Fujitsu’s own Green Label

 I find looking at eco-labelling is similar to food labelling. As a vegetarian (and the huge interest I have in health/fitness!) , I often have to do more detailed research into the actual ingredients and nutritional information. Not everyone can agree what a vegetarian can or cannot eat though, which makes my interviewing/question process so much more challenging! Not to mention the really long words on the labelling for both IT eco-labels and food labels!

I’ve spent the last few months looking at more eco-friendly IT products, mainly for my Green IT talks/training and for a customer requirement. The joy of speaking to some resellers and account managers has been rather eventful.

Rather than go back and forth (like with some unnecessary emails which ping back and forth like a tennis match, when ‘verbal communication’ can so easily resolve things quicker !), to get the detail/truth/facts, I always go straight to the company! Plus, you reduce waste and save storage space on emails (Green IT tip!). There are other eco-friendly technology products as well as those on the UK EPEAT list.  I’ve looked into this further with EPEAT and received some information to do with paying and registering on a country by country basis.   I also spoke to a contact who actually works in the sustainability team at Fujitsu in the UK, as none of their products appear on the UK EPEAT list.

Fujitsu have their own Green Label which includes EPEAT, Blue Angel, Nordic and Energy Star, and they look at the whole lifecycle.

The Blue Angel is a German certification and is the oldest eco label in the world. Fujitsu Siemans was the first global manufacturer to introduce a Blue angel certified Green PC to market in 1993.

The Nordic label was established in 1989 and is another environmentally labeling scheme used internationally.

So, as well as EPEAT (UK), it’s also worth looking at Fujitsu’s Green Labelled products for other environmentally friendly technology products. 

OTHER USEFUL LINKS	DESCRIPTION
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/buying-greener-technology-eco-labels-understanding-the-effects-of-the-hazardous-substances/	Previous Blog Post on ‘Buying Greener Technology – Eco-Labels. Understanding the effects of the hazardous substances’ – written 05/10/2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Angel_(certification)	Blue Angel eco label information
http://www.blauer-engel.de/en/blauer_engel/index.php	Blue Angel eco label information
http://www.nordic-ecolabel.org/	Nordic eco label information
http://givingtimeandsolutions.com	Company Website – Green IT Consultancy (articles/whitepaper)

DATE: 11/12/2011 12:30pm

Ms. Tripta Prashar

http://givingtimeandsolutions.com

Buying Greener Technology – Eco-Labels. Understanding the effects of the hazardous substances

Whenever I talk about Green IT to people (and that’s A LOT! ), it still does not seem to be commonly known you can buy ‘Greener Technology’. 

Someone once made a comment to me –  ‘It will make me look good in front of my mates…’. It wasn’t a comment specifically for buying technology as such. Ask people what makes them buy a particular product (or service), and you’ll get different responses…

• Cost
• Loyalty
• Looking good/image…

Why people buy what they do has been covered in a previous blog post (reference given further below in the ‘Other Useful Links’ section).

Ecma International, formerly known as the European Computer Manufacturers Association, together with the Scandinavian IT ECO Declaration, developed the industry standards for creating reports detailing the environmental attributes for the manufacture of Information Communication Technology. Several types of technologies are covered.

There are now 9 manufacturers who have their products EPEAT (Electronic Products Environmental Assessment tool) registered in the UK, one of which is HP. One of my contacts at HP had sent me an ECO declaration, which basically breakdowns the product environmental attributes and states if the requirement has been met  – Yes, No or N/A. I have summarised some of the sections you would find in the ECO declaration and given a description for each of these.  The information used in this blog post was kindly researched for me by Vanya and she did great research! The source references are listed further below.

Hopefully, it will help raise more awareness of how some PC manufacturers are reporting on how they reduce the presence of hazardous substances in the actual product and its manufacturing process, and also ensure it is energy efficient  – SAVE MONEY and REDUCE CARBON FOOTPRINT. You’ll now know why you have purchased Greener Technology - reasons on why it is good for the environment and the impact it has on health.

