Ten Green Quickies

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle or the 3Rs is the basic mantra for going green. Any
organization that aspires to turn green needs to do so with the use of the 3Rs
(though nowadays there seems to be a few more added, like re-engineer, etc).
Still, green is enshrouded in much secrecy. A lot many CIOs or CTOs are wary of
starting on the road, simply because they are really unaware of where to start
and how to proceed.

So for the uninitiated, yet keen, we present a 10 step guide that can be
handy in the start. Culled from experience, these steps are no Golden Rules that
need to be followed to the T. Neither do you need to follow them in the listed
order. You could pick and choose a few, tweak and trim the rest, or just ignore
them if you want. But in case you are interested, then there couldnt be a
better starting point.

1. How Much Is How Much?

The old maxim that you cannot reduce what you cannot measure still
holds true. Thus the most important step to begin is also the most
basicmeasure. Start off by measuring the amount of money spent on power
consumption in the past three months, and compare it with those of the earlier
two quarters. Meanwhile, dig deeper and try to find where is the biggest demand
for power coming from. Is it from the end-user, the assembly line or the data
center. Once you have all the details in place, you can start taking action and,
more importantly, be able to justify your plans in front of the higher
management. For instance, Sony TV in India has done an amazing job (read the
case study) in measuring the cost of energy consumption throughout the
enterprise and then chalking out a strategy to reduce them.

2. I Want To Be The Greenest

A decade or so back companies realised that they needed to project a
mission, vision, value, statement to their employees and investors to motivate
and enlist their support. It is much the same for green as well. Their needs to
be an intent and commitment to green and that can come from a green mission
statement. Plaster the same across the company to remind all and sundry about
the need to be conscious in every action, from powering of a PC to printing on
both sides.

3. Switching Off, Goodnight!

According to the International Energy Agency estimates the standby
mode could be causing a full 1% of the worlds greenhouse gas emissionsclose to
what the entire aviation industry emits. Sadly, it is a common practice among
many employees to leave their PCs on standby mode when leaving for home.
According to some estimates, on an average some 40% of PCs are switched on
during non-working hours. Imagine the amount of power loss. But this can be
tackled easily, just by tweaking the system to go into a shut off mode after a
fixed time span.

4. A Virtual World

Data centers use massive amounts of electricity; large ones can use
megawatts of power, with each square meter using much more power than an average
urban Indian home. Cooling is about 60% of the power costs in a data center
because of inefficiency. So, in such a scenario the key word is consolidate and
virtualize, both are in a way two sides of the same coin. Take the case of
Reliance Communications (read Sumeet Chowdhurys Interview), they have
undertaken a big consolidation drive within the organization, and are also
moving the servers to a virtualized environment.

5. Soft Way To Green

Once you have mapped the energy consumption pattern within the
organization, and consolidated and virtualized the data center, the next step is
to go in for software solutions that help better manage the existing
infrastructure. In fact things like asset management and cloud computing, though
not directly related to green, can aid green initiatives within the company.

6. Buying New Stuff?

Whenever you make a new hardware purchase henceforth let it be as
green as possible. Be sure to look at the energy conservation merits of the
product before making a purchase decision. Look for certifications and labels,
for instance, Energy Star is a recognized standard within the industry for
displaying an energy efficient hardware.

7. No More Boarding Passes

After the energy and cooling costs within the company, the next
biggest cost is travel. Most top executives in any organization are frequently
on the move from one office to another. This, while being a major expense for a
company, is also a big reason for the carbon footprint. Thus, as an organization
assess the need and invest in collaborative tools that will reduce the need for
such travel.

8. Green Build Or Rebuild

Once the basic steps are in place, it is time to move on to an
advanced level and look at the building design, so as to save energy. Usually
green buildings are built from scratch but even existing buildings can be turned
into green by means of tweaking the various parameters like lighting, air
conditioning, etc. LEED ratings might sound very fashionable, but they are very
practicable as well.

9. Power Of The Sun And The Wind

India being a tropical country, there is always an abundance of
sunshine. Thus solar power is the obvious choice. But sadly, due to the high
costs, namely initial investment and lack of support from the government, except
for the companies looking at CER (certified emission reductions) not many others
are looking at renewable sources of energy like solar and wind. Nonetheless, it
is where the future belongs and hence always look at means to incorporate both
sun and wind power within the company.

10. No More (E)waste

Finally, dont forget to look at the end of a lifecycle scenario for
your assets. E-waste is one of the biggest challenges faced by the country and
dont add to it by selling your old PCs to the neighborhood junkyard. Try and
extend the life of your equipment as much as possible and also look at
collaborating with local companies that recycle hardware. The best way to
inspire others is to lead through example, so stop wearing business suits within
the organization and encourage the rest to do the same. This simple step will
lower the air conditioning needs within the company. Make it a point to switch
of all appliances in your office and also any other that you come across. Try
and use notebooks rather than desktop computers whenever possible and minimize
the use of paper, and properly recycle waste paper.

And, finally, be well informed on green, one of the best ways is to read
Dataquest regularly, as we have started a dedicated section on Green IT that is
published in every alternative issue. Happy Greening!

Shashwat DC

shashwatc@cybermedia.co.in