Definition of Green Computing

Green computing is the environmentally responsible and eco-friendly use of computers and their resources. Green computing also defined  to study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems. For example, monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems has 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

Advantages

Ø  Reduced energy usage from green computing techniques translates into lower carbon dioxide emissions, stemming from a reduction in the fossil fuel used in power plants and transportation. 

Ø  Conserving resources means less energy is required to produce, use, and dispose of products. 

Ø  Saving energy and resources saves money. 

Ø  Green computing even includes changing government policy to encourage recycling and lowering energy use by individuals and businesses. 

Ø  Reduce the risk existing in the laptops such as chemical known to cause cancer, nerve damage and immune reactions in humans. 

Disadvantages

Ø  Green computing could actually be quite costly. 

Ø  Some computers that are green may be considerably underpowered. 

Ø  Rapid technology change 

Ø  Still in experimental stages

Ø  Considerably under power

Ø  Sacrifice performance for battery life

How Must We Request the Green Computing

      Recycle.

·         Discard used or unwanted electronic equipment in a convenient and environmentally responsible manner. Computers have toxin metals and pollutants that can emit harmful emissions into the environment. Never discard computers in a landfill. Recycle them instead through manufacturer programs such as HP's Planet Partners recycling service or recycling facilities in your community. Or donate still-working computers to a non-profit agency.

                   Develop a sustainable green computing plan.

·         Discuss with your business leaders the elements that should be factored into such a plan, including organizational policies and checklists. Such a plan should include recycling policies, recommendations for disposal of used equipment, government guidelines and recommendations for purchasing green computer equipment. Green computing best practices and policies should cover power usage, reduction of paper consumption, as well as recommendations for new equipment and recycling old machines. Organizational policies should include communication and implementation.

                    Make environmentally sound purchase decisions.

·         Purchase Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool registered products. EPEAT is a procurement tool promoted by the nonprofits Green Electronics Council to:

·         Help institutional purchasers evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on environmental attributes

·         Provide a clear, consistent set of performance criteria for the design of products

·         Recognize manufacturer efforts to reduce the environmental impact of products by reducing or eliminating environmentally sensitive materials, designing for longevity and reducing packaging materials

                   Conserve energy.

·         Turn off your computer when you know you won’t use it for an extended period of time. Turn on power management features during shorter periods of inactivity. Power management allows monitors and computers to enter low-power states when sitting idle. By simply hitting the keyboard or moving the mouse, the computer or monitors awakens from its low power sleep mode in seconds. Power management tactics can save energy and help protect the environment.

                     Reduce Paper Consumption.

·         There are many easy, obvious ways to reduce paper consumption:     e-mail, electronic archiving, use the “track changes” feature in electronic documents, rather than redline corrections on paper. When you do print out documents, make sure to use both sides of the paper, recycle regularly, use smaller fonts and margins, and selectively print required pages.

Ethicle issue in Green Computing

Going green is not only a fashion statement, it is a real movement that begun back in 1992 with "The Energy Star Program" .It has become a way of life for many big corporations to try and reduce the amount of energy waste that they would normally excrete and nowadays it is not only expected to be done by such corporations but also by small businesses and individuals alike who have a moral responsibility to their community. Due to the widely known need to save energy and natural resources of our ever dyeing planet many manufacturers have come out with ideas on how to make your device energy efficient, the problem is that with good inventions come the useless ones and those are made to assume a purpose that it is not properly attributed. Some manufacturers will label a product as energy efficient just so it can be sold but sadly it will not work.

Consumers can easily be deceived to buy such products that end up causing more harm to the environment "considering the materials and energy used to manufacture it" such as the products are truly a waste. Like the "Eco Button that promised its consumers that they would to save energy and money" on their PC but there was a downloadable content available on the internet that would provide the same results. It is not moral or ethical for such manufacturers to lie on the efficiency of their product but it's not illegal to say that the product was misinterpreted by the consumer.

The Organization that involved In Green Computer

COMPANIES	DETAILS
HP	Programs to reduce GHG and Toxic wastes in their products and supply chains.
DELL	Carbon Neutral, Headquarters uses 100% Renewable energy, computer products use 25% less power (by 2010)
INTEL	Focus is on boom up speed while reducing energy usage in their products.
IBM	Has had formal Environmental policies since 1971, and requires all employees to have environmental awareness training.
SUN MICROSYSTEMS	Requires environmental management accreditation from suppliers and posts information about their energy uses and greenhouse consumption on their website.
MICROSOFT	New design of Windows uses less energy. Also includes the use of virtualization technologies.
ADOBE SYSTEMS	Offset all carbon emissions for their Northern California sites (42% of their total carbon emissions) and are redesigning their software packages to be more environmentally friendly

WHY GO GREEN ?

1. Climate Change

First and foremost, conclusive research shows that CO2 and other emissions are causing global climate and environmental damage. preserving the planet is a valid goal because it aims to preserve life.


