Tech Leaders Go Green

Trend: Technology companies have a plan for reducing energy consumption by computers.

GreenBiz News describes the Climate Savers Computing Alliance. Excerpts below.

Link: GreenBiz News | Intel, Google to Put Computers to Work as Climate Savers

The computing giants have joined forces to create the Climate Savers Computing Alliance, a broad coalition that includes other IT industry companies, government agencies and environmental groups that seeks ways to spread energy-efficient computers and IT power management worldwide.

The list of companies that have already joined the alliance as supporting members reads as a who's-who of the leaders of the IT industry. In addition to Intel and Google, other members include AMD, Dell, Microsoft, IBM, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and many others. Joining them in the roster are environmental groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund and the World Resources Institute, as well as the U.S. EPA. The full list is on the group's website at ClimateSaversComputing.org/program/colleagues.html.

...Google's vice president of operations, Urs Holzle, laid out the two paths that the new alliance will take to achieve the goal, first by increasing the efficiency of computer hardware, and second by encouraging users to use software that uses the power more efficiently.

"Today, the average desktop P.C. wastes nearly half of its power, and the average server wastes one-third of its power," Holzle said. "The Climate Savers Computing Initiative is setting a new 90 percent efficiency target for power supplies, which if achieved, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons per year -- and save more than $5.5 billion in energy costs."

Businesses and individuals alike are encouraged to join the program. Manufacturers who pledge their support have committed themselves to building energy-efficient products that meet or surpass the EPA's Energy Star guidelines. Businesses must also commit to requiring high efficiency systems for the majority of their corporate desktop PCs and volume server purchases, and take advantage of power management tools on desktop PCs.

Comments

[pithy]

This follows a familiar pattern whereby ecotunity is not fully opened until a "big player" (in this case a group of players) validates an inchoate social consciousness.