Showing posts with label Information Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Information Technology. Show all posts

Event - International Green IT Awareness Week

A Green technology brainstorm is headed for the IT world as International Green IT Awareness Week running from the 1 - 7 June 2013 aims to shine a spotlight on Green IT and pave the way for organisations and individuals to initiate, promote and support Green IT discussions and action.

The International Green IT Awareness Week (IGITAW) is a seven day, multi-time zone, global, online event hosted by the Foundation for IT Sustainability (FFITS.ORG) that will bring together the global network of Green IT professionals with thousands of tech journalists, CIOs, CTOs, IT Managers, sustainability professionals, carbon managers, IT enthusiasts and more under one virtual roof.

FFITS.ORG’s Project Manager and Event Manger of IGITAW, Tim Martin, said, this year we will have over 30 live and pre-recorded tactical and practical learning sessions, international keynotes, Q&A panels and is a must attend for those looking for greater sustainability performance and efficiency from their organisation and IT assets.” “The main outcome of this week is to encourage individuals and organisations to demand more from themselves and their partners, holding each other to account for our impact on the environment from our reliance on information technology,” Mr Martin said.

“Last year we had over 2200 of our industry peers join us at the largest, most comprehensive Green IT virtual conference in the world designed to showcase the latest on IT Sustainability, Green IT best practices, and the development of more sustainable technology alternatives.” “We are all using IT services at an ever-increasing rate, but what does the future hold for Green IT, and what services, new business and technological innovations can we expect in the next few years?” Mr. Martin said.

“In 2013, International Green IT Awareness Week will answer these questions simultaneously from all regions of the world, and share the latest developments, trends and applications that are forwarding the sustainable IT agenda.” Mr. Martin continued.

“As a free to attend and 100% virtual conference, attendees of International Green IT Awareness Week can learn from Green IT experts, network, chat directly with other attendees, speakers and sponsors in the comfort of their own home or office.” “Presentations will be run across multiple global time zones and can be viewed on demand if you miss the session. Our speakers will also be available post-presentation to chat live with the audience in dedicated Q&A panels.” Mr Martin added.

Mr. Martin also stated that speaker registrations for the global virtual conference are being accepted until May 11th 2013. “Our world-class speakers are the reason our event remains the biggest Green IT conference in the world! We welcome presentation submissions from all individuals and organisations with a passion for educating the IT industry on Green IT. In 2012 the response for speakers/presentations was overwhelming, so if you are thinking about making a submission register early to avoid disappointment.”

In addition, Mr. Martin stated a number of exclusive sponsorship opportunities were still available for those organisations looking to enhance their brand, increase their exposure and attract visitors to their organisation through financial sponsorship of International Green IT Awareness Week.

Mr Martin highlighted there are small steps each organisation can take which – when multiplied across the globe – contribute a massive reduction to the global greenhouse gas toll.

“As an individual, by turning your computer off each night when you leave work, you will help save as much energy as it takes to make 9,280 bags of microwave popcorn, or to produce 3,480 plastic bags in a year,” “Until now, organisations were missing acentralised, cohesive initiative which will enable them to both understand the benefits, challenges and cultural changes required for Green IT, and appreciate the current research enabling them to plan for the future.” Mr Martin said.

“Now, through International Green IT Awareness Week everyone can learn about practical implementation of environmentally sustainable IT practices they can undertake today,” Mr Martin concluded.

Mark Winter, Founder of FFITS.ORG said, “Anyone who wishes to attend to learn or spread knowledge about Green IT can participate for free.” “It shouldn’t cost any money to take care of the environment and our common future, I encourage everyone to register online at www.greenitweek.org,” Mr Winter concluded.

The Foundation for IT Sustainability (FFITS.ORG) is a global, non-profit organisation established in 2008 whose mission is to engage with, and educate individuals, government and corporations on the environmental footprint of technology.

For more information click here.

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Dirty Digital Footprints: An Exposé of “Green” Websites

Although interest in sustainability is expanding to include a wide range of areas, an analysis of 40 leading “green” websites indicates that digital footprints are often overlooked. 

