Computing and IT in the Workplace

CT006-1

Green Computing
 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this section, YOU should be able to:

• Explain the meaning of Sustainability, Global Warming

and Green Computing

• Describe common Green Computing practices

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 Topics we will cover

Green Computing

• Sustainability
• Global Warming
• Green House Gas (GHG)
• Green Technology
• Green Computing Strategies

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 Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the

society and future generations
in ways that can continue
indefinitely without damaging
natural resources

Green is connected to denote the continuous

awareness of the impact that humans have on the
planet. It is based on the primary colour of leaves
that reflects a growing concern for the ecosystem

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 Natural & Energy Sources

• Natural resource – anything that humans use that comes

from nature. Humans do not make natural resources – they
are gathered from earth
• Examples - air, water, wood, oil, wind energy, hydro-electric
energy, iron, and coal

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 Global Warming

Is the observed and projected

increases in the average
temperature of Earth's atmosphere
and oceans.
Also known as Climate Change

1. Global surface temperature increased by 0.74ºC

since 19th century
2. Melting ice makes Polar Bears’ hunting difficult
3. Sea levels increases 1.77mm per year
4. Damage to ozone layer can cause skin cancer as
the ozone protects from sun’s harmful rays
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 Green House Gas (GHG)
• The sun generates enormous amounts of radiation,
striking the Earth’s atmosphere in the form of visible
light, ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR) and other radiation
• 30% of the radiation is reflected to space by clouds,
ice and other reflective surfaces
• 70% absorbed by oceans, land, atmosphere
• When absorbed, the oceans, land and atmosphere
release heat in the form of IR thermal radiation into
space
• Balance between incoming and outgoing radiation
keeps Earth's average temperature: 15ºC
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 Green House Gas (GHG)
• GHG - Gases that absorb radiation e.g. water vapor
(H2O), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4) and
Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
• Since Industrial Revolution (1800s) fossil fuel usage
increased. Single greatest manmade source of GHG
• Methane - by product of agricultural practices
• CO2 - respiration and fossil fuels burning
• CO2 has significant impact on global warming partly
because of its abundance in the atmosphere
• Since Industrial Revolution to 2009, CO2 has
increased 38% and methane 148%
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 Carbon Footprint

• Carbon Footprint - Total amount of GHG gas

produced in support of human activity expressed in
tons of CO2
• IT is a major consumer of energy, a significant source
of Greenhouse emission
• IT accounts for 2% of CO2 production similar to the
Aviation industry
• Organizations need to reduce its CO2 emission

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 Green Technology (GT)
Using science and technology to reduce
environmental impact . Energy standards were the
start of GT

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 Green Technology Subject Areas

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 Green Technology Subject Areas
Green Technology Areas
Energy - The extremely urgent issue for Green technology that involves the development of
alternative energy, fuel, new techniques of generating energy for energy efficiency
Green Computing
Refers to the method of using computing resources efficiently while increasing overall performance. Sustainable IT
services need the integration of GC practices, like virtualization, power management and optimization of IT
infrastructure and electronic waste disposal to meet sustainability requirements
Green Chemistry - The design and use of chemical products and processes to reduce the generation of
hazardous substances.
Green Nanotechnology - Nanotechnology refers to the manipulation of materials at the scale of the
nanometer which is one billionth of a meter. Scientists believe that this subject will transform the way
everything in the world is manufactured. Green Nanotechnology is the use of Green Chemistry and
Green Engineering principles in this field.
Green Building
This surrounds everything from the raw building materials to the location of a building.
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 Green Computing

Origin of GC is about two decades old. In 1991,

the U.S. EPA launched the Green Lights program
to promote energy-efficient lighting

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• Developed by DOE – US Department of Environment
and EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
• Program to reduce electricity used by computers and
devices
• Encourages manufacturers to create energy-efficient
devices that use little power
• PCs, display devices, printers should comply to
Energy Star guidelines

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• Data Centres (DC) – primary factor behind energy consumption
• High DC infrastructure i.e. IT equipment , servers, power,
cooling, networking devices, storage
• High energy consumption - fifty times more energy per square
foot than an office
• DC efficiency - measured via PUE index (Power Usage
Effectiveness)
• It is the ratio of the DC facility power over the IT equipment
power

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 Virtualization – consolidate servers. Divide into
virtual machines running different applications

Purchase high-efficiency equipment e.g. UPS,

storage devices

Power Management – sleep mode for computers

and devices

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 Buy computers with low power consumption
processors and power supplies

Recycle computers, IT equipment

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 Buy Energy Star computers

Do not leave computers running overnight,

turn them off when not in use
Use LCD instead of CRT monitors

Recycle computers and devices. Dispose them

in environmental friendly manner

Buy and use recycled paper

Telecommute to save gas, petrol. Use video

conferencing, VoIP for meetings
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 Recycle computers and devices. Dispose them
in environmental friendly manner

Buy and use recycled paper

Telecommute to save gas, petrol. Use video

conferencing, VoIP for meetings

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 1. Reduced energy usage translates to lower CO2 emissions,
stemming from fossil fuel reduction

2. Conserving resources means less energy is required to

produce, use, and dispose of products

3. Saving energy and resources saves money

4. Changing government policy to encourage recycling and

lowering energy use by its people

5. Reduce chemical risk exposure known to cause cancer,

nerve damage and immune reactions in humans
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 Green Computing Initiatives
Initiatives Authority Purpose Year
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) WWF Launched the climate savers program 1999

Electronic Products Environmental
Assessment Tool (EPEAT)
Green Grid
Electronic Equipment Waste
Regulation
Restriction of the Use of Certain
Hazardous Substances in Electrical
and Electronic Equipment (RoHS)
Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE)
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Climate Savers Computing Initiative
Green Electronics Council, Provides assistance to purchase GC 2001
USA systems
Global consortiums: Dell, HP, Data Centre energy efficiency, Green 2001
IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Sun business computing ecosystems
Microsystems
Europe ICT equipment waste management 2002
European Union First legislation that restricts the use of 2003
hazardous substances: lead, cadmium,
mercury, hexavalent, polybrominated
biphenyls, and chromium
European Union Collects and recycles electrical goods 2003
with take-back programs for consumers
to return used products free of charge
and manufacturers to manage the e-
waste
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700-member international Stresses on reducing energy 2007
 Question and Answer Session

Q&A

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What we will cover next

• Mobile Computing

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