ECO-DECLARATION – PRODUCT ENVIRONMENTAL ATTRIBUTES  - LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

SECTION	DESCRIPTION (also see table below)
Hazardous substances and preparations Products do not contain more than; 0.1% lead, 0.01% cadmium, 0.1% mercury, 0.1% hexavalent chromium, 0.1% polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or 0.1% polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). (See legal reference and Note B1) –  - (ROHS – Reduction of Hazardous Substances).	HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE/(PRONOUNCED)
	Lead (Pb)(led)
	Cadmium (Cd)(cad-me-um)
	Mercury (Hg)(mer-cue-ree)
	Hexavalent chromium(Cr6+)(hex-a-vay-lent crow-me-um)
	Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)(poly-bro-min-ated)bye-fee-niles’
	Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)(poly-bro-min-ateddye-fee-nileee-thurs)
Hazardous substances and preparations Parts with direct and prolonged skin contact do not release nickel in concentrations above 0.5 microgram/cm2/week (see legal reference). Comment: Max limit in legal reference when tested according to EN1811:1998.	Nickel(nick-el)
Hazardous substances and preparations Products do not contain Ozone Depleting Substances: Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFC), hydrochlorofluorcarbons (HCFC), Halons, carbontetrachloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, methyl bromide (see legal reference). Comment: Legal reference has no maximum concentration values.	Chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs)(clore-o-floor-o car-bons)
Hazardous substances and preparations Textile and leather parts with direct skin contact do not contain more than 0.003% Azo colorants that split aromatic amines. (See legal reference and Note B1)	Azo colourantsR-N=N-R’
Hazardous substances and preparations Products do not contain more than 0.1% short chain chloroparaffins (SCCP) with 10-13 carbon atoms in the chain containing at least 48% per mass of chlorine in the SCCP (see legal reference).	Short chain chloroparaffins (SCCP)C10-C13(short chain clore-o-par-a-fins)
Hazardous substances and preparations Textile and leather parts with direct skin contact do not contain Tri-(2,3,-dibromopropyl)-phosphate (TRIS), Tris-(aziridinyl)-phosphineoxide (TEPA), polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) (see legal reference). Comment: Legal reference has no maximum concentration values.	Tri-(2,3,-dibromopropyl)-phosphate (TRIS)(try-2-3-dye-bro-mo-pro-pile-fos-fate)AndTris (aziridinyl) phosphine oxide (TEPA)(tris ay-zye-rid-in-ill fos-fine ox-ide)
Hazardous substances and preparations Wooden parts do not contain arsenic and chromium as a wood preservation treatment as well as pentachlorophenol and derivatives (see legal reference). Comment: Legal reference has no maximum concentration values.	Pentachlorophenol(pen-ta-clore-o-fee-nol)
Hazardous substances and preparations Wooden parts do not contain arsenic and chromium as a wood preservation treatment as well as pentachlorophenol and derivatives (see legal reference). Comment: Legal reference has no maximum concentration values.	Arsenic(are-sen-ick)

HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE/(PRONOUNCED)	POSSIBLE USES IN PC/MANUFACTURE	FURTHER INFORMATION AND HEALTH EFFECTS
Lead (Pb)(led)	Batteries	Lead poses a threat when inhaled as a vapour, through ingestion of contaminated foods and lead alkyls can enter the body via the skin. Inappropriate disposal can cause the surrounding air, soil and water systems to become contaminated with unsafe levels.Research has shown that even low level exposure can affect health as it can accumulate in bones. Symptoms include: tiredness, headaches, nausea, stomach pains, weight loss, a rise in blood pressure and anaemia due to the disruption of haemoglobin biosynthesis.High levels of exposure can cause: kidney failure, nerve and brain damage and infertility
	Glass of computer screens to shield user from radiation
	Tin-lead alloy used to solder chips to printed circuit boards
	Plastic stabiliser in PVC cabling
Cadmium (Cd)(cad-me-um)	Nickel-cadmium batteries	Cadmium is a heavy metal with hightoxicity.Produced as a by-product of zinc ore smelting.Nickel-cadmium batteries are being phased out in favour of lithium ion batteries, which are not considered toxic.Continued exposure leads to cadmium accumulation in kidneys, damaging filtering mechanisms, so sugars and essential proteins released in urine- proteinuria.Can also affect calcium stores, causing osteoperosis, and vitamin D and collagen metabolism
	Plating of metals
	Plastic pigments
	Plastic stabilisers
Mercury (Hg)(mer-cue-ree)	Lighting in fluorescent lamps	Mercury is a metal found in liquid form at room temperature due to its a low melting point. It is commonly used as an alloy and in lighting.Known to bioaccumulate in environment, effects seen in several species of aquatic organisms. Once released into the atmosphere, it is   returned as a water-soluble form in precipitation and finds its way into bodies of water i.e. oceans.In humans, it can cause kidney damage, neurological problems and tremors.
	Backlighting in LCD screens
	Printed circuit boards
	Batteries
	Switches
Hexavalent chromium(Cr6+)(hex-a-vay-lent crow-me-um)	Production of stainless steel- its addition prevents corrosion	Chromium is a metal commonly used to provide pigments due to its colour changes in various oxidative states.Hexavalent chromium is a toxic form of the metal.It is widely recognised as a potential carcinogen, particularly affecting the nasal and respiratory passages through inhalation and causing eye irritation. High levels of exposure have been linked to kidney damage.
	Chromate pigments.
Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)(poly-bro-min-ated)bye-fee-niles’	Flame retardant	PBBs are very rarely used today, having been prohibited in various countries.The chemical has been shown to enter the environment through manufacturing, improper waste management and can enter the food chain through soil and aquatic life, accumulating up the food chain.Linked to nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, joint pain, fatigue, and weakness
	Plastic production
	Production of epoxy resins in printed circuit boards
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)(poly-bro-min-ateddye-fee-nileee-thurs)	Flame retardant	PBDE is now rarely used as a flame retardant due to its known affects human health and persistence in the environment.PBDE can bioaccumulate in blood, breast milk, and fat tissues and has been linked to liver toxicity, thyroid toxicity, and neurodevelopmental toxicity and infertility.
Nickel(nick-el)	Used in production of stainless steel as an alloy	Nickel is a metal used in the production of stainless steel.Release of nickel into environment through waste disposal leads to increased levels in soils, taken up by food grown. However research shows it does not accumulate in animals/plants so does not bioaccumulate up the food chain.Can cause allergic reactions through dermal contact.High level exposure increases risk of lung, nose cancer, respiratory disorders and birth defects.
	Batteries
	Plating
Chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs)(clore-o-floor-o car-bons)	Can be found in some coolant systems e.g. refrigerators.	CFCs are a type of greenhouse gas known to detrimentally affect the ozone layer. None are emitted in IT manufacturing process at all.The Montreal Protocol developed in 1987, is an agreement signed internationally where the use of CFCs was to be phased out by 1996, HP has signed up to this.
Azo colourantsR-N=N-R’	Textiles dye	Bacteria present naturally on skin can break down these dyes to release aromatic amines which can then enter the bloodstream.Can cause cancer of urinal tract/bladder, skin sensitivity and damage of red blood cells.
Short chain chloroparaffins (SCCP)C10-C13(short chain clore-o-par-a-fins)	Used to provide elasticity in rubberUsed as flame retardant in rubber, plastics and textiles	An EU risk assessment has shown it poses no conclusive danger to humans or environment in its use as a flame retardant.However some studies using rats and aquatic life have shown it to have carcinogenic properties, so use of the chemical is limited where possible.
Tri-(2,3,-dibromopropyl)-phosphate (TRIS)(try-2-3-dye-bro-mo-pro-pile-fos-fate)AndTris (aziridinyl) phosphine oxide (TEPA)(tris ay-zye-rid-in-ill fos-fine ox-ide)	Used as flame retardants in textiles	Exposure occurs via inhalation, ingestion or dermal contact.TRIS is a carcinogenic over prolonged periods of exposure to skin; the effects were seen when the flame retardant was used in children’s nightwear.Linked to kidney cancer, localised in nephrons.TEPA has been linked to decreased fertility in mice and aquatic life
Pentachlorophenol(pen-ta-clore-o-fee-nol)	Found in wood preservation treatments	This highly toxic pesticide and fungicide is used to help preserve wood, significantly increasing the product lifeIt is usually only used to treat large pieces of wood used in railway tracks and telephone poles.Research has shown the pesticide can affect the fertility and hormone levels of sheep.
Arsenic(are-sen-ick)	CRT screen glass	Arsenic is a chemical element often used to strengthen metal alloys containing lead and copper, and as a semi-conductor.As it is poisonous to fungi, bacteria and insects, it is often used in wood preservation treatments.Arsenic that has been released into the environment builds up in soils and drains into water supplies and without sufficient purity testing of drinking water, can lead to arsenic poisoning.Arsenic poisoning in humans causes irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, and skin.Studies have shown arsenic can inhibit the function of tumour suppressing genes, increasing the likelihood of developing cancer.Now usually replaced with Sodium antimony, which is less hazardous.

Batteries	Non-toxic lithium/manganese dioxide batteries are used. If they contain mercury or lead, they are appropriately labelled to aid correct disposal. Batteries and accumulators are usually easily removable, unless present in a computer where data integrity must be preserved for special reasons i.e. medical records
Electrical safety, EMC and connection to the telephone network	Products legally need to be electromagnetically compatible according to set standards. If intended for connection with a public telecoms network, further legal requirements need to be met. If any hazardous substances are present, documentation and adequate labelling are required.
Consumable materials	Ink/toners and photoconductors, if present, need to meet legal requirements relating to the concentration of cadmium, see table above for hazards.
Product Packaging	This section details the materials used to package the desktop. Although companies strive to reduce the amount of packaging, it is important to remember that the longs distances travelled necessitate their use, due to the majority of desktops being manufactured in China and the Far East. Plastic packaging is labelled following regulations set out in ISO 11469, with the polymers following ISO 1043.

ECO-DECLARATION – PRODUCT ENVIRONMENTAL ATTRIBUTES  – MARKET REQUIREMENTS – ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUS DESIGN

