Green IT

Green ITIST Management Retreat26 May 2009

What is Green IT?

Beyond traditional "ROI", financial performance, expand to include ecological and social impacts.

Also known as the Triple Bottom Line of "people, planet, and profit".

Can mean operating more efficiently and reducing resource usage, so may save dollars, but …

… does not always translate into savings.

Examples of "greening"

Virtualization and consolidation "Terminal servers" or "thin clients" Power management (turning off when not

in use, hibernation, types of power cords, displays, etc.)

Recycling Telecommuting Algorithmic efficiency

What does IST already do?

Virtualization project (Report the "savings" in power, space?)

Workday autopower bios feature http://www.istiis.uwaterloo.ca/tim/GreenMachine.htm

Green AC "free cooling" units that draw from outside cold air

Lenovo - use their power management tools through the AD Dell – more "green" servers (still hard to justify

economically) Recognize that power consumption on a notebook is less

than a desktop (again, economic factors) We help Plant Ops save on heating in some offices

downstairs :-)

Kermit had it right

“It’s not easy being green.” What’s more green? (“coffee cup vs

mug”) Print copies of materials for retreat? Use laptops, projection facilities, remote

controls, extra heating of the room, … Will it save resources? (“drive a hybrid,

but more”) Virtualization makes it easier to create a

new server … so we run more?

What might IST do next?

Tap into UW resources Tap into local companies Tap into partnership offerings Figure out what changes behaviours

Costs and regulation Leading by example

Reach for “low hanging fruit” within our control

Green IT resources at UW UCIST statement and principles being

developed “Green Grass”

Grassroots activities such as in AHS Faculty level initiative in Faculty of Environment Green IT mailing list

Plant Ops initiatives (HVAC efficiencies, automation of building HVAC, etc.)

Jatin Nathwani (UW Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy for Sustainable Energy Management) - ??

Green IT related local companies

Energent (local company, measure energy usage)

Bullfrogpower (green electricity for home and work)

Sustainable Waterloo (local non-profit, business cases for reducing emissions)

Green IT partners

Vendors like Dell, Lenovo, IBM CANARIE funding Government programs

Questions

What areas should we target for green initiatives, and how do we measure "success"?

How much time and resource can we put to these initiatives and to their measurements?

Should we link into other UW or Waterloo or vendor groups?

How might we promote IST's successes in Green IT initiatives?

How do we get started and keep the momentum going?