At the end of April, the World Wide Web celebrated its 20th anniversary, and while the Internet is often considered to be more environmentally friendly than traditional communications channels, this supposition is subject to a number of caveats.
Most people think the web is a green medium, but the average website has a carbon footprint that is similar to a book or a newspaper. Some web pages have a carbon footprint which exceeds that of a printed page, especially if the web page is left open for long periods of time.
According to a recent report in the New York Times, data centers use 30 billion watts of electricity per year globally, and the U.S. is responsible for one-third of that amount (10 billion watts). Most of that energy comes from sources that are neither renewable nor clean.
A 2011 analysis titled Carbon Footprinting the Internet, suggests that global IT is responsible for two to four percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Nowhere is the pursuit of sustainability more acute than in the businesses community. Most corporations now acknowledge that sustainability not only offers a competitive advantage, it is a business imperative. This trend is being driven by many factors, not the least of which is consumer demand.
As revealed in a 2011 Cone/Echo Global CR Opportunity Report, consumers now expect companies to be more socially and environmentally responsible. As revealed in this report, only 6 percent of consumers believe that the role of business is simply to make money and 94 percent want companies to change business practices so they have a positive impact on the world. More than 90 percent want companies to go beyond the minimum standards required by law.
According to a report titled the Generation Roadmap, two-thirds of consumers say that, “as a society, we need to consume a lot less to improve the environment for future generations.” Changing consumer demand constitutes a powerful incentive for companies to adopt organization wide sustainability initiatives.
The business case for sustainability has been repeatedly proven. A summary review of 20 studies from Natural Capitalism demonstrates that sustainability offers tangible business benefits. Companies  are now employing sustainability officers and deploying green teams who look for ways of increasing efficiency and minimizing their environmental footprints.
For most companies, improving sustainability begins in the physical space with initiatives like recycling programs and eco-friendly sourcing of materials. However, it is far less common for companies to examine and improve their online environmental impacts. This represents an important opportunity, as many corporate sustainability leaders have web sites which are both inefficient and unsustainable.
On Earth Day 2013, a certified B Corporation and a three-star Eco-Andersonville green business called Mightybytes, launched a web-based app called EcoGrader that assesses a website’s carbon footprint. The Chicago-based company’s new app analyzes and grades a site on a score from 0-100 based on a site’s sustainability performance in the following four areas:
  1.  Green hosting is assessed based on a provider that is powered by renewable energy or associated renewable energy credits (RECs).
  2. Findability is based on the amount of time the user spends looking for the information that he or she needs on a website. (The less time a user has to search for the information that they are looking for, the less energy is required to deliver that content).
  3. Design and user experience ranking is grounded in mobile optimizations and the use of HTML 5 and CSS 3 instead of Flash. (When data-heavy assets weigh down a site, more energy is required to bring up the site).
  4. Performance depends on page load times and the number of files and server requests required for each page to load.
Scores in each area are aggregated to generate a composite grade between 0 and 100 (Mightybytes own website generated a score of 89).
A review of leading green websites using EcoGrader reveals that most receive a failing grade. Included in this assessment are the websites of corporate sustainability leaders, green business & sustainable development magazines, green news & environmental advocates and green lifestyle sites.
The website selection for sustainability leaders was derived from the top 10 in Corporate Knights top 100 for 2013. This is a list of the leading companies in what they call “clean capitalism.”

Corporate Sustainability Leaders

  • Storebrand:  38
  • Biogen Idec Inc. :  40
  • Statoil:  44
  • Neste:  45
  • Koninklijke Philips Electronics:  48
  • Novo Nordisk:  49
  • Natura Cosmeticos:  54
  • Umicore:  56
  • Dassault Systemes  64
  • Westpac Banking Corp.:   65
 Average score: 50

Green Business and Sustainable Development Magazines

  • Our Planet:  35
  • One World:  35
  • Environmental Leader:  36
  • Earth Trends (WRI):  38
  • Triple Pundit:  40
  • Greenbiz: 40
  • Sustainable Industries Magazine: 43
  • EcoWorld: 44
  • BusinessGreen:  54
  • Fair Companies:  57
Average score: 46

Green News and Environmental Advocacy

Average Score: 45

Green Lifestyle Magazines

  • The Daily Green:  23
  • The Chalk Board:  38
  • Inhabitat:  40
  • GreenLiving:  41
  • Going Green Lifestyle:  47
  • Freshome:  52
  • EcoFabulous:  54
  • The Cool Hunter:  55
  • Jetson Green:  55
  • Apartment Therapy:  56
Average Score:  46
The combined average score across all four areas is 46.75. The failing average grade and the failing individual grades given to most of these sites demonstrates that even those who purport to be “green” are often oblivious to their digital footprints.  On the flip-side, these abysmal scores suggest that there are widespread opportunities to minimize environmental impacts in the digital realm.
Interest in website footprint assessment is destined to grow as we increasingly look for ways to minimize our environmental impacts. This may very well be the next frontier of environmental sustainability.

Powerful New Tool Analyzes Website Sustainability

Mightybytes is a Chicago-based company that is working to help green the digital space. They are pioneers in the often overlooked area of digital sustainability. They have launched a free innovative web-based app called EcoGrader that helps companies to assess and improve the carbon footprints of their websites.