SECTION	DESCRIPTION
Disassembly	Parts that need to be recycled/ disposed of separately should be easily separable. The use of un-recyclable plastics should be minimal. Plastic parts should be free from metal inlays or have easily removable inlays, as this aids the re-use of metals after disposals.
Product lifetime	An increased lifetime and ability to be upgraded helps to reduce the amount of waste material produced, reducing the impact on the environment. The desktop’s processor and memory can be upgraded using simple tools. Computers can also be repaired rather than replaced using spare parts made available by HP for up to 3 years after the end of product production.
Material and substance requirements	Electrical cable insulation is PVC free and the use of halogens (chlorine, bromine etc.) is controlled. Flame retardants are required in the product, but manufacturers prefer to use chemicals that are less hazardous than those used in the past.
Energy consumption	Power levels and energy consumptions at various computer modes are reported here i.e. PC on, sleep mode and off mode, while still plugged in to AC mains. This information can be used for comparisons with other available PCs. (Energy Star)
Emissions (Noise, Chemical)	Noise. ISO 9296 details the industry standard for noise declaration of information technology equipment. The noise emissions from the fan and spinning of the hard disk drive are tested here.
	Chemical Emissions from Printing Products. Testing follows the standards set in ECMA- 328; ISO 28360 specifies methods used to determine chemical emission rates of analyte from information and communication technology and consumer electronics equipment during intended operation in an Emission Test Chamber (ETC).
Ergonomics for computing products	Detailed here are the steps taken to ensure computer use in a home or office environment remains comfortable for a period of up to 8 hours a day, minimising undue muscle strain and effects on vision. In addition to measures taken in the manufacture of desktops, users should try and use ergonomically designed office furniture, i.e. chairs and desks, to also help minimise health problems caused by poor posture and repetitive strain injury. ISO 9241-307 specifically concentrates on screen pixel defects in flat panel monitors. Most premium companies adhere to standards set in Class 0, where panels are completely defect-free, including no full pixel or sub-pixel defects.ISO 9241-410 sets out the design criteria for non-keyboard input devices.ISO 9995 sets the standard for computer keyboard layouts including numeric keypads.
Packaging and documentation	Specifies types of plastic used to package computer documentation and chemicals present in paper.The use of PVC and chlorine bleached paper is usually avoided; ideally recycled fibres should be used for paper documentation.

OTHER USEFUL LINKS	DESCRIPTION
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/it-eco-labeling-purchasing-greener-it-equipment-which-reduces-impact-on-the-environment-saves-energy-and-carbon-footprint/	Previous Blog Post on ‘IT eco-labeling. Purchasing Greener IT equipment which reduces the impact on the environment, saves energy and carbon footprint’ – written 23/05/2010
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/knowing-what-items-can-be-recycled-reducing-waste/	Previous Blog Post on ‘Knowing what items can be recycled – reducing waste’ – written 17/08/2010
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/hazardous-wastes-and-their-disposal-to-poor-countries-a-global-graveyard-for-dead-computers-in-ghana-rohs/	Previous Blog Post on ‘Hazardous wastes and their disposal to poor countries – a global graveyard for dead computers in ghana’ – written 19/08/2010
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/the-story-of-electronics-electronic-waste/	Previous Blog Post on ‘The story of electronics’ – written 19/11/2010
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/how-corporate-social-responsiblity-csr-could-help-save-money-and-the-environment/	Previous Blog Post on ‘How Corporate Social Responsibility could save money and the environment’ – written 04/03/2011
http://www.givingtimeandsolutions.com	Green IT Whitepaper and Articles

USEFUL LINKS(Information used in this blog post have been referenced from some of these sources. All are worth reading!)

