What happens when you go green?

McKinsey predicted a couple of years ago that by 2020 IT would be the largest polluter of the earth and would produce carbon dioxide more than even the aviation industry. This report turned out to be the eye opener for CIO's and going green and recycling was at the top in their list of priorities.

This alarm though faded in light of the economic fallout which started in the end of 2008. Now with the Copenhagen summit a passe and its failure to produce any substantial results, people must themselves weigh the benefits of going green; specially CIO's.In light of this crisis here is a report on the benefits of going green.

The Energy Conference

Stabilizing carbon dioxide levels at 450 parts per million in the atmosphere--a level that is projected to result in an average global temperature rise of about two degrees Celsius,would require an "energy and environment revolution" with investment in the trillions of dollars. This is what Nobuo Tanaka had to say at the recently held MIT Energy Conference at Boston. To read more about the happenings click here.

Outsourcing goes green!

Many outsourcing giants are seizing the green market and investing heavily in reducing their carbon footprint. At the same time technology outsourcing is expected to rise significantly if organizations are to deal with the financial burden of compliance with environmental regulation in-house.

Last year the UK government announced its intention to introduce new rules to ensure departments consider environmental sustainability when making procurement decisions, helping the government to meet its target of cutting emissions, waste and water across facilities.

The guidelines have created a new level of expectations for outsourcing providers, with environmental concerns entering the formal selection process for suppliers.

To read more of the whole story click here.

The Green Switching Technology

Even the Telecommunication industry says: Green = Profit, as this industry is the largest user of electricity and every consumer wants his/her connection 24x7. This is one of the reasons why operators have to invest in secondary options to keep their business going.

But power can soon become a limited resource for operators, and that's why they are actively looking at green networking products and solutions, to combat the ever diminishing man made resource. Green Switching, one of the newest technologies on offer, helps small businesses cut carbon emissions as well as their costs. To know more about Green Switching and what industry experts have to say about it click here.

The Green Touch: ICT to be 1000 times cleaner

The Green Touch Initiative launched by Bell Labs, will bring together academics and Governmental IT professionals on one platform with the vision to make global networking a thousand times more energy efficient.

Gee Rittenhouse of Bell Labs claims that in the next decade carbon emissions will rise to unexpected levels, and therefore this partnership will try and bring it to somewhat lower levels. Read the full report by Clicking Here.

This move will also see the rise of Green Teams. People who will voluntarily come together to educate and inspire employees about IT sustainability. Download the best practices in the research report written by Deborah Fleischer.

This year will see organizations seeking for clarity in the arena of Green IT. The Paradigm should involve: Conservation, e-waste reduction,smart resource allocation, energy efficiency and alternative energy use. Areas such as reducing costs on telecommuting and the ecological use of resources will be featured as a prime move.The long and the short though for Green IT is better and more responsible corporate accountability, therefore a culture change might happen in organizations.

Climate goal gains prime slot in Smart2020 Project

Offering case studies of how enterprises apply high-tech solutions to building energy efficiency, transportation, the smart grid, and other areas, the Climate Group has unveiled a project to keep the IT industry on course. The move comes close on the heels of a report that outlined mechanisms by which IT can kick start a low-carbon future.

Christened "Pathways to Scale", the project comes as a follow up to the Smart2020 report which had revealed that the IT industry can play a role in achieving global emissions reductions of as much as 15 percent by 2020, and save companies over $725 billion by improving efficiency.

According to Molly Webb, Director of Strategic Engagement at The Climate Group, “Pathways to Scale”  shows that we still have some way to go to achieving the SMART 2020 goal,", said in a statement. "But the lessons learnt are very useful," Webb added. The Smart2020 report had found that companies joining in partnerships with other enterprises or NGOs achieve greater successes than companies working alone. It was also revealed by the Smart2020 report that products are focused on a narrow niche or single area rather than offering end-to-end solutions, and also that companies should optimize the energy savings on offer from their products, and use the financial savings to encourage that change to promote widespread behavioral change on the part of individuals,It has been urged that policy makers need to adopt a price for carbon and must also lower policy barriers to cooperations.

Recommendations in the report said that it has become imperative that smart solutions should scale up to climate problems. Development of a smart grid that links the generation and transmission of energy to its end use in offices and homes apart, the spread of technologies have been mooted. 

London to Boast Energy Giving Datacenter

As energy costs seesaw wildly and public concern over the environment grows, data centres have landed in the corporate cross hairs.

How ironical is it, that landed under pressure governments and enterprises are realigning their priorities to give back what they had been using to the people.East London will now seea green data center by next year that will use energy/heat given off by racks of servers to power residential and business properties in the surrounding area.

This construction will also be capturing waste heat for re-use. With carbon dioxide levels increasing at an alarming rate, this endeavour will start off what is called as" giving back to the environment". To read more of the report click here.

With the Copenhagen summit in full flow and countries playing hard on their visions to reduce global warmimg, the U.K. Government will see this card as a feather to the crown.

UK drives Green Outsourcing

Green IT just got a shot in the arm with UK government's decision to make its IT operations carbon neutral. Here's what a report says:

The guidelines have created a new level of expectations for outsourcing providers, with environmental concerns entering the formal selection process for suppliers.

The report also points out that organizations may opt for outsourcing to help them cope:

At the same time technology outsourcing is expected to rise significantly if organisations are to deal with the financial burden of compliance with environmental regulation in-house.

We definitely see this as the beginning of a movement within many governments in the days to come. Outsourcing becomes a key strategy for organizations to help them comply faster, better and cost-effectively.

- RIM Desk