Green Computing Information

1. Green Computing
Professional Ethics

2. Climate
Change
Climate change refers to long-term
shifts in temperatures and weather
patterns. These shifts may be natural,
such as through variations in the solar
cycle. But since the 1800s, human
activities have been the main driver of
climate change. Burning fossil fuels
generates greenhouse gas emissions
that act like a blanket wrapped
around the Earth, trapping the sun’s
heat and raising temperatures.

3. Damage Done
The effects of human-caused global warming are happening now, are irreversible for
people alive today, and will worsen as long as humans add greenhouse gases to the
atmosphere.
Sea Level Will Rise 1-8 feet by 2100
Climate Changes Will Continue Through This Century and Beyond
Hurricanes Will Become Stronger and More Intense
More Droughts and Heat Waves
Longer Wildfire Season
Arctic Is Very Likely to Become Ice-Free

4. Green
Computing
• Green computing (also known as green IT or sustainable IT)
is the design, manufacture, use and disposal of computers,
chips, other technology components and peripherals in a
way that limits the harmful impact on the environment,
including reducing carbon emissions and the energy
consumed by manufacturers, data centers and end-users.
Green computing also encompasses choosing sustainably
sourced raw materials, reducing electronic waste and
promoting sustainability through the use of renewable
resources.
• The potential for green computing to have a positive impact
on the environment is considerable. The information and
communication technology (ICT) sector is responsible for
between 1.8% and 3.9% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Moreover, data centers account for 3% of annual total
energy consumption — an increase of 100% in the last
decade.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

5. The evolution of
green computing
In 1992, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) began the Energy Star
Program in the United States, which aimed
to promote and recognize energy efficiency.
The program brought about numerous other
initiatives to increase efforts toward green
computing. Energy Star-certified products
must meet certain operation standards and
have power management features that non-
certified products may lack.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-ND.

6. Green Computing
Leaders
• Dell
Dell has been one of the leading innovators in the tech sector when it comes to packaging
and recycling and in 2014 the company launched its ‘2020 Legacy of Good’ plan.
• IBM
IBM has been one of the ‘green’ leaders in tech for a number of years, dating back to 1967
when it issued its first policy on environmental affairs.
• Cisco
Cisco has been working hard to meet targets on Greenhouse gasses, which it met in 2012
and is now working work to reduce them further.
• Adobe
Adobe has long had a green outlook, whether it’s focusing on energy conservation, green
buildings or waste reduction.
• Apple
Apple is very keen on having a good image, whether it comes to its products or how they
operate. The company states to be the only company which runs its data centers through
100% renewable energy and also has a product range which exceeds the ENERGY STAR
guidelines.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

7. Challenges to implementing green computing
One of the greatest barriers to advancing green
computing is a lack of concern. Few people
think of the IT industry when they think about
climate change. Along with a general lack of
concern, the IT market has developed in a way
that prioritizes the development of smaller and
faster components and devices rather than
environmentally friendly ones.
The fact that technology evolves and changes
very rapidly presents challenges in extending
the lifecycle of products and requires
technology makers to ensure each iteration
continues to meet eco-friendly standards.
Switching from a conventional set up in a
factory, data center or corporate office to a
green configuration requires an often-
substantial up-front capital investment that
represents an additional potential barrier.

8. Still a long way to go...
• One of the main winners to come out of the green
computing idea is the lithium battery that
challenges to replace fossil fuels as the primary
energy resource. Countries, tech companies and
vehicle manufactures around the globe are
competing against each other to mine lithium
which ironically itself is a damaging process to the
environment.
• The extraction process of lithium is very resource
demanding and specifically uses a lot of water in
the extraction process. It is estimated that 500,000
gallons of water is used to mine one metric ton of
lithium.
• Lithium-ion batteries contain metals such as
cobalt, nickel, and manganese, which are toxic and
can contaminate water supplies and ecosystems if
they leach out of landfills.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

9. Saving Face
• Although green computing is a very positive step forward
towards reducing the global carbon footprint, many big
corporations are using green computing as a cover to
hide human rights violations in workplaces and
environmental damage. One leading example of it is
Volkswagen when in 2015 it was revealed that engineers
at the German auto maker had rigged 11 million of its
supposedly clean diesel engines with software that
tricked emissions tests, allowing the cars to spew far
more pollutants than legally allowed.
• Other examples are Coca-Cola who was the sponsor at
the Cop27 Climate summit when in fact it is one of the
biggest plastic waste contributor in the world.

10. Do more!
Green computing has the power to lessen the
impact of computing on the environment. However,
the ICT industry has an opportunity to do much more
by using technology to benefit the environment
through programs and systems designed to reduce
power consumption, improve water management
and embrace virtualization as a way to conserve
energy. Wherever you are on the path to green IT
and sustainability, one practical first step that
can make a noticeable and immediate impact on
energy consumption is to ensure your applications
only consume the resources they need, and nothing
more. This materially reduces waste (cost and
carbon footprint) in data centers and the public
cloud.

11. There's only one Earth, embrace it.