http://www.environmentwriter.org/resources/backissues/chemicals/di2_ethyl.htmhttp://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/hesis/Documents/arsen2.pdf http://apps.sepa.org.uk/spripa/Pages/SubstanceInformation.aspx?pid=114http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/hexavalent_chromium.pdf http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=528&tid=94 http://http://www.cefic-efra.com/Objects/2/Files/IntroChlorineFactsheets.pdf http://http://www.ipen.org/ipenweb/poprc/newpops.html#Short-chain%20chlorinated%20parrafins http://www.silent.se/iso-7779.php Blood Lead Level and Kidney Function in US Adolescents: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Archives of internal medicine. 2010,170 (1), pp. 75-82. Fadrowski Jeffrey J.; Navas-Acien Ana; Tellez-Plaza Maria; Guallar Eliseo; Weaver Virginia M.; Furth Susan L.  Evaluation of lead and mercury neurotoxic health risk by resident children in the Obuasi municipality, Ghana. Environmental Toxicology and PharmacologyVolume 29, Issue 3, May 2010, Pages 209-212. S. Obiri, D.K. Dodoo, F.A. Armah, D.K. Essumang and S.J. Cobbina Effects of exposure to cadmium on calcium metabolism: a population study. Br J Ind Med 1991; 48:710-714. J Staessen, A Amery, A Bernard, P Bruaux, J P Buchet, F Claeys, P De Plaen, G Ducoffre, R Fagard, R R Lauwerys Cadmium in human population. Experientia 1984; 40: 143-50. Bernard A, Lauwerys R. Mercury species of sediment and fish in freshwater fish ponds around the Pearl River Delta, PR China: Human health risk assessment. Chemosphere Volume 83, Issue 4, April 2011, Pages 443-448. Dingding Shao, Peng Liang, Yuan Kang, Hongsheng Wang, Zhang Cheng, Shengchun Wu, Jianbo Shi, Samuel Chun Lap Lo, Wenxiong Wang and Ming H. Wong The toxicology of mercury. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci. 1997; 34(4):369-403. Clarkson TW. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs): biochemistry, toxicology, and mechanism of action. Crit Rev Toxicol. 1984;13(4):319-95. Safe S. Szabo “Effects of perinatal PBDE exposure on hepatic phase I, phase II, phase III, and deiodinase 1 gene expression involved in thyroid hormone metabolism in male rat pups”. Toxicol. Sci. 107 (1): 27–39. (January 2009). DT, Richardson VM, Ross DG, Diliberto JJ, Kodavanti PR, Birnbaum LS. Effects of repeated skin exposure to low nickel concentrations : a model for allergic contact dermatitis to nickel on the hands. British journal of dermatology 1999, vol. 141, no4, pp. 676-682. Nielsen N. H., Menne T.; Kristiansen J. ; Christensen J. M.; Borg L. Poulsen L. K. Children absorb tris-BP flame retardant from sleepwear: urine contains the mutagenic metabolite, 2,3-dibromopropanol. Science 15 September 1978: Vol. 201 no. 4360 pp. 1020-1023. A Blum, MD Gold, BN Ames, FR Jones, EA Hett, RC Dougherty, EC Horning, I Dzidic, DI Carroll, RN Stillwell and JP Thenot Renal and testicular damage following dermal application of the flame retardant tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A: Current Issues. Volume 3, Issue 5 & 6, 1977, Pages 979 – 987. R. E. Osterberga; G. W. Bierbowera; R. M. Hehir Nephrotoxicity of the flame retardant, tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate, and its metabolites. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. Volume 62, Issue 1, January 1982, Pages 179-182. W. Clayton Elliott, Robert K. Lynn, Donald C. Houghton, John M. Kennish and William M. Bennett Some Effects of TEPA, an Insect Chemosterilant, on the Guppy, Poecilia reticulata .Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 98 (2)280 – 287, 1969, Jay N. Stocka; Oliver B. Copea Sterility and semisterility in male progeny of male mice treated with the chemical mutagen TEPA. Toxicology and Applied PharmacologyVolume 19, Issue 2, June 1971, Pages 134-146. S. S. Epstein, W. Bass, E. Arnold, Y. Bishop, S. Joshi and I. D. Adle Epigenetics and environmental chemicals. Current opinion in Pediatrics 21 (2): 243–251 (2009).Baccarelli, A.; Bollati, V.. Carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic effects of arsenic. Environ Health Perspect. 1977 August; 19: 179–182. V Bencko Effects of the pesticides carbofuran, chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, lindane, triallate, trifluralin, 2, 4-D, and pentachlorophenol on the metabolic endocrine and reproductive endocrine system in ewes. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, Vol 54 (1): 21-26, 1998. N. C. Rawlings S. J. Cook D. Waldbillig Formation of a carcinogenic aromatic amine from an azo dye by human skin bacteria in vitro. Hum Exp Toxicol September 1999 vol. 18 no. 9 552-559. T Platzek, C Lang, G Grohmann, U-S Gi, W Baltes

 DATE: 05/10/2011 02:00pm

Tripta Prashar

http://givingtimeandsolutions.com

Green Coding – Best practices to ensure reduced costs, carbon footprint and energy usage

What is meant by ‘Green Coding’?

Having efficient systems and well written code is a must, as there will be many benefits delivered. Application systems that have data entry screens or reports used by its customers/employees will be written using a coding language.

Whether it’s the IT Development or IT Support team, both will regularly need to look at the code.  The impact of having poorly written code for the systems will cause many problems for the organisation in the long-term.  The systems developed must always be supportable, especially when the Developer/IT Support employee is not in, has left, is no longer working on that project, etc. 

The code always remains the intellectual property of the organisation. It must be documented well, structured and easy to maintain. 

• How many systems do you have which require knowing the VAT percentage? This does change.
• How are calculations made? For example, calculating the energy usage?
• How many business processes require knowing when holidays/bank holidays are?
• How are names stored (first name, surname)? The surname and marital status can change.

I’ve decided to keep the questioning short in this blog post.

Hopefully, the diagram below will illustrate some best coding practices, to ensure there is ‘Greener Coding’.

 

OTHER USEFUL LINKS	DESCRIPTION
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/business-at-risk-from-mountains-of-unstructured-data/	Previous Blog Post on ‘Business at risk from mountains of unstructured data’ – written 19/08/2011
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/whether-you-store-files-locally-on-the-server-or-up-in-the-cloud-it-is-important-to-structure-well/	Previous Blog Post on ‘The importance of structuring’ – written 19/07/2010
http://www.givingtimeandsolutions.com	Green IT Whitepaper

DATE: 22/09/2011 06:00pm

Tripta Prashar

http://givingtimeandsolutions.com

How Virtualization can help customers meet their business needs faster and save costs and reduce carbon footprint

Other than cloud computing, I keep hearing about zumba dancing and virtualization/virtualisation (the latter, which when spoken uses quite a few facial muscles!). I’ll stick to the American spelling in this blog post.

