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The A to Z of green IT
Green is the new black...

By Gemma Simpson

Published: Wednesday 21 November 2007

You

It's all very well making a song and dance about green IT, but if you - both in your business and as a consumer - don't make some changes, then little will be done to turn the situation around.

Green IT from A to Z

Click on the links below to find out more...

A is for Abroad
B is for Blades
C is for Carbon footprint
D is for Data centres
E is for Energy sources
F is for Freecycle
G is for Government
H is for Homeworking
I is for Ice caps
J is for Jobs (Steve)
K is for Kilowatts
L is for Landfill
M is for Mercury
N is for Nanogeneration
O is for Offsetting
P is for Paperless office
Q is for Queen
R is for Recycling
S is for SmartPlanet.com
T is for Travel
U is for Upgrade
V is for Virtualisation
W is for WEEE
X is for Xmas
Y is for You
Z is for Zero emissions

Even as an individual there are plenty of things to do - make sure you switch off gadgets rather than leave them on standby, print less documents if you don't need them, recycle and reuse where available. For example Freecycle can help you get rid of things you don't need without calling in the bin men.

Individuals can also put pressure on their bosses and IT departments to do more. And many businesses are already making big changes. Banks, for example, are working hard to boost their green credentials by using technology videoconferencing and virtualisation to reduce their environmental impact.

And IT chiefs are also doing their bit according to a recent silicon.com CIO Jury with environmental footprint and energy-efficiency predicted to increasingly be a factor in the selection of technology suppliers and partners.

But not all CIOs seem as eco-aware as the silicon.com Jury, as further research found reliability, price and after-sales support cited as the biggest factors when making IT purchases. Only 12 per cent of the 213 CIO respondents said the energy efficiency of IT equipment is a critical purchasing criterion, according to IBM-sponsored research. So there is still clearly a way to go...