The Need For Green

Technology pollutes. Power consumption related to technology is rising
rapidly. According a recent US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, the
IT industry consumed approxi­mately 61 billion kWH of electricity in 2006.
That's 1.5 percent of the total electricity consumed in the United States.

The power bill is roughly $4.5 billion. Servers and data centers deployed by
the US Federal Government account for about 10 percent, or 6 billion kWh, of the
total consumption. The report estimated that IT power consumption could nearly
double by 2011.

The proliferation of data­­centers require constant addition of servers and
requisite cooling and ventilation equip­ment-which all consume copious amounts
of electricity. Lead, mercury, cadmium, and other toxic elements in the
materials that compose hardware endanger the health of humans and the planet.

Fortunately, technology also helps us heal the planet and protect ecosystems
that support life. Better cooling, server and ventilation designs are helping
reduce the amount of power needed for datacenters dramatically. New computers,
laptops, and networking products are being designed with safer materials and
built-in recycling programs. And, the continued proliferation of networks enable
workers to work remotely, travel less, and decrease burdens on transportation
systems, and thus the environment.

Consumers, business leaders, and organizations of all kinds have developed a
new enthusiasm for environmental consciousness. Awareness is at an all-time
high. Across the globe, people are demanding more environment-friendly products,
standard bodies are creating and enforcing better design, disposal, and
electricity consumption regulations, and technology manufacturers are delivering
solutions that enable high-performance computing while satisfying ecological
concerns.

Why go green?

There are several reasons why green is good. Being green- purchasing green
equipment, designing and building green solutions, paying attention to energy
consumption, and disposing of and recycling hardware conscientiously -helps you:

- Save cash on energy costs

- Comply with government regulations

- Meet increasing customer demands for cleaner, more friendly products

- Appeal to consumers and partners who want to patronize and associate with
green companies

These are direct benefits. The ultimate benefits are even more compelling.
Caring for the environment and actively taking steps to protect it benefits:

- The planet

- The health of animals, humans and flora

- The health and prosperity of future generations

Green initiatives of grand or even seemingly minor significance help heal the
planet, and make it beautiful and clean. Drinking water and food supply quality
can improve. Fragile biological processes stay in check, food chains remain
intact, and there is less impact on the planet's ozone layer.

Three primary IT avenues

There are plenty of ways to be green. In the IT world, the solution falls
into three general categories, discussed in detail below.

Improve energy efficiency, reducing carbon footprint: Manufacturers
like us are producing new products that require less power. Product development
teams are creating electrical circuit and power consumption designs that
minimize power waste and design power-saving features into software, firmware,
and hardware. Intelligent designs optimize computing devices for wake, stand-by,
and power-down states. New designs require less cooling as well. In addition,
energy-efficient manufacturing processes reduce emissions and save energy.

Reduce e-waste: By reducing the amount of toxic waste materials in
manufactured products and using more recyclable materials, manufac­turers are
reducing negative environmental impacts. Two percent of the trash landfills in
the US are electronic waste. However, 70 percent of overall toxic waste comes
from dumped electronic equipment. Newly designed recycling programs

are optimized to better manage the lifecycle of products. Companies are offering
recycling options, so consumers can be assured that their equipment will be
appropriately recycled and disposed of after they are finished using it. Large
organizations are already including disposal and recycling components in their
hardware RFPs. These steps will go a long way towards shrinking and cleaning up
landfills, re-using valuable materials, and reducing e-waste.

Enable lifestyle changes that lower impact on the environment:
Network connec­tivity and mobility reduce the need to commute to meetings and
appointments, saving travel time, fuel, and wear on world's travel
infrastructure. Similarly, IP video solutions reduce the need for in-person
meetings and support personnel on the premises for surveillance.
State-of-the-art wireless solutions allow people to work con­veniently almost
everywhere. The proliferation of Wi-Fi hot-spot and WiMax networks will only
extend this trend.

Power saving tips

- Lower electricity consumption by manually or automatically turning off
monitors

- Use LCD monitors that consume less power than

CRT monitors of the same size

- Use a laptop. They consume less power than desktops, and many have
connections for full sized monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers

Jayesh Kotak

VP-Product Management

D-Link India