolete quickly,
typically about every two years, due to continued advancements in technology and the introduction of
new gadgets with enhanced features. This leads to an accumulation of much e-waste.
§ Most of these devices end up in landfills or get exported to developing countries for recycling
§ One way to reduce waste is to increase the LIFESPAN of the devices. As there is a lot of environmental
cost involved in a device’s production it becomes important to use the device to the fullest before
discarding.
§ One way to increase lifespan is to send it to some other organization or person for reuse
§ Another way to increase lifespan is by replacing some parts of the device
§ Wherever reuse is not a viable option its best sent to recycle.
§ And when refurbishing and recycling are both not viable options the only step left is to dispose. Few of
the commonly used e-waste disposal techniques are Incineration, Chemical Decomposition and Landfill.
§ There is no single bullet or way which works with all kinds of materials and e-waste.