As a certified B Corporation and a three-star certified Eco-Andersonville green business, Mightybytes has sustainability woven into their DNA. They embrace an imperative for sustainability and apply that passion to their work, their office environment, and their personal lives. They are committed to making a social impact with their work and they are equally passionate about environmental stewardship.

Mightybytes helps organizations to solve communication, design, and technical problems, build online brands, create software-based business solutions, nurture and support customer communities, reach new targeted audiences and develop digital products that meet specific marketing goals.

While Mightybytes  helps organizations of all types, they tend to work with clients who share their ideals and commitment to making the world a better place.

According to the presentation “Quality and Social Responsibility: Achieving Sustainable Results,” between 60 and 70 percent of consumers expect companies to be responsible and two-thirds of consumers say that “as a society, we need to consume a lot less to improve the environment for future generations.” Companies are responding to consumer demands by getting increasingly serious about sustainability. The Social Science Research Network reports that 60 percent of American executives think their social responsibility strategies resulted in improved corporate reputation which they see as a business benefit.

For most CSR-conscious companies, improving sustainability begins in the physical space with initiatives like recycling programs and eco-friendly sourcing of materials. However, it is far less common for companies to examine and improve their online environmental impact. This represents an important opportunity as many leading web sites are both inefficient and unsustainable.

Most people think the web is a green medium, but the average website has a carbon footprint that is similar a book or a newspaper. Today many webpages have a carbon footprint which exceeds that of a printed page, especially if the web page is left open for long periods of time, such as when reading blog posts or watching movies. Even more surprising is the fact that 9 percent of the total US energy usage goes toward powering the internet.

According to a recent report in the New York Times, data centers in the US use 10 billion watts of electricity per year and much of that energy comes from sources that are neither renewable nor clean.  As explained by Mightybytes, roughly 50 million computer servers are responsible for nearly 5 percent of the earth’s greenhouse gases.

On Earth Day (April 22, 2013) MightyBytes launched EcoGrader, a powerful free tool that enables users to assess a website's level of sustainability. This new web based app not only helps businesses by rating a site's energy efficiency, it also provides quick and easy ways to minimize the carbon footprint and improve the site.

Using EcoGrader could not be easier, all the user has to do is plug in a URL, the app then runs an analysis that grades the site on a score from 0-100 based on a site's sustainability in the following four areas:

1. Green hosting is assessed based on a provider that is powered by renewable energy or associated renewable energy credits (RECs).

2. Findability scoring is based on the amount of time that user spends looking for the information that he or she needs on a website. (The less time a user has to search for the information that they are looking for, the less energy is required to deliver that content).

3. Design and user experience ranking is grounded in mobile optimizations and the use of HTML 5 and CSS 3 instead of Flash. (When data-heavy assets weigh down a site, more energy is required to bring up the site).

4. Performance scores depend on page load times and the number of files and server requests required for each page to load.

Scores in each area are aggregated for a composite grade between 0 and 100.  Not only does EcoGrader provide scores that assess a website's level of sustainability, it provides quick and easy tips that help users to address weaknesses in their sites.

In addition to EcoGrader, Mightybytes also offers a cornucopia of information on sustainable web design. Their Sustainable Web Design blog post series examines what you can do to save energy while browsing the web and how to optimize images for speed and sustainability.

As the business world embraces sustainability, EcoGrader is a powerful tool that is destined to become the focus of considerable attention.

To get a free assessment of your website click here.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Event - Environmental Management Information Systems in the Cloud Conference



Environmental Management Information Systems in the Cloud Conference (EMIScloud) will take place on May 30-31, 2013 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. PST at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco

EMIScloud 2013 is the premier conference on organizing environmental, sustainability, health/safety, energy, air, and water information in the Cloud, hosted by Locus Technologies.

At this peer-led, two-day event, you will learn about recent developments in the environmental management space, and light will be shed on the best practices and Cloud-based options that exist today to more effectively manage your mission-critical environmental information.

This is your chance to collaborate and celebrate with Locus customers, partners, employees, and various like-minded, environmental professionals. You will hear from multiple perspectives such as companies that have undergone the Cloud transformation, environmental professionals from different industries with a wide range of experiences, and Locus experts, and will emerge with the proper knowledge to help your company avoid potential pitfalls in the future.

Click here for more information, or email emiscloud@locustec.com.


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Event - Green IT: What Sustainability Professionals Need to Know

Final call for the SPRiNG, Green IT event, "What Sustainability Professionals Need to Know." This event will take place on Tuesday March 19, 2013, in Toronto, Ontario, from 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM. The featured expert will be Frances Edmonds Director of Environmental Programs, Hewlett Packard (Canada) Co. Network Orange, ING DIRECT Downtown Café 221 Yonge Street (Yonge & Shuter).

