Harnessing Green IT

Principles and Practices

San Murugesan, G. R. Gangadharan, San Murugesan, G. R. Gangadharan

• Publisher: Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Pr
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781119970057
• eBook ISBN: 9781118306529
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Computer Engineering
• Index: Computer Science

"Ultimately, this is a remarkable book, a practical testimonial, and a comprehensive bibliography rolled into one. It is a single, bright sword cut across the various murky green IT topics. And if my mistakes and lessons learned through the green IT journey are any indication, this book will be used every day by folks interested in greening IT."
— Simon Y. Liu, Ph.D. & Ed.D., Editor-in-Chief, IT Professional Magazine, IEEE Computer Society, Director, U.S. National Agricultural Library

This book presents a holistic perspective on Green IT by discussing its various facets and showing how to strategically embrace it

Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices examines various ways of making computing and information systems greener – environmentally sustainable -, as well as several means of using Information Technology (IT) as a tool and an enabler to improve the environmental sustainability. The book focuses on both greening of IT and greening by IT – complimentary approaches to attaining environmental sustainability.   In a single volume, it   comprehensively covers several key aspects of Green IT - green technologies, design, standards, maturity models, strategies and adoption -, and presents a clear approach to greening IT encompassing green use, green disposal, green design, and green manufacturing. It also illustrates how to strategically apply green IT in practice in several areas.

Key Features:

• Presents a comprehensive coverage of key topics of importance and practical relevance  - green technologies, design, standards, maturity models, strategies and adoption
• Highlights several useful approaches to embracing green IT in several areas
• Features chapters written by accomplished experts from industry and academia who have first-hand knowledge and expertise in specific areas of green IT
• Presents a set of review and discussion questions for each chapter that will help the readers to examine and explore the green IT domain further
• Includes a companion website providing  resources for further information and presentation slides

This book will be an invaluable resource for IT Professionals, academics, students, researchers, project leaders/managers, IT business executives, CIOs, CTOs and anyone interested in Green IT and harnessing it to enhance our environment.

Chapter 1

Green IT: An Overview

San Murugesan¹ and G.R. Gangadharan²

¹BRITE Professional Services and University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia

²Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology, Hyderabad, India

Key Points

• Explains what green IT is and examines the significance of green IT.
• Discusses environmental concerns, global warming and the principles of sustainable development.
• Examines the environmental impacts of IT.
• Describes the three key dimensions of green IT and explains green IT 1.0 and 2.0.
• Presents a holistic approach to greening IT.
• Discusses how data centres, cloud computing, storage systems, software and networks can be made greener.
• Highlights how IT could help businesses in their environmental initiatives and reduce their carbon emissions.
• Outlines enterprise green IT strategy.

1.1 Introduction

Enterprises, governments and societies at large have a new important agenda: tackling environmental issues and adopting environmentally sound practices. Over the years, information technology (IT) has fundamentally altered our work and life and improved our productivity, economy and social well-being. IT now has a new role to play—helping to create a greener, more sustainable environment whilst offering economic benefits. But IT has been contributing to environmental problems which most people do not realize. Computers and other IT infrastructure consume significant amounts of electricity, which is increasing day by day, placing a heavy burden on our electric grids and contributing to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Additionally, IT hardware poses environmental problems during both its production and its disposal.

Whilst many people consider IT to be part of the problem to environmental pollution, it can be its saviour too. In other words, IT is both a solution and a problem for environmental sustainability. We can exploit the power of IT in innovative ways to address mounting environmental issues (Aronson, 2008; Ruth, 2009) and make our IT systems—and their use—greener. Green IT, also known as green computing, is the study and practice of designing, manufacturing and using computers, servers, monitors, printers, storage devices and networking and communications systems efficiently and effectively, with zero or minimal impact on the environment (Murugesan, 2007, 2008). Green IT is also about using IT to support, assist and leverage other environmental initiatives and to help create green awareness (Murugesan, 2008). Thus, green IT encompasses hardware, software, tools, strategies and practices that improve and foster environmental sustainability.

