Green IT/Broadband and Cyber-infrastructure Overview

One of the greatest threats to our future society and economy is global warming. It is estimated that the CO2 emissions of the ICT industry alone exceeds the carbon output of the entire aviation industry. The ICT industry and research community has a collective responsibility to help address this problem. Fortunately, as compared to the aviation industry, the ICT industry and research community has the tools at hand to reduce its direct CO2 output to zero and the additional capability of enabling other sectors of society to reduce their carbon footprint through "Carbon rewards" rather than unpopular "Carbon taxes". Governments around the world are wrestling with the challenge of how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The current preferred approaches are to impose “carbon” taxes and implement various forms of cap and trade or carbon offset systems. However another approach to help reduce carbon emission is to “reward” those who reduce their carbon footprint. It is estimated that consumers control or influence over 60% of all CO2 emissions. As such, one possible reward system of trading “bits and bandwidth for carbon”, or sometimes called "gCommerce" is to provide homeowners with free fiber to the home or free wireless products and other electronic services such as ebooks and eMovies if they agree to pay a premium on their energy consumption which will encourage them to reduce emissions by turning down the thermostat or using public transportation. Not only does the consumer benefit, but this business model also provides new revenue opportunities for network operators, optical equipment manufacturers, and eCommerce application providers.


Universities can also play a significant leadership role as cyber-infrastructure is one of the major producers of CO2 emissions at our universities. Although cyber-infrastructure is part of the problem, it can also be part of the solution. The beauty of cyber-infrastructure and ICT in general, is that thanks to high speed optical networks, this equipment can be located virtually anywhere. Relocating cyber-infrastructure computers, databases, instrumentation and laboratory equipment to remote renewable energy sites not only helps the environment but can also save the institution significant money in their energy bills. More importantly such a strategy also allows the university or researcher to earn valuable carbon offset dollars. A good example of this strategy is the PROMPT initiative "Next Generation Internet to Reduce Global Warming (G-NGI)" where researchers and institutions can earn valuable offset dollars for Internet technologies and process that reduce CO2 emissions. Universities can also encourage students and faculty to reduce their respective carbon footprint by also implementing a "gCommerce" reward system such as free eTextbooks, free downloads of video and music in exchange for students paying a premium on parking, travel and other related activities.


For more details please see

Free Fiber and High Speed Internet to the Home Initiative
http://free-fiber-to-the-home.blogspot.com/


ICT and Global Warming - opportunities for innovation and economic growth
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgbgjrct_2767dxpbdvcf


PROMPT Next Generation Internet to Reduce Global Warming

http://www.promptinc.org/documents/NGI_release_en_v2.pdf



Tuesday, April 21, 2009

More on tools for universities, virtualization and clouds on reducing CO2 footprint

[Here a couple of good pointers on calculating GHG footprint for schools and universities. In my last post I erroneously reported that new EPA reporting requirement is 15000 mtCO2e when it should have read 25,000 mtCO2e—BSA]



http://www.worldenergy.com/knowledge_center/webinars/default.cfm?id=11
This is relevant as the US EPA announced GHG reporting requirements for facilities with a GHG footprint of 25,000 tonnes/yr or more. We estimate this is 15,000+ facilities in the US and may affect industry, institutions, schools, hospitals, etc. We anticipate Canada will follow the US lead on reporting and future compliance.


Carbon Footprinting 101: Establishing a Baseline for Your GHG Emissions
Complimentary Webinar, presented by World Energy and ClimateCHECK
April 22, 2009 at 2:00 PM EDT
President Obama has stated that his administration will pursue aggressive policies to curb climate change and many expect legislation imposing mandatory control on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to pass in 2010. While there is much debate about what shape this legislation will take, many organizations are taking action now to understand the potential risks and enhance opportunities. Will your organization be ready?

Join Steve McDonough, Vice President, GHG Management Innovations, for a complimentary one hour webinar as he discusses early stage strategies organizations can take to understand the risks and opportunities associated with current regional regulatory programs (RGGI, WCI, etc.), voluntary programs and the likely requirements of federal legislation.

In this webinar, Steve will focus on the steps organizations can take to inventory and report their current GHG emissions (carbon footprinting) while also providing an overview of best practices to manage and reduce future GHG emissions including inventory management plans, GHG information management systems, and supply chain analysis.

Key takeaways:
• Steps involved in GHG inventory development and reporting
• GHG best management practices to help support inventory development and reporting
• Strategies to identify internal emission reduction activities
• Things to consider when evaluating and purchasing offsets
• Overview of current regional regulatory programs and latest federal regulatory updates
Webinar Details:

Zerofootprint and Cybernomics launch One Minute ECOnomics Carbon Calculator


Calculator gives personalized metrics to business looking to employ a
sustainability strategy within their IT department based on carbon
measurement


Toronto, March 25, 2009 – Zerofootprint and Cybernomics are proud to
announce the launch of their One Minute ECOnomics Carbon Calculator, found
on both www.thinkgreenalliance.com and www.cybernomics.net. Designed to
measure IT infrastructure energy usage, the carbon calculator showcases
technologies such as virtualization. Calculations are based on real-time IT
statistics captured by Cybernomics’ Analytics platform and presented as a
benchmark for comparison of an individual company’s performance. The
calculator’s carbon engine is powered by Zerofootprint and is focused on
helping businesses measure and reduce their carbon footprint.


The ECOnomics calculator lays out exactly where a company is using the most
energy and illustrates how measures such as server virtualization, thin
client strategies, and using LCD/LED monitors can translate into immense
carbon savings. Cutting down on energy, hardware and overall management
costs through a Sustainable IT strategy is also a concrete way of better
controlling overall IT expenditure, as well as reducing carbon emissions.


Zerofootprint and Cybernomics are both members of the Think Green Alliance,
which is a business community whose members show a commitment not only to
environmental sustainability, but to the intrinsic link between
environmental and financial sustainability. Through the Think Green
Alliance, Zerofootprint and Cybernomics have also developed a mutually
beneficial working relationship: Cybernomics has recently completed a
Sustainability Audit of Zerofootprint’s IT including all servers, computers
and networks. In turn, Zerofootprint is currently undergoing a complete
Carbon Audit of Cybernomics’ business operations, offices and datacentre.
Zerofootprint and Cybernomics encourage you to visit
www.thinkgreenalliance.com and calculate your business’ IT infrastructure
carbon footprint.



For more information please contact:

Cybernomics
Rhea Johnson
rhea@cybernomics.net
+1 416.915.4048 ext. 103


Zerofootprint
Kelly McGregor
kelly.mcgregor@zerofootprint.net
+1 416.365.7557 ext. 156
Posted by Bill St. Arnaud at 8:36 AM

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