green computing

HP's New LCD Monitor Earns PC Mag's 'GreenTech Seal of Approval'

jplatt — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

PC Magazine has given its coveted "GreenTech Approved" seal to its first LCD monitor: the HP LP2275w.

The LP2275w is, of course, ENERGY STAR rated, which you should consider first when buying any new electronics. It also has an EPEAT Silver ranking, which means that it has a low environmental impact.

The monitor uses 52 watts of power when it's operating, and just 3 watts of power during sleep mode -- a very important energy-saving feature.

PC Mag's GreenTech seal ranks devices on energy usage, recyclability, and green certifications.

You can read a full review of this new monitor (which lists at $349) here.

Cut Emissions 88% by Downloading Software

jplatt — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

I had to buy some new software recently, and when I did I found that I had two options: have the program shipped to me or download it directly to my computer. I chose to have it shipped. Boy, did that turn out to be the wrong decision.

According to a recent survey by Microsoft, in cooperation with Accenture and WSP Environment and Energy, downloading a single program saves the equivalent of a gallon of gas.

The savings comes not just from shipping costs, but also from the manufacture of software disks and packaging.

Microsoft initiated the study so it could visualize the impact of its Office 2007 suite. They found that 80% of their sales came from traditional retail outlets. If they could convince those 80% of buyers to download the program instead, it would be the same as taking 13,008 passenger cars off the road for one year.

The ultimate message: "Through electronic software distribution, technology companies, like Microsoft, are supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy."

So think about that the next time you need to order a program. Do you really need that CD-ROM to sit to on your shelf for the next five years, or will a simple download do the job? I'm guessing "Download Now" is going to be your best option.

HP Offering Free 'Green IT for Dummies' Guide

jplatt — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Studies have shown that companies can decrease their IT costs by embracing "green IT" techniques, all while increasing their IT power.

Do you think your company might benefit from green IT? If so, then HP has something for you: a free, limited edition "Green IT for Dummies" pocket book.

Created as an introduction to help organizations go green, the guide offers "simple and straight-forward ideas on how to reduce the environmental impact of IT systems and harness the power of IT to reduce the wider environmental impacts of climate change in society"

If order to get your free book, you need to answer two brief questions on HP's website:

a) Does your company have a specific Green IT plan?
b) Which function is responsible for achieving that?

Okay, so this is basically a sales tool to get you to buy HP's services, but hey, free is free. So if your company would benefit from going greener, answer those questions and get your free book. You never know, you might learn something.

Letting Your Computer Idle Costs You Money

jplatt — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Do you shut your computer down when you walk away from it, or when you go home for the night? According to a new study, only half of American workers turn their computers off a night. In addition to burning electricity and adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, it's estimated that this costs businesses $2.8 billion a year to power the 108 million unused machines left on every night.

Ouch.

So what are the lessons from this? First of all, turn your computer off at night or if you're going to be away from it for more than a few minutes. Anything else is wasteful.

Second, make sure your comptuer's sleep mode is activated. Most modern PCs use a lot less energy while they're "hibernating," but only if you don't turn these energy-saving features off first.

Third, if your company has a lot of computers, look into automated power-down software -- such as PC Power Down -- that will shut off all of your idle computers after the end of your business day.

Fourth, go commando! If you're leaving for the day, and you notice someone else left their computer off, turn it off for them! It could be the easiest act of environmental activism your have ever done.

Now, go turn off your PC and take a walk!

Reduce Your Environmental Impact with Long-Living Laptop Battery

jplatt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Typical laptop batteries aren't the greenest gizmos in the game. They don't last all that long, they burn through their charges pretty quickly, and they aren't all that easy to recycle. But HP and Boston Power are helping to change that.

HP is now selling a new line of environmentally friendly batteries for its notebook computers. The HP Enviro series is manufactured by Boston Power, and fits 18 of HP's different laptops.

The batteries are certified by Ecolabel, and can be recharged up to 1,000 times, or about as many times necessary for the battery to last three years. (Most laptop batteries are only good for around one year or a few hundred charges.)

The Enviro series is a bit pricey -- $149 -- but if you look at it, that's just $20 or $30 more than a battery that will last a third as long. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

Save Paper and Ink with Free Ecofont

jplatt — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0500

A few weeks ago, I wrote about GreenPrint's EverGreen font, a typeface designed to maintain readablity while using thinner letters, so printed documents use less paper.