Green IT benefits the environment by improving energy efficiency, lowering GHG emissions, using less harmful materials and encouraging reuse and recycling. Thus green IT includes the dimensions of environmental sustainability, the economics of energy efficiency and the total cost of ownership, which includes the cost of disposal and recycling. Increased awareness of the harmful effects of GHG emissions, new stringent environmental legislation, concerns about electronic waste disposal practices and corporate image concerns are driving businesses and individuals to go green.

Green IT is an economic as well as environmental imperative. And, as many green advocates will attest, it is our social responsibility as well (Murugesan, 2007). The imminent introduction of more green taxes and regulations will trigger a major increase in demand for green IT products, solutions and services. Hence a growing number of IT vendors and users have begun to develop and offer green IT products and services. As business and governments try to balance growth with environmental risks, we will be legally, ethically and/or socially required to ‘green’ our IT products, applications, services and practices.

To foster green IT, we should understand the following issues: What are the key environmental impacts arising from IT? What are the major environmental IT issues that we must address? How can we make our IT infrastructure, products, services, operations, applications and practices environmentally sound? What are the regulations or standards with which we need to comply? How can IT assist businesses and society at large in their efforts to improve our environmental sustainability?

Beginning with a brief account of IT's environmental impact, this chapter outlines what green IT means and presents a holistic approach to greening IT. It also highlights how IT can help in different ways to improve our environmental sustainability, and outlines a green IT strategy for enterprises.

1.2 Environmental Concerns and Sustainable Development

Numerous scientific studies and reports offer evidence of climate change and its potential harmful effects. Specifically, the growing accumulation of GHGs is changing the world's climate and weather patterns, creating droughts in some countries and floods in others and pushing global temperatures slowly higher, posing serious worldwide problems. Global data show that storms, droughts and other weather-related disasters are growing more severe and frequent.

Global warming is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth's surface which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns (EPA, 2009, 2012). Global warming can occur from a variety of causes, both natural and human induced. In common usage, however, global warming often refers to warming that can occur due to increased GHG emissions from human activities which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. This phenomenon is called the greenhouse effect. GHGs comprise a range of different elements, and the common characteristics of them are that they can absorb thermal infrared radiation (heat) which is emitted from the Earth, and then re-emit it, increasing the Earth's temperature. The most significant constituents of GHG are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases. Electricity is a major source of GHGs as it is generated by burning coal or oil, which releases CO₂ into the atmosphere. Reducing electric power consumption is a key to reducing CO₂ emissions and their impacts on our environment and global warming. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol mandates reducing carbon emissions. The Protocol requires computer manufacturers to undertake energy audits to calculate the electricity used by devices over their lifetime and determine the quantum of CO₂ emissions to take remedial action. In order to stop the accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere, global emissions would have to stop growing and be reduced by an astonishing 60% from today's levels by 2050 (Lash and Wellington, 2007).

1.2.1 The Inconvenient Truth

Climate change presents a new kind of risk; its impact is global and long term, and the damage it causes is essentially irreversible. The imminent dangers of climate change and the state of global warming are highlighted by former US Vice President and environment activist Al Gore in the Oscar®-winning documentary film An Inconvenient Truth and the book An Inconvenient Truth (Gore, 2006). Sir Nicholas Stern, in his landmark report, discussed the economics of global warming and warned, ‘It was not action, but inaction, on climate change that would devastate global economies’ (Stern, 2007).

Not everyone agrees, however, with these predictions regarding global warming and its impacts. For instance, controversies exist concerning the causes of global warming, whether this warming trend is unprecedented or within normal climatic variations, predictions of additional warming, what the consequences are and what actions should be taken. These controversies are scientific, political and/or social in nature (for a good overview of these, see Wikipedia's article on ‘Global Warming Controversy’). Environmental groups, numerous governmental reports and many in the media are, however, in agreement with the scientific community in support of human-caused warming. Several scientific societies and academies of science, including all major countries' national academies of science, endorse that global warming is mainly caused by human activity and will continue if GHG emissions are not reduced.