Have you ever:

- Dreamed of having real strong data on sustainability metrics without the work of getting it?
- Wanted to model what changing “this or that” would do to your organization’s footprint?
- Been frightened of your IT team when thinking of talking to them about this?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then this session of SPRiNG is for you. Come hear Frances Edmonds, HP’s Director of Environmental Programs, introduce a dialogue on the role that we play in driving a Green IT agenda, and what’s in it for us!

You must RSVP to attend, for more information click here.

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Webinar: Finding the Right Energy Management Software Match

On Thursday, January 17, join Janet Lin, Senior Manager, Verdantix for a 60 minute webinar based on unique, ground-breaking research. Live Verdantix webinars are free of charge. Simply register before the number of limited places runs out. The energy management software market emerged in the 1990s in response to corporate challenges to manage increasing energy prices, risk from energy market volatility and rapidly evolving energy and carbon regulations.

Heads of energy, facilities, finance and sustainability who are looking for enterprise software to support their energy management activities should join this webinar to understand how to shortlist suppliers. Based on responses to a 134 point questionnaire and interviews with 15 buyers of energy management software from firms with revenues of over $1 billion.

This webinar will compare the capabilities and market momentum performance of 14 global energy management software suppliers:

  • CA Technologies, 
  • CarbonSystems, 
  • EnergyICT, 
  • Gridpoint, 
  • Hara, 
  • IBM, 
  • IHS, 
  • Infor,
  • Johnson Controls, 
  • JouleX, 
  • SAP, 
  • Schneider Electric, 
  • Siemens 
  • Verisae

Time
Thursday, January 17, 2013
4.00pm - 5.00pm (UK)
11am - 12 noon (EDT)
8am - 9am (PST)

To register for the webinar click here.

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Regional Conference on Sustainable Data Centre (Event)

The Regional Conference on Sustainable Data Centre will take place on November 28, 2012 and November 29, 2012 5:00 pm, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Data centres are evolving rapidly in response to the rapid growth in the digital world. In order to reduce costs and increase flexibility, organisations are merging data centres and adopting innovative green technology strategies, ranging from virtualisation to new application in IT architectures and cloud computing.

Recent estimate says that the world’s data centres currently consume approximately 330 billion kWh of electricity every year, almost as much as the entire electricity demands of the UK. Most of that energy comes from non-renewable resources, and it is believed that data centres account for as much as 0.2% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, many industries are growing concurrently with growth of data centres. This results in the demand for huge data centres capacities. It is expected that the demand for capacity will grow at about 12% p.a. over the next ten years as businesses continue to utilize automated processes, store data, archive historical information and adopt rich media. It is expected that in the year 2020, data centres will account for more carbon emissions than the global airline industry!

Programme in a Nutshell

· Roadmap to green data centre certification to enhance business profiles
· Creating innovative data centre blueprint to sustain competitive edge in the industry
· Execution and commissioning of green data centre development through practical strategies
· Leading the pack via proven operational cost reduction methods
· Keeping abreast with Green IT enlightenment for business owners and corporate leaders
· Risk mitigation and corporate data protection through reinforcement of physical and information security
· Introducing eco-efficient approaches in managing network storage and data management
· Improvising through wining gameplays in Virtualisation and Cloud Computing
· Increasing energy efficiency while reducing power consumption for next generation computer centres
· Developing certified data centre professionals as a long term measure for corporate sustainability

For more information or to register click here.

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Energy Managment Tips for IT (White Paper)

Energy Managment Tips for IT (White Paper)
Energy Aware Planning and
Decision Making White Paper

Proactive management of energy consumption is becoming increasingly critical. Businesses rely on IT, and IT relies on energy – often quite a bit of it in the case of corporate data centers. According to leading market research firm Freeform Dynamics Ltd* three consequences of this are:
 • Energy consumption via the IT infrastructure is a significant cost, and therefore a potential constraint on IT-related activity when pressure to manage that cost is applied.
 • Energy availability, i.e. being able to source enough energy to power the IT infrastructure and be confident in its supply, is fundamental to both growth and business continuity.
 • Energy-related regulation will almost certainly have a direct or indirect impact on IT.
5 key imperatives for effective energy management:
 • Acquire visibility
 • Assign responsibility
 • Rationalize applications
 • Optimize the infrastructure
 • Manage dynamically
DCIM: Bringing together the worlds of facilities and IT in a software solution that stresses availability, efficiency, and cost savings.
Click here to register to download the White Paper

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