A similar idea comes from Ecofont, a free typeface that prints using less ink. Each letter printed in Ecofont actually contains dozens of tiny, ink-free dots (like the big version of the font you see illustrating this article). They're invisible to the naked eye, but they combine to use less ink than fonts that use a full amount of ink.

Now, Ecofont is only designed for use in 12-point type or less (ideally, it should be used at 9 or 10 point), but unless your eyesight is going, that's still perfectly readable.

Of course, we should all be trying to print less whenever possible, but if you really need to create a paper copy, installing Ecofont could help you use less toner, which makes your printed documents a wee bit greener and saves you a little bit of money.

Hey, every little bit helps, right?

Assess the Benefits of Green IT with Free Online Tool from Redemtech

jplatt — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Would your company benefit from greener IT practices? A free online tool from Redemtech can help you find the answer.

The Sustainable Computing Assessment allows you to discover how your IT lifecycle management and disposal policies stack up against industry best practices. By plugging in information about your company policies and processes, the Assessment tool:

Explores the policy, practice and governance issues essential for establishing a truly sustainable IT asset management program
Scores against industry averages for productivity, reuse, accountability, energy and environmental social responsibility
Findings and recommendations point to areas for improvements

You need to register with Redemtech and receive their news updates to take the assessment, but that sounds like a pretty small price!

While you're on their site, register to receive the white paper they sponsored, Beyond Power: IT’s Roadmap to Sustainable Computing. It will give you all kinds of additional information and tools to help you green your IT department so it doesn't cost you quite so much green.

AT&T's U-verse TV Gets Green Certification

jplatt — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Subscribers to AT&T's U-verse digital TV service got good news this week: all of AT&T's set-top boxes (the devices that empower the Internet-based TV service) exceed the energy requirements of the U.S.'s ENERGY STAR program, meaning they use less electricity than competing products and therefore save subscribers a few bucks a year.

The news comes with the announcement that all new U-verse set-top boxes will officially carry the ENERGY STAR logo.

According to AT&T, the fact that they're providing TV services over Internet lines makes the service much more energy-efficient:

"Because of the inherent benefits of advanced Internet Protocol (IP) technology, U-verse TV customers IP-based set-top boxes are more energy-efficient than other digital set-top boxes. AT&T U-verse receivers conform to energy efficiency requirements that are 36 percent more stringent than cable set-top box requirements. The improved efficiency is achieved, in part, because IP receivers don’t have tuners."

So far, only DirecTV set-top boxes share AT&T's ENERGY STAR distinction. Now if only we can get more cable companies into the act.

Dell to Cut 20 Million Pounds of Packaging

jplatt — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

I just ordered a new Dell laptop, and I was pleased to find that it came in a box barely bigger than the computer itself. This seems to tie in nicely with Dell Computers' recent announcement that it will cut its desktop and laptop packaging by 10% over the next four years, a move it says will save both 20 million pounds of packaging materials and more than $8 million.

In addition, Dell says it will increase the amount of "sustainable content" in its cushioning and corrugate packaging by 40%, and "ensure that 75% of packaging components are curbside recyclable by 2012."

Dell says its plan will help to save 150,000 trees over the next four years -- trees that that would otherwise have become cardboard packages -- and in 2009 recycle 33 million milk jugs to to become High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) thermal-formed cushions.

“We’re challenging every technology company to join us in implementing a global green packaging strategy,” said Tod Arbogast, director of Sustainable Business at Dell. “In doing so, we will drive extraordinary environmental and cost savings for our businesses and customers while setting a new efficiency model for other industries to follow.”

Let's hope they do!

HP Announces Long-Life Laptop Batteries

jplatt — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:47:28 -0500

HP will soon start offering a new laptop battery that will have a longer lifespan than just about any other laptop battery on the market.

The new Enviro Series batteries, manufactured by Boston-Power, can be recharged up to 1,000 times without degredation. Most rechargeable batteries lost a fraction of their capacity every time they are discharged and recharged. Boston-Power says their new batteries will stay as-new three times longer than other batteries on the market.

The lithium-ion batteries also boast a fast recharge time -- up to 80% capacity in just 30 minutes.

The batteries will be available as an upgrade on new laptops, or separately, starting in early 2009. They'll also come with a three-year warranty.