What do they all have in common? Latest buzz words!

Although zumba dancing (dance aerobic, similar to Bollywood dancing! ) has a link with energy, my point is they’re all the latest craze, trends, what’s being talked about, what people are following….if you know what I mean.

Anyway, in Green IT, cloud computing and virtualization are being described as the ‘future of IT’. They offer many financial and environmental benefits, and once again, have proven to do so.

As mentioned in a previous blog post, virtualization isn’t really anything new. It’s something which was being used at a company I worked at quite a few years ago. They always kept up to date (and still do) with the latest technologies.

With virtualization, you have server virtualization, desktop virtualization, network virtualization and more. To describe it simply, you’re basically connecting to another machine. You may use Microsoft Terminal Services, Virtual Private Network (VPN), to access/use the software, applications, data, run database scripts, etc, which are basically not stored on your own PC. You would log on locally onto your own PC to use the software which has been installed on it, such as Microsoft Office.

As your business grows, the need for services increases. As the needs for services increases, new application systems may be required, more storage, more operating systems, etc.

The IT department must always implement cost-effective solutions to ensure the needs of the customer/business are continuously being met. The business may also grow because companies have merged. I recently received a letter to inform me that I wouldn’t be able to access a website for a day due to the merge of two companies. My assumption is they have migrated all their systems, data, developed new websites, to one central location (perhaps). They will therefore have to ensure the migration to the live/production system has worked ok and has been thoroughly tested again, before their customers can access it. That’s one day of down time (unavailability).

 • Do you know where the application systems you use are kept?

• Do you know where your emails are being kept?

 • Do you know where your databases are and how many you have?

• Do you know how much storage is being used?

• As a tester or user of an application system, do you know if you have separate servers set up (in the ideal world!) for unit testing, system testing and the live (production) environments for each of these?

• Do you know how you’re connecting on to the intranet or internet?

• How many Data Centers (staying consistent with the American spelling) do you have?

• Is your data stored on or off site? It may be outsourced.

• Do you have any servers under your desk or located in different offices?

• Do you have blade or rack servers?

• How much space is being occupied with the servers?

• Are servers being left on 24/7?

 • Do you have Oracle servers, SQL servers, etc?

• How many operating systems/versions do you have(Windows/Linux/Ubuntu/Solaris)?

• Are you using open-source software?

• How much is being spent on buying new hardware servers and how often?

• How much time is being spent by IT staff maintaining the servers?

• What impact does it have on the business when servers have to be taken down when an update or fix is required?

• How long are servers down for (downtime)?

• What business critical systems are held on which servers?

• Are there any systems no longer being used by the users/customers/employees/staff?

• Are your servers being accessed globally?

• Do you have documentation on who has access to what servers/applications?

• Do you have physical and/or virtual servers?

 • How much power/heating/cooling is being consumed?

• How much are you spending on hardware, software, licenses, etc.

• How long does it take to deploy new servers?

• Are all your servers from the same vendor/supplier?

• What support do your suppliers provide and also, not support?

• How do you back up your information/data?

• Does the technology support multiple processors and clustering?

Again, endless questions….

THE BENEFITS OF VIRTUALIZATION

• Improved productivity
• Reduced processing time
• Simplified standard IT environment
• Enhanced security protection
• Decreased vulnerability threats
• High availability
• Zero outages
• Saved costs
• Enhanced end-user experience
• Improved time to market
• Cut carbon emissions
• Reduced energy consumption
• Decreased IT footprint
• Improved service levels
• Free up Data Center space
• Improve agility
• Improve efficiency
• Can add processing power when needed
• Lower capital costs and operational costs
• Less disposal (WEEE)
• Less network infrastructure required

VIRTUALIZATION – PROVEN SUCCESSES

There are many companies who have had their costs saved and carbon footprint reduced through virtualization.

OTHER USEFUL LINKS	DESCRIPTION
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/cloud-computing-simply-explained-a-green-it-initiative/	Previous Blog Post on ‘Cloud Computing – simply explained’ – written 23/11/2010
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/business-at-risk-from-mountains-of-unstructured-data/	Previous Blog Post on ‘Business at risk from mountains of unstructured data’ – written 19/08/2011
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/whether-you-store-files-locally-on-the-server-or-up-in-the-cloud-it-is-important-to-structure-well/	Previous Blog Post on ‘The importance of structuring’ – written 19/07/2010
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_center	Fantastic information which explains what a Data Center is, virtualization, simplified pictures and more!
http://www.givingtimeandsolutions.com	Green IT Articles – Data Centres, Server Consolidation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_server	Blade Servers explained
http://www.nyu.edu/its/pubs/connect/fall06/pdfs/samaan_blade.pdf	Benefits of virtualization and blade servers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_virtualization	Logical Diagram (picture) used in this blog post
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source	Open Source software explained

DATE: 20/09/2011 01:00pm

Tripta Prashar

http://givingtimeandsolutions.com

 

Green IT Printing Initiatives – Save Energy and Save Paper by using Managed Print Services

Save Energy –> Save Paper –> Save Costs

If your organisation has separate printers, photocopiers, scanners and faxes, you may want to consider Managed Print Services. There are a number of suppliers who provide this service, and the financial and environmental reduction benefits have been proven!

