Federal Govt Could Save $1 billion from Green IT

HP and Intel worked together to examine the amount of energy and power that the Federal government could save by adopting green data center technology. Just what does this amount to? $1 billion over 5 years.

Their Go Green Power Play report explains that by implementing various energy saving technologies, notably Dynamic Smart Cooling, Virtualization and Power Distribution Efficiencies, potential savings equate to around 40%. Cost savings for the first year alone are almost $200 million.

And cost savings aren't the only benefit. After 5 years the additional savings equate to:

• Removing 1,459,3791 cars from the road
• Providing 9,589,8722 text books to children
• Recycling 2,270,1463 tons of waste in the U.S. instead of landfilling them
  

Click here to learn more.

Green Marketing Best Practices

The perils of misleading consumers into thinking your product or service is green (when it's not) are well-documented. It seems the rise in popularity of green products and environmentally-friendly marketing has been paralleled with growing consumer skepticism, and a distrust of green claims by mainstream and emerging companies alike.

Navigating that minefield is no easy task, but William Brent appears up for the challenge. Brent is senior vice president of Weber Shandwick's CleanTech practice, based in Seattle, where he manages a portfolio of clients focused on lessening the impact we have on the world around us.

I asked William to talk about green marketing, what it really means, and what lessons we've learned so far about how to do it well. You can read the results here.

Is green recession-proof?

I was asked last week what the impact of a nationwide economic downturn could be on companies prioritizing and funding sustainability initiatives. It's a great question with two answers.

I believe in the not-too-distant future, sustainability will be a fundamental, "table stakes" part of doing business for global enterprises. Reducing the impact companies have on the world around them will soon become non-negotiable, and a requirement for doing business with customers (commercial and consumer) that expect them to act responsibly.

Today, that isn't the case - at least not yet. While several businesses have blazed a trail with significant corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives, not enough of those efforts had paid off - either in increased sales or decreased operational costs. Unless such initiatives demonstrate a consistent ability to provide value to the organization, they'll be close to the chopping block in leaner times.

That said, technologies are emerging that allow companies to "go green" and save green at the same time. Verdiem's SURVEYOR software, for example, is helping companies save up to 60 percent off their PC energy bill, while cutting associated carbon emissions up to 40 percent. That represents a high, measurable impact on both the environment and the bottom line.

And if this kind of savings is both real and verifiable, it's the kind of thing that will get prioritized higher in lean times.

SHOCKING: Electricity rates shoot up 7% in three months (March to June 2007)

A large part of my job at Verdiem is to advise senior executives in large organizations on how to measure, analyze and manage energy consumption of IT equipment, particularly PCs and monitors, which account for up to 40% of the average IT department's carbon footprint and electricity usage.

For obvious reasons, I keep a close eye on electricity rates, especially in the Western US where most of my clients are based. Despite the high level of media attention on energy issues, I was shocked to see that electricity rates on average increased 7% between March and June 2007.

Here is a breakdown of electricity rate increases in the Western States during this period (March to June 2007):

Hawaii: $0.21 per kWh (6% Increase)

California: $0.14 per kWh (9% Increase)

Alaska: $0.13 per kWh (7% Increase)

Texas: $0.11 per kWh (4% Increase)

Nevada: $0.10 per kWh (9% Increase)

Arizona: $0.09 per kWh (12% Increase)

Colorado: $0.08 per kWh (5% Increase)

Montana: $0.08 per kWh (no change)

Oklahoma: $0.08 per kWh (4% Increase)

New Mexico: $0.08 per kWh (5% Increase)

Utah: $0.07 per kWh (2% Increase)

Oregon: $0.07 per kWh (10% Increase)

Washington: $0.06 per kWh (4% Increase)

Wyoming: $0.05 per kWh (3% Increase)

Idaho: $0.05 per kWh (11% Increase)

Source: http://www.neo.ne.gov/statshtml/115.htm

Green Tech Predictions for 2008

While 2007 set the scene for Green IT, it will be interesting to follow the trends in 2008. Corporations and governments will have a tough job finding a happy medium and vendors will be scrambling to supply solutions.

If you're one that doesn't buy into the Green IT phenomenon, a good place to get a reality check is from the experts themselves. InfoWorld interviewed over a dozen IT industry experts from leading companies to validate the hype. Among their predictions:

• A continued emphasis on "greening the datacenter"
• A focus on scrutinizing vendor supply chains
• Technology solutions taking center stage in solving the climate-change challenge

Click here to get the full scoop from the experts.

2008 IT New Year's Resolution - Go Green

2007 is quickly coming to a close and with the start of 2008, New Year’s resolutions are on everyone’s minds. That includes C-level execs and IT managers. Sustainability is now a major focus for organizations, and execs are considering how it pays, how it doesn’t and where it counts to make changes. This year, many discovered it can strengthen their reputation, improve employee morale, deliver cost savings, and of course, benefit the environment.

Where do you begin and what is a logical, easy first step? Reducing PC energy waste. Below are 10 other reasons why greening your IT department is an important starting point toward sustainability. The number-one reason - the bottom-line, of course.

Verdiem’s Top Ten Reasons to Go Green in IT

1. It saves money (a lot of money)
2. It’s the right thing to do
3. It’s not easy not being green
4. Sustained growth requires sustainable operations
5. Attract and retain customers
6. Inspire employees
7. Improved reputation and brand value
8. Be a cost-savings and sustainability hero for your organization
9. Lower exposure to energy prices
10. Energy-efficient IT is high performance IT

The Vampires Strike Again

Vampire energy is estimated to cost U.S. consumers $3 billion every year. For those that don't know, vampire energy is a type of energy used by appliances when they are turned off or not being used.

GOOD Magazine sums it up nicely for the average consumer with a chart depicting just how much energy each of those devices is sucking up.

Some surprises are in store for the skeptics:

• A plasma TV sucks up $160 each year when not in use
  
• A game console sucks up $25 each year when not in use
  
• A computer can suck up $34 each year when not in use
  

When you add these costs to the energy costs of actually using the devices, it's no wonder that according to the Department of Energy, "vampire energy amounts to about five percent of energy consumed in the United States."

To learn more about saving energy click here.