Driven by the disastrous impact of recent storms, floods, droughts and excessive heat that many people have experienced around the world, various studies on global warming and its impact and major global campaigns, many people have begun to think seriously about global warming and its impacts and to do whatever they can to address this problem. Governments, enterprises and people all have roles in combating global warming and building a sustainable environment. There is now greater awareness and a growing commitment to address environmental problems. Inaction to arrest environmental degradation would significantly affect not only current but also future generations and our further progress, and there is need for multipronged action. The highlighted awareness drives us to ask: What can, and should, IT do in creating a greener, sustainable environment? What can each of us—those in business and industry or in IT departments, CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, IT professionals and employees—do individually and collectively to stop global warming and create a sustainable environment?

1.2.2 Sustainable Development

Sustainability is all about meeting needs and seeking a balance between people, the environment and the economy. According to the United Nations Global Commission on the Environment and Development's 1987 Brundtland Report, sustainable development is the ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. Sustainable development comprises economic, environmental and social dimensions.

1.2.3 Why Should You Go Green?

Enterprises are now increasingly interested in creating strategies that will help them to handle environmental issues and pursue new opportunities. The reasons for going green are manifold: increasing energy consumption and energy prices, growing consumer interest in environmentally friendly goods and services, higher expectations by the public on enterprises' environmental responsibilities and emerging stricter regulatory and compliance requirements. Enterprise will increasingly feel the effects of environmental issues that impact their competitive landscape in ways not envisaged earlier. For instance, investors have started discounting the share prices of companies that poorly address the environmental problems they create. When making purchasing, leasing or outsourcing decisions, many customers now take into consideration the company's environmental records and initiatives. Investors are increasingly placing their money on initiatives that are green or that develop and promote green products and services. Government agencies, investors and the public are demanding more disclosures from companies regarding their carbon footprint and their environmental initiatives and achievements. Companies with the technology and vision to provide products and services that address environmental issues will enjoy a competitive edge (Lash and Wellington, 2007).

1.3 Environmental Impacts of IT

As mentioned in this chapter, IT affects our environment in several different ways. Each stage of a computer's life, from its production, through its use and to its disposal, presents environmental problems. Manufacturing computers and their various electronic and non-electronic components consume electricity, raw materials, chemicals and water, and generate hazardous waste. All these directly or indirectly increase carbon dioxide emissions and impact the environment.

Total electrical energy consumption by servers, computers, monitors, data communications equipment and data centre cooling systems is steadily increasing. This increase results in greater GHG emissions, as most electricity is generated by burning fossil fuel like coal, oil and gas. For instance, each PC in use generates about a ton of carbon dioxide every year. Computer components contain toxic materials. Increasingly, consumers discard a large number of old computers, monitors and other electronic equipment 2–3 years after purchase, and most of this ends up in landfills, polluting the Earth and contaminating water.

The increased number of computers and their use, along with their frequent replacements, make IT's environme...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• About the Editors
• About the Authors
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1: Green IT: An Overview
• Chapter 2: Green Devices and Hardware
• Chapter 3: Green Software
• Chapter 4: Sustainable Software Development
• Chapter 5: Green Data Centres
• Chapter 6: Green Data Storage
• Chapter 7: Green Networks and Communications
• Chapter 8: Enterprise Green IT Strategy
• Chapter 9: Sustainable Information Systems and Green Metrics
• Chapter 10: Enterprise Green IT Readiness
• Chapter 11: Sustainable IT Services: Creating a Framework for Service Innovation
• Chapter 12: Green Enterprises and the Role of IT
• Chapter 13: Environmentally Aware Business Process Improvement in the Enterprise Context
• Chapter 14: Managing Green IT
• Chapter 15: Regulating Green IT: Laws, Standards and Protocols
• Chapter 16: Green Cloud Computing and Environmental Sustainability
• Chapter 17: Harnessing Semantic Web Technologies for the Environmental Sustainability of Production Systems
• Chapter 18: Green IT: An Outlook
• Glossary
• Index