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?