2. Saving

Green computing can lead to serious cost saving overtime. Reduction in energy cost from server, cooling, and lighting are generating serious savings for many corporation.


3. Reliability of power 

As energy demands in the world go up, energy supply is declining or flat. Energy efficient systems help to ensure healthy power systems. Also, more companies are generating more go their own electricity, which further motivates them to keep power consumption low.

RECENT IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN COMPUTING

1. 'BLACKLE' Search-engine

Blackle search-engine site powered by Google Custom Search. This is because when your computer screen is white, the energy consumes 74W, whereas when the screen black, it consume only 59W.



2. Zonbu Computer 

Zonbu computer is a new and a very energy efficient PC. The Zonbu just one third of power of atypical light bulb. The Device runs the Linux OS using a 1.2 GHz Processor and 512 MB RAM.



3. Fit PC

Fit-PC is the size a paperback and absolutely silent, yet fit enough to run Windows XP or Linux. Fit-PC only 5 Watts, consuming in a day less power than a traditional PC consumes in 1 hour.

4 WAYS OF REDUCING ENERGY COMSUMPTION

 1. Use Power Save

There is a wide range of power-saving software that helps reduce the amount of energy your PC consumes. And yet, your computer is already equipped with power saving settings you can utilize. Try out these tips to set your computer for maximum energy savings.

 2. Turn off the Computer

When you are looking to save power at home or at the office, look no further than your computer. Many computers use as much power when inactive as they do when they are in full use. Adjusting your behavior can translate to big energy savings.


3. Use LCD Monitor 

 

Hewlett-Packard recommends changing your equipment to conserve power: choose Energy Star--qualified computers, purchase a flat-panel LCD monitor or work with the smallest monitor possible for your needs. According to HP, the switch from a standard CRT monitor to an LCD version can mean up to 70 percent in energy savings.

4. Maintain Your Computer

 

If you are using a laptop, take care to maintain it properly to extend battery life and reduce wasted energy. One of the quickest ways to cut energy use on a laptop is to keep it cool. According to Microsoft, a hot computer uses more energy to keep it cool and this negatively impacts efficiency. Don't block your computer's cooling vents and avoid using the laptop on a soft surface like a bed, which can impair the fans. You should also clean the battery contacts regularly to ensure a smooth energy flow. 

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantage :

• Energy saving 
• Environment Friendly 
• Cost Effective 
• Save more money  

_________________________________________________________________________________

Disadvantage :

• High start up cost 
• Still in experiment stage 
• Reduce performance due to battery life 

INTRODUCTION TO GREEN COMPUTING

INTRODUCTION:
  
1) Green Computing has become an innovative way on how technology and ecology converge together. Then, With the recent years many industries and companies have turned their attention in realizing how going 'green' can benefit public relations, reduced costs, and lowering global emissions from industrial manufacturing. Though the term green computing covers a vast range of methods, from energy saving techniques, to the study of materials used in our lives, it all fundamentally breaks down to finding ways to not damage or consume all of earth's natural resources. Ultimately green computing focuses on ways in reducing overall environmental impact, its main purpose is to find and promote a new ways of reducing pollution, discovering alternative technologies, and creating more recyclable products.

2) Entire process of Green Computer or Green IT system is one where the entire process from design, manufacture, use, and disposal involves as little environmental impact as possible. In other words, a green initiative is taken in consideration of all facets of a computer’s life, from design to disposal.

3) In the design aspect, a green computer is created to perform without a negative environmental impact. Such design includes everything from materials and components to how the computer uses its power supply. Nowadays, most computers are built with a sleep or hibernate mode that allows them to power down when not in use and, therefore, save on energy impact. 

4) A green computer will also take into account how it impacts the environment during its life. One way to make a green computer reduce its usage impact is to extend its longevity. The longer the computer lasts, the less impact it will have on the environment because disposal, normally the most significant green influence of the computer’s cycle, will be delayed for a longer period of time. To increase a computer’s longevity, we suggest looking toward upgrades and modularity. For example, building a new computer from scratch produces a greater environmental effect than building a new RAM module for replacement in computing equipment. 

5) Computer virtualization is helping to make large strides in green computing technology. Through the phenomenon of virtualization, it is now possible to operate two or more computers on the physical hardware of a single computer. In this manner, you could create the ultimate green computer; one that exists logically, but not physically. The logical units use all the material components of the physical computer, but are devoid of physical structure themselves. This means that the environmental impact of logical computers is virtually eliminated. The ideal green computer, therefore, may lie in virtual green computing. 

6) Terminal servers can also be used to create a greener computer. When using a terminal server, you are connected to a central terminal where all the computing is done. The operating system is experienced by the end user on the terminal. These terminals can be matched up to thin clients who depend on the server to do most of their computing. This type of green computing setup typically consumes as little as one eighth of the energy of a conventional workstation. 

7)  Some of the world’s leading companies that engage in green computing by researching green technology, developing energy efficient products, using sustainable materials, offering recycling programs, and marketing a greener look and feel, include well-known brands.