To have an understanding of your current businesses processes and IT print infrastructure is initially required.

• Do you know how much you’re spending on paper, toners/cartridges, licenses, maintenance/support, IT energy usage (the bills), etc?
• Do you have different models/makes for printers, photocopiers, scanners and faxes?
• What is your printing policy?
• Do employees know about the printing policies?
• How do you recycle?
• Which departments/employees require their own personal printer?
• Is information secure if a printer is shared across different departments/team?
• Do you continue to keep what you have or are you just wasting costs this way?
• Are departments paying separately?
• Who actually knows the overall IT printing costs?
• Do you have to really print, fax, photocopy and scan documents?
• Are there any legal requirements to do so?
• How many support calls for IT are logged to do with print/photocopier/fax/scanner faults?
• Would it be better for the IT department to focus on their other main responsibilities within the organisation? To support the IT systems used by the business and its customers?
• How reliable are your suppliers?
• What impact does it have on your business when none of the devices work?
• How much time is spent on training staff to fix these devices, use them, etc?
• How long does it take to ‘walk to the printer’?!?    Think of the exercise and health/safety!

 I could go on and on with my questions!

 At a recent event I attended, Severn Trent mentioned they have a paperless office and no air-conditioning. I’m intrigued! As mentioned in a previous blog post, there are needs to print – lengthy legal standard contracts from professional solicitors which require a signature (for full/part employees, subcontractors, etc), non-disclosure-agreements (NDA), marketing material, customer documents, receipts, letters, questionnaires, etc.

Just like some mobile phone contracts, with Managed Print Services, you are paying a monthly fee. The costs may also be for page volumes, print cartridges and repair/maintenance. To have your printing services managed centrally will reduce your waste in more ways than one, as it’s a more controlled structured process.  Having remote support has many advantages, such as automatically monitoring you current supply usage and any performance issues for you (in advance). By paying and monitoring monthly, you will have much better reporting, incident reports, fix response times and more. 

Giving Time and Solutions Ltd is an independent company, which means the solutions given are vendor-neutral. I have selected a few suppliers who have proven to reduce the IT print costs and improve the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for large, globally and UK based companies. The Service Level Agreement (SLA) for each supplier will differ, but overall, your IT printing costs will be a lot more transparent…..which is a good thing!

MFP/MFD (Multifunction printer/devices)  have replaced legacy IT equipment, as they allow you to print, copy and scan-to-email, and have many other technical features. Having to  enter a pin to collect print-outs has also proven to reduce the paper waste on documents which have been sent to print, but have not actually been printed.

 he challenge will (as with most changes) will be managing the behavioural changes. Employees may no longer have their own printer, reduce  their printing/copying, and they may see it as a more ‘controlled’ process. If you don’t know what each department/team is doing, how will you know how best to reduce your costs and waste? However, in time, the benefits will be seen, and employees will see an improvement to efficiency, quality and productivity.  These benefits will need communicating to all staff on a regular basis, so that the difference is being recognised.

OTHER USEFUL LINKS	DESCRIPTION
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/green-printing-option-vegetable-based-inks-reduces-the-impact-on-the-environment/	Previous Blog Post on Vegetable-based inks – written 18/04/2011
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/to-print-or-not-to-print-reduce-costs-and-carbon-emissions/	Previous Blog Post on ‘to print or not to print’ – – written 05/08/2010
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/printing-tips-explaining-the-why-on-how-to-print-efficiently-and-be-more-greener/	Previous Blog Post on explaining’ when’ to print – written 20/08/2010

DATE: 14/09/2011 09:00pm

Tripta Prashar

http://givingtimeandsolutions.com

 

Reducing IT Waste in the Education Sector and Managing Behavioral Changes

Save Energy ->  Save Money  -> Reduce Carbon Footprint

In a previous blog post, I wrote about IT power management.  I wanted to show how IT energy management software (from different suppliers) has actually proven to deliver several financial and environmental benefits across a number of business sectors.  When the IT equipment is not being used, the power must to be reduced!

HEALTH and EDUCATION – both VERY IMPORTANT! Focusing on the education sector in this blog post, this sector includes schools, colleges and universities.  The lecturers, teachers, students, other employee departments (such as HR, facilities, catering, payroll, reception staff, librarians, etc) all tend to use IT equipment on-site and also, log into systems when off-site as well.

In Nov 2009, another IT energy management supplier who I personally met gave me a demonstration of their product in detail.  Once I’d learned about the functionality, features and benefits, somehow I became their saleswoman for a while on the day! Anyway, their IT energy management product is a purely workstation-based solution. This means there are no extra costs to purchase a new server, and that itself will save money!

