Green Computing - The solution to reduce carbon footprints in IT industries.

The production of a generic laptop results in generation of about 130-200 lbs. CO2e and over its life cycle, it will have generated around twice that amount of total CO2e greenhouse gas emissions. A 10-year-old tree absorbs almost 48.5 lbs. of CO2 per year. Taking the average 75.2 lbs. as the amount produced, this means that for a laptop alone, there need to be 2 full grown trees to absorb the emissions. Meaning that one would have to plant 2 trees each year for the carbon footprint of his/her laptop to be 0 in 10 years’ time.

Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.

• As our computing capabilities and the amount of data that we generate each year continue to grow, so do their contributions to carbon emissions.
• Even though these emissions are not direct they are abstract in nature.
• Data centers contribute to carbon emissions through electricity consumption, both in terms of powering computers for computing and for long-term data storage, resulting in an estimated 100 megatonnes of CO2 emissions produced per year. On considering the important parameters like how long the algorithm runs for, what hardware (CPU, GPU, memory) is used one can estimate the carbon footprint in grams of C02 equivalent.
• The computing technology and high-powered computing is here to stay because of its many benefits. So, adopting green computing is a great solution to tackle emissions of greenhouse gases.

So, how can an organization implement green computing in order to reduce their carbon footprint?
Some steps to be implemented are as follows:
Proclamation of the Green Intentions - It is always best to begin Green IT initiatives by communicating intentions to adopt an environment-friendly IT infrastructure. The push for energy efficiency should be cascaded down to every staff, setting the stage for collaboration between various departments.
Measurement of Current Carbon Footprints Produced by IT Components - Where the company stands in terms of carbon footprint brought about by information technology services, is an important information to be known. Quickly establish a carbon footprint reference point. Check on the power usage in the IT center and compare it with existing power efficiency standards and metrics for industry.
Usage of More Efficient Computer Applications- By using more powerful computer applications, your IT systems can better deal with inefficiencies. Besides, faster software spares the servers from regularly operating at maximum capacity, thereby consuming lesser power.
Usage of More Efficient Cooling Systems: - To reduce your CRAC (Computer Room Air Conditioning) power consumption for green computing, invest in supplemental cooling systems that are placed in between the rows of servers in data center.
Result Monitoring and Continuous IT Optimization: - Lastly, you should always check the results of green IT initiatives. Compare this data with the benchmarks and metrics that is set for the company. A good example is checking total power consumption for each month.

Hope that further implementations of Green Computing will soon be seen and we all will move forward with the goal of reductionm of carbon footprints in Computing via green methods.