Going Green for the Environment
Few will argue the fact that the business community needs to find ways to reduce its environmental impact, but during these tough economic times, many companies may question the value of “Going Green” when budgets are tight. Though there are often higher costs on the implementation side, there is cost savings in the long run. Below are some options for utilizing environmentally friendly solutions in your IT department.
Recycling and Disposing of Old Equipment
Many technology manufacturers, like Dell and HP, offer free recycling and disposal on their products without requiring a new purchase. To find a list of other eCycling manufacturers, visit www.business.gov
Another option is to donate useable IT equipment to an organization that will reuse it to benefit others. The donation can also potentially provide your company with a nice tax deduction for your contribution. The National Cristina Foundation is one such organization. Go to www.cristina.org for complete details about their program.
Implement Energy Cost Saving Policies
Power consumption is a substantial problem in the technology industry, and every company welcomes ways to save on their energy bill. A policy as simple as turning off computers during off hours can save a tremendous amount of money. Desktop power management systems are also available that shutdown PCs at the end of the day and turn them back on at a designated time in the morning. At the very least, employees could be turning off all computer peripherals when not in use to reduce energy consumption.
For further details, check out the Computer Associates White Paper on the Role of IT Management Software in the Greening of IT.
Take a Look at the Data Center
A tremendous amount of energy is used in the cooling and powering of data centers. Start by assessing how your equipment is grouped, and look for ways to create hot and cool areas by installing heat sources closer to cooling systems.
Hardware and software are now available to help reduce energy use and costs. New servers with higher efficiency ratings and better air flow can decrease costs by 25% or more. Energy Management software can give you the energy billing metrics to track the energy usage history and service levels in your data center, and provide the ability to allocate, or set caps on energy use.
For more detail, look at HPs White Paper on Energy Effeciency In The Datacenter.
Update Old Equipment
New computers are more efficient than older ones, but how do you know which is the most “green” of the new equipment?
One organization to visit is The Green Electronics Council, www.greenelectronicscouncil.org. Chartered by the EPA, they have developed an assessment tool (EPEAT) which classifies technology products, rates them and awards them based on how environmentally friendly they are.
Consider the Option of Telecommuting
Many companies are now allowing some employees to work from home. This option reduces commuting time and emissions, and decreases the demand on office space and company resources. There is also the added benefit of enhanced company image and increased employee morale and productivity. For further details, check out the Sonicwall White Paper on the benefits of telecommuting.
Virtualize Your Environment
Virtualization allows multiple operating systems and applications on the same computer at the same time. Power consumption can be reduced up to 80% by utilizing virtualization. The upfront cost to virtualize will be off set by savings in energy consumption in the long run.
For further details, check out the Citrix White Paper on Reducing your Carbon Footprint with Citrix.
|