GREEN COMPUTING

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