THE BENEFITS – — RETURN ON INVESTMENT PROVEN!

A number of schools, colleges and universities have proven to save considerable money through IT energy management.

Although IT energy management software will significantly eliminate IT waste, I always say that changes in behavior also needs to be addressed.  When a person wants to live a healthy lifestyle, the two areas looked at are nutrition/diet and exercise.  There’s no point in doing exercise if the food you’re eating is not healthy. There’s no point in eating healthy food, if you do not combine it with exercise. Gradual steps are taken which soon increase and become habit! I can go on and on about nutrition and exercise, how needs are different, how people are different, how certain food groups suits the individual, etc ! Anyway (stay focused Tripta!), similarly, once a PC has automatically been switched off, or lights as well for that matter,   there is nothing to stop someone from switching it back on again.  This is an observation which I’ve seen myself several times! Habits need to be changed as well and people need to, again as I always say, understand the ‘WHY’. The detailed Giving Time and Solutions Green IT Model on People-Process-Technology Model used since June 2009, explains this quite well.   MANAGING BEHAVIOURAL CHANGES need to be addressed, again another topic that I cover.  Results will be seen eventually.…. POSITIVE RESULTS!

OTHER USEFUL LINKS	DESCRIPTION
http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/reducing-carbon-dioxide-emissions-and-saving-costs-through-it-power-management/	Previous Blog Post on IT Power Management – written 13/11/2010
http://www.givingtimeandsolutions.com/	Giving Time and Solutions – Green IT

DATE: 11/09/2011 01:15pm

Tripta Prashar

http://givingtimeandsolutions.com

 

ITU will urge world leaders to recognise the power of ICTs to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, at the UN Climate Change Conference

FABULOUS! – the BENEFITS of GREEN IT!

MUST READs below…

‘The International Telecommunication Union will back IT’s green credentials at the UN’s next climate conference

The ITU will urge world leaders to recognise the power of information technologys (ICTs) to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP17) in South Africa in November’

Please click here to read more about how ICT solutions can reduce other sectors emissions, monitoring deforestation, better waste management, etc.

…and there’s MORE!

World Leaders to be educated about Green IT benefits…

“Attendees at the South Africa-based event will be urged to recognise the role green IT could play in adapting to the effects of climate change and making businesses more eco-friendly places.

“It is now clear to most observers that ICTs have a very important role to play here,” said ITU secretary general Dr Hamadoun Tourév.

“Recognition of this at the international level will provide countries with a solid argument to roll out climate change strategies with a strong ICT element.”

Please click here to read the rest…

DATE: 22/07/2011

Tripta Prashar

www.givingtimeandsolutions.com

Making 2020 Zero Waste Work – Achieving a low carbon resource efficient future

Following on from my previous blog post regarding the 2020 Zero Waste Initiative, http://triptaprashar.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/the-2020-zero-waste-initiative/, an update was given at Coventry’s Friends of the Earth meeting yesterday.

The ‘Making 2020 Zero Waste Work- Achieving a low carbon resource efficient future’ conference will be held on Friday 9^th Sept 2011 at St. Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry.

Starting from 9.00am, there will be a number of speakers  and workshops on waste review and best practice examples.  

For full details of the programme, please visit the website http://www.climate-change-solutions.co.uk/.

DATE: 22/07/2011

Tripta Prashar

www.givingtimeandsolutions.com

Waste statistics – recycle plastic and food waste

3 volunteers from Coventry Friends of the Earth surveyed 100 people to ask for their thoughts on recycling and packaging.

The feedback  results from all 100 people showed 90 per cent want to be able to recycle more types of plastic and 84 per cent want kerbside collections of food waste.

Danny, of Coventry Friends of the Earth, said: “If the government helped councils to improve services and worked with businesses to make products longer lasting and easier to recycle, we could send much less rubbish to the incinerator. Recycling waste is not only more environmentally friendly, it’s also more cost-effective.”

Let’s hope the feedback from ‘the people’ will be listened to, and put into action!

DATE: 25/05/2011

Tripta Prashar

www.givingtimeandsolutions.com

Green printing option – Vegetable-based inks reduces the impact on the environment

 Nationwide Building society printed leaflets all have the following text….

‘Nationwide cares about the environment – this literature is printed in the UK with biodegradable vegetable inks on paper from well managed sources.’

Vegetable inks are another option to consider when you’re looking to print in a ‘green’ way.

There are a number of environmental benefits!  In comparison to the mineral/petroleum inks, vegetable-based inks are derived from renewal resources, made from sources such as linseed oils and also have less impact when recycled.   There are less toxins from the metals,  such as cadmium which is in mineral-based inks.  Lower volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions are emitted during printing, which are carbon-containing gases.

There is also less damage to the health and a reduced impact on the environment from using vegetable-based inks.

There are a number of suppliers/printers who offer the option to print using low VOC products and vegetable-based inks.

DATE: 18/04/2011

Tripta Prashar

www.givingtimeandsolutions.com