L.E.E.D. and Green IT

I used to be a volunteer of Mother Earth Foundation way back year 2004, and at the same time an active member of the organization. Mother Earth Foundation is a non-government organization (NGO) of men and women from the Philippines who seek to raise the level of public awareness on environmental issues and mobilize people to act positively on the resolution of these issues. During that time, we have conducted trainings and seminars on Solid Waste Management. We tend to teach the Filipinos all over the country: civic leaders, ethnic groups, and professionals on how to use Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) to help lessen the waste or garbage that are being collected every day. MRF is the heart of Solid Waste Management, and I know this is a good initiative, and I realized that there is truly money that may be found on garbage. Through MRF, we can easily segregate biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes.  Those biodegradable wastes will serve as compost and must be returned to Earth so that it will become useful to plants, while non-biodegradable wastes will be re-used and be recycled. We may even make new products out of that garbage, makes these garbage as an income-generated or source of livelihood for Filipinos. By using MRFs, sanitary land fill and incinerators are no longer needed, since these initiatives really harm our environment.

The University of Texas at Dallas Student Services Building - LEED Platinum

Though I have no idea about LEED and Green Computing during my MEF days, I can say that LEEDS and Green Computing is related to preserving our natural resources.

LEED also known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is an internationally recognized industry benchmark for green construction. It is a voluntary certification program for building owners and operators that provide a recognized standard for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. LEED represents a holistic approach to building sustainability that can be applied to any type of building type at any point in its lifecycle. It consists of suite of rating systems for design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Points are distributed across major credit categories such as Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. LEED certification is obtained after submitting an application documenting compliance with the requirements of the rating system as well as paying registration and certification fees. In order to establish a building's point awards in each credit category, buildings applying for certification are compared with a theoretical baseline building defined by a LEED methodology or the more stringent of either ASHRAE/ANSI/EISNA codes or local codes.

Taipei 101 Building - LEED Platinum

LEED certified buildings are intended to use resources more efficiently when compared to conventional buildings simply built to code. LEED certified buildings often provide healthier work and living environments, which contributes to higher productivity and improved employee health and comfort. The USGBC has compiled a long list of benefits of implementing a LEED strategy, which ranges from improving air and water quality to reducing solid waste, benefiting owners, occupiers, and society as a whole.

Green Computing refers to environmentally sustainable computing. It is a study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems – efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment. The goals of green computing are similar to green chemistry; reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product's lifetime, and promote the recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste.

The approaches for Green Computing initiative are product longevity, data center design, software and deployment optimization, power management, materials recycling, and telecommuting.

In terms of product longevity, desktops and laptops are well utilized in our organization. We prolong our equipment’s lifetime by proper maintenance. If our company will implement the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure or Desktop Virtualization, we will make use of our old desktops by converting it into thin clients or a lockdown PC.

Our data centers are very well maintained. The servers, network equipment, and other systems are energy efficient. We have the best cooling, and electrical systems, at the same time good air management which lessens energy consumption.

We already implemented server virtualization, and we’re using VMware VSphere as a platform. With virtualization we can easily optimize the server performance, resources and we can utilize the capacity of the high end server by consolidating 5 or more servers into one system. Servers are converted into virtual machines; this process is called P2V Conversion.

Our desktops and laptops have power management setting. IBM set a Power Management Policy to our systems.

IBM Boulder Data Center - Rated LEED Silver

Recycling computing equipment can keep harmful materials such as lead, mercury, and hexavalent chromium out of landfills, and can also replace equipment that otherwise would need to be manufactured, saving further energy and emissions. Computer systems that have outlived their particular function can be re-purposed, or donated to various charities and non-profit organizations. However, many charities have recently imposed minimum system requirements for donated equipment. Additionally, parts from outdated systems may be salvaged and recycled through certain retail outlets and municipal or private recycling centers. Computing supplies, such as printer cartridges, paper, and batteries may be recycled as well. 

Teleconferencing and telepresence technologies are implemented in IBM to support the green computing initiatives. The advantages are many; increased worker satisfaction, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions related to travel, and increased profit margins as a result of lower overhead costs for office space, heat, lighting, etc. The savings are significant; the average annual energy consumption for an office building is over 23 kilowatt hours per square foot, with heat, air conditioning and lighting accounting for 70% of all energy consumed. Other related initiatives, such as hoteling, reduce the square footage per employee as workers reserve space only when they need it. Many types of jobs, such as sales, consulting, and field service, integrate well with this technique.

Voice over IP (VoIP) reduces the telephony wiring infrastructure by sharing the existing Ethernet copper. VoIP and phone extension mobility also made hot desking more practical.

Green IT is about more than just power consumption. It incorporates the entire environmental impact of technology, from the paper we load in our high-end networked printers to the hazardous e-waste we throw away.

Implementing Green IT, and at the same time, being a LEED certified institution are best practices which is good in preserving our natural resources.  It promotes healthier work place, optimizing company resources, and aids for increasing our productivity.

Green is the color of nature, fertility, and life. Green symbolizes self-respect and well-being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony.  So Go for Green IT and be a LEED certified!!!