Green Computing

By Simran Puri
Definition - What does Green
Computing mean?
• Green computing is the environmentally responsible and eco-
friendly use of computers and their resources. In broader
terms, it is also defined as the study of designing, engineering,
manufacturing, using and disposing of computing devices in a
way that reduces their environmental impact.
• Many IT manufacturers and vendors are continuously
investing in designing energy-efficient computing devices,
reducing the use of dangerous materials and encouraging the
recyclability of digital devices. Green computing practices
came into prominence in 1992, when the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Energy Star program.
• Green computing is also known as green information
technology (green IT).
Green Computing
Green computing aims to attain economic viability and improve the way
computing devices are used. Green IT practices include the development
of environmentally sustainable production practices, energy-efficient
computers and improved disposal and recycling procedures.
• To promote green computing concepts at all possible levels, the
following four approaches are employed:
• Green use: Minimizing the electricity consumption of computers and
their peripheral devices and using them in an eco-friendly manner
• Green disposal: Repurposing existing equipment or appropriately
disposing of, or recycling, unwanted electronic equipment
• Green design: Designing energy-efficient computers, servers, printers,
projectors and other digital devices
• Green manufacturing: Minimizing waste during the manufacturing
of computers and other subsystems to reduce the environmental impact
of these activities
Average computer users can employ the following tactics to make
their computing usage more green:

• Use the hibernate or sleep mode when away from a computer

for extended periods
• Buy energy-efficient notebook computers, instead of desktop
computers
• Activate the power management features for controlling energy
consumption
• Make proper arrangements for safe electronic waste disposal
• Turn off computers at the end of each day
• Refill printer cartridges, rather than buying new ones
• Instead of purchasing a new computer, try refurbishing an
existing device
Problems: Toxins
• Toxins are often distinguished from other chemical agents by
their method of production—the word toxin does not specify
method of delivery (compare with venom and the broader
meaning of poison—all substances that can also cause
disturbances to organisms). It simply means it is a biologically
produced poison.
• the term "toxin" means the toxic material or product of plants,
animals, microorganisms
Power Consumption
• Every month I fear the day when the mailman brings the bills,
and the one bill I fear the most is the electrical bill. This is the
one that usually emptied my pocket, and for that reason I
started looking towards ways to reduce the power drain in my
house. Apart from the usual things: fridge, microwave, TV and
others, the biggest power drainer is my PC.
1. How to reduce power consumption on PC ?
We all know PC’s use a lot of power, especially if you have a
gaming rig of multimedia station. These can have a big impact on
your power bill, but fear not, there are ways to save some money.
If you are worried that your PC is using too much power, then you
should look up these simple tricks to reduce your electricity bill.
I’ll try to talk about the best ways to do this, and here you have 3
main categories:
3 main categories
• Hardware upgrades
• Intelligent usage
• Software tweaks
First, we’ll look at what you can do to reduce your PC’s power
consumption by altering your hardware and the way you use it. I
know some of these will be counter intuitive, but bear with me
and try them out for yourself. Some of you might ask: how is that
possible? I’ll take you through each component that uses big
amounts of power, and how to make them work with less.
• C.P.U (central processing unit)
The “brain” of your PC. This is a huge power user, averaging
100W (up to 150W in some high end CPUs). There are a few
tricks you can try to reduce this power consumer.
Upgrade your PC get more
cores.
• Yes, that is correct. Some newer models of CPUs have better
power management features that allow them to use less power,
and there is the other benefit in having a better CPU: more
performance. The bigger the numbers of cores, the better it is.
First of all, the performance will drastically improve. But the
most important, if you’ll have more cores, then your load
management will decrese.
Use your PC wisely

I. Peripheral
Even if you do not use the, the peripherals use power when in idle
mode. External HDDs, printers, speakers and anything else uses
power even if you do not use them. The best thing is to unplug
them when you do not use them.
ii. Don’t let computer ideal.
If you are not using your computer, then you might want to put it
on sleep or hibernate. Sleep uses less power than idle mode
simply because it partially shuts down your computer. Although
your computer is not powered off, it uses less power because the
sleep mode keeps only the necessary components “awake”.

iii. energy efficient product

You can see that these products have the Energy Efficient logo,
and that means that the product has been tested and it uses less
energy than a regular one. So look for the blue logo whenever
buying a new product. You’re also helping mother nature with this
choice.
iii. close background program.
This will make the load on your PC lesser. And that mean a lower
load on your CPU, therefore, lower power consumption. Here,
Task Manager is your best friend for closing those programs. You
will be surprised too see how much do some programs eat up.

