DISADVANTAGES OF CARBON FOOTPRINT

 

Things with large carbon footprints do damage to the earth by releasing large amounts of carbon. Things with small carbon footprints do little damage. A carbon footprint is just a number, telling you how much carbon is produced in the making, producing, transporting and using of a certain thing. This thing could be a car, or a bottle of beer, or a tin of vegetables, or your house, or even you.

   For example, the carbon footprint of a tin of vegetables that was produced on the other side of the world would consider the collection, transport, cooking and canning of the crop. It would then factor in the cost of transportation half way round the world, by ship, air, truck and perhaps your own vehicle. Compare this to vegetables grown in your own garden, or at least in your own local area.

   So an item with a large carbon footprint releases more carbon into the atmosphere, adding to the greenhouse gases already there, and contributing to global warming, much more than an item with a small carbon footprint.

DEFINITION OF GREEN COMPUTING

 

Green computing or green IT, refers to environmentally sustainable computing or IT. In the article Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices, San Murugesan defines the field of green computing as "the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems — efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment." The goals of green computing are similar to green chemistry; reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product's lifetime, and promote the recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste. Research continues into key areas such as making the use of computers as energy-efficient as possible, and designing algorithms and systems for efficiency-related computer technologies.

CURRENT ISSUES OF GREEN COMPUTING

 

One of the less popular issues is the area of pollution of our waters and land. We use billions of tons of plastic each year wastefully and then discard this as waste. The overall affect is inexcusable. Yet, in our quest for a more convenient world we are using more plastic today than ever before. This is largely ignored because we feel good about the convenience of these items or we enjoy the increased styling of our automobiles decked out in plastic trim. The wasteful use of our natural resources is ignored in favour of less tangible (and far less real issues) like the ozone layer or global climate change.

   The ability to see the acidity of rain is easy and real, yet we belch out sulphur dioxides into our air. We can see ever growing landfills, yet returnable bottles are troublesome. Nuclear power is a clean and extremely safe method of delivering power, yet we make silly (and non productive) alternative systems that provide a feel good approach to the problem.

HISTORY OF GREEN COMPUTING

 

                                                        

One of the first manifestations of the green computing movement was the launch of the Energy Star program way back in 1992. Energy Star served as a kind of voluntary label awarded to computing products that succeeded in minimizing use of energy while maximizing efficiency. Energy Star applied to products like computer monitors, television sets and temperature control devices like refrigerators, air conditioners, and similar items. One of the first results of green computing was the Sleep mode function of computer monitors which places a consumer's electronic equipment on standby mode when a pre-set period of time passes when user activity is not detected. As the concept developed, green computing began to encompass thin client solutions, energy cost accounting, virtualization practices, eWaste, etc.

   Currently, one of the popular green computing groups is tactical instrumentalists. This group applies and uses green computing philosophies mainly to save up on costs rather than save the environment. This green computing concept emerged naturally as businesses find themselves under pressure to maximize resources in order to compete effectively in the market. This movement arose mainly from economic sentiments rather than political pressure.

    Strategic Leaders take into account the social and environmental impacts of new and emerging technologies. Aside from minimizing costs, this particular movement also takes into account other factors such as marketing and branding. Unlike the position held by tactical instrumentalists, strategic leaders recognize the need to overhaul some existing policies or structural makeup of the organization. This can be seen in recent efforts to make IT personnel directly responsible for managing, minimizing and ensuring efficient energy expenditures.