IV. Don’t use screen savers.

Yes, that’s right, screen savers use power, as specially graphic
intensive screensavers. You are better off dimming your display or
just closing the monitor when in stand by. If you are using an old
CRT monitor, then until you change to an LCD or LED, try to
avoid coloured desktop backgrounds or screensavers. It has been
shown that black images reduce a CRT’s power consumption.
Green Disposal
Green disposal isn't just correctly recycling computer materials. Its the
recycling of all electronic devices, including phones, printers, computers,
televisions, etc. The correct way to dispose of old and used computer
materials is to recycle them. If you recycle them, they can be broken down
into new materials, or to be re-used as computer parts.
• E-Waste Definition
E-Waste for short - or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment - is the
term used to describe old, end-of-life or discarded appliances using
electricity. It includes computers, consumer electronics, fridges etc which
have been disposed of by their original users. "e-waste" is used as a generic
term embracing all types of waste containing electrically powered
components. e-Waste contains both valuable materials as well as hazardous
materials which require special handling and recycling methods. This guide
covers all categories of e-waste but emphasizes categories which contain
problematic, scarce and valuable or otherwise interesting materials.
COMPANY’S CARBON FOOTPRINT
• Understanding your company’s carbon footprint is the first step toward an
environmentally sustainable business operation. However, reducing your
company’s carbon footprint is not only beneficial for the environment; it can
also reduce the amount of materials and energy used for daily processes,
resulting in lowered costs for overall production and operation.

What is Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint includes many factors related to operational sustainability,
especially those that affect emissions and the amount of energy used for
operations and processing. Specifically, your carbon footprint is calculated by
estimating:
• the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous
oxide, and some fluorocarbons) produced during operation
• waste streams from manufacturing processes themselves
• the energy required to operate, heat, and cool buildings
• the energy required to transport finished products from the manufacturing
facility to consumers
• A carbon footprint, however, does not only relate to a
company’s direct operations and production. Indirect
emissions, which are emissions from sources outside the
direct influence of the company and its operations. This
includes those from the company’s value chain and supporting
companies, which also affect the overall sustainability of a
company.
Measuring
Measuring Measurement is not a five-minute project. It will take time
and expertise. You’ll likely want to call in someone who specializes in
this work, simply because you’ll get better results, it’ll free you to do
your own work, and you’ll be less likely to goof it up. Four major steps
are used to measure your carbon footprint:
• Define what is included in your carbon footprint.
• Set your baseline.
• Track, calculate, and analyze your footprint.
• Report your results to stakeholders.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s involved in these steps. Define Your
Borders You first need to define what you are going to be measuring.
You can be as liberal with this as you like, but realize that the more you
decide to include in your measurement, the more difficult it will be.
Realize, also, that while tracking less data is certainly easier, you don’t
get an accurate accounting.
Why Bother?
Why do you care about your carbon footprint? Although measuring
your carbon footprint is a good way to measure your overall progress
toward becoming green, it isn’t just for bragging rights or to keep in the
corner of the company newsletter to let everyone know how well you’re
doing. A good emissions inventory can help with numerous business
goals, including the following:
• Helping your company improve its efficiencies
• Reducing costs
• Getting public recognition for taking action to reduce or eliminate
your climate impacts
It can also help your organization if you are part of somebody else’s
supply chain. Because major organizations are requiring their suppliers
to demonstrate their own commitment to minimizing climate impacts,
measuring your impacts may help you maintain your link in the supply
chain.
Cost Saving: Hardware
If properly followed Green Computing practices can save millions of
rupees of an organization. Ecologically responsible practices must be
adopted. For green computing, initial investment will be more, but
eventually not only we will save money but also help to sustain the
environment.
1. Hardware
We can reduce cost for hardware is to simply buy less equipment.
a) Taking the Steps, Gaining the Rewards: Using server
virtualization to reduce its energy use to save money and less damage
to the environment.
b) Use What You Have: Before purchasing new equipment, once
again go through our old inventory and old dump electronic
elements…………….
sumption: From properly organizing physical space to reduce cooling
Cost Saving: Power
2. Power
Saving the power is saving the money as well as saving the
environment.
a) Desktops: The power can cab be effectively used in desktop
computer by enabling power management settings
b) Datacenters: The increase in servers and network
infrastructure has caused a sharp hike in the electrical usage in
the datacenter. Where using smart switches cost can be saved
c) Consumption: From properly organizing physical space to
reduce cooling loads to using energy-efficient power supplies.