GREEN COMPUTING
Introduction
 Green Computing has become an innovative way on how technology and ecology
converge together.

With the recent years many industries and companies have turned their attention in
realizing how going 'green' can benefit public relations, reduced costs, and lowering
global emissions from industrial manufacturing.

Though the term green computing covers a vast range of methods, from energy saving
techniques, to the study of materials used in our lives, it all fundamentally breaks down to
finding ways to not damage or consume all of earth's natural resources.

Ultimately green computing focuses on ways in reducing overall environmental impact,
its main purpose is to find and promote new ways of reducing pollution, discovering
alternative technologies, and creating more recyclable products
II. Background
 The idea of green computing has been around a good time, the government themselves
play a role in it. For example the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the
'energy star' program in the 90s, to promote energy efficient methods.

The EPA today still plays an active role by providing not only energy effective methods,
but also cost effective methods for the consumers. In 2006 the EPA established a way to
save U.S. households and businesses money.

These new modifications are also expected to prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to
the annual emissions of 2.7 million cars."(Jones, 2006) Though the EPA is a recognizable
agency, they are not the only ones who promoting new ways of going green in the
technological aspect.

Organizations such as European Union and TCO Certification are one of the leading
groups in green computing.
III. Potential Benefit
 The ever rapid growth of technologies and innovations brings forth many ways on how
green computing will have a positive impact, along with great benefits.

The benefits of green computing is large, not only from just the consumer, or business, or
country's standpoint, but a global benefit. Green computing helps reduce energy
demands, waste, and money of how we use technology which positively effects the
environment, and our costs.
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
Though the method of green computing can also benefit in simple ways, methods such as
turning off your computers during the night.

For example, a computer left on for "24 hours will cost you between $115-160 in annual
electric costs and also produce 1,500 pounds of CO2 in the atmosphere" (Schneider,
2008).
By simply turning off your computer during the nights, you ultimately can save up to" 67
percent annually in your electric bill"(Schneider, 2008), along with reducing greenhouse
gases.


Overall the benefits of green computing will result in saving money, reducing costs, and
conserving energy, along with helping the environment.
IV. Ethical Issues
 "The Energy Star Program" (Brandrick, 2009). It has become a way of life for many big
corporations to try and reduce the amount of energy waste that they would normally
excrete and nowadays it is not only expected to be done by such corporations but also by
small businesses and individuals alike who have a moral responsibility to their
community.

Due to the widely known need to save energy and natural resources of our ever dyeing
planet many manufacturers have come out with ideas on how to make your device energy
efficient, the problem is that with good inventions come the useless ones and those are
made to assume a purpose that it is not properly attributed.

Consumers can easily be deceived to buy such products that end up causing more harm to
the environment "considering the materials and energy used to manufacture it"such
products are truly a waste.Like the "Eco Button that promised its consumers that they
would save energy and money"on their PC but there was a downloadable content
available on the internet that would provide the same results.

It is not moral or ethical for such manufacturers to lie on the efficiency of their product
but it's not illegal to say that the product was misinterpreted by the consumer.
V. Security Concerns & Social Problems
 Many belief that being eco-friendly is a get rich idea from big corporations that know that
if the consumer is unhappy then they will not buy their product.

Even though this is somewhat true and the consumer does look bad at companies
believed to be unjust, it is also true that such companies care for the environment.

We all remember the "Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill" (Mufson, 2010) and how things like that
can "seriously burn their reputation" (Wharton, 2007), this is why such big companies
care for the environment and how they affect it.
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
We all remember the oil spill on the gulf of Mexico in 2010 and how that dilemma hurt
the BP company and still is hurting it even after a year, if they had followed all the right
protocols maybe this tragedy could have been averted.
VI. Further Required Research
 Advancements in green computing have become vast. There are so many new ways of
combining ecology with technology, that we practically are trying a bit of
everything. Such as using solar technology, solar technology now is being used on
keyboards and mice now to reduce energy costs.

Another green computing method is eliminating certain materials that are hazardous to
the environment, and replacing them with cleaner and efficient materials which are
biodegradable and eco-friendly.

Even now certain computer components such as processor units have reduced heat
emissions, and monitors as well with their advancement of flat screens.

Not only is green computing effecting components and other various hardware, it has
changed in ways businesses use technology such as cloud computing.

Cloud computing essentially is a method of a user connecting to a network or server,
through the internet. Ultimately this reduces the need of businesses to have purchase
more computers, which can emit greenhouse gases when left on.

The practice of green computing has essentially branched off to every form of technology
out there. Cars being a great example, now with hybrids becoming mainstream, people
are able to save on gas, money, and also cutting on carbon monoxide, and other various
dangerous gases to the atmosphere.

Green computing has also grasped how industries market themselves, and many realize
how going green in their technologies can aid them.

One great example of green computing corporation is Apple. "Apple has been criticized
by some environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals
from its new products, and for not aggressively or properly recycling its old products"
but that has changed, when looking now upon Apple's computers, their unibody designs
material is a great source to dissipate heat, along with their products being able to
conserve energy very well.

Not only have they implemented ways in being more eco-friendly by removing hazardous
materials in their computers and products, but their manufacturing and delivering their
goods has also been altered to help the environment.
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Disadvantages:Green computing could actually be quite costly.

Green computing takes a lot of new technology, and hence, you may find that you will
have to pay a premium price for your new green computer.

A perfect example is that the greenest modern computers today are Mac books and Mac
book Pros. These computers are hardly inexpensive - they're actually some of the most
expensive computers in the market.
Some computers that are green may be considerably underpowered.

Some people may need incredibly power-consuming and powerful computers to deal
with the tasks that they need them to do.

This is another disadvantage that many people who have high-powered computers
believe to have with green computers.

Another issue would be that powerful and green computers are more expensive. For
instance, Apple's powerful range of computers, including their iMacs, is incredibly green
but is also incredibly expensive.
Rapid technology change,:

Low initial cost, and with planned obsolescence has resulted in a fast-growing surplus of
unused hardware around the globe.
Technical solutions are available,

In most cases a legal framework, a collection system, logistics, and other services need to
be implemented before a technical solution can be applied.
Illeffects of Using Technology:Lead: used in soldering of printed circuit boards and other components
also used in glass for CRTs

It is estimated that between 1997 and 2004, 1.2 billion tons of lead was used in computer
components
The problem:
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
Lead can cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, blood system,
kidneys, endocrine system and cause negative effects on child brain development.

Lead accumulates in the environment and has toxic effects on plants, animals and
microorganisms electronics contribute 40% of the total amount of lead found in landfills
and can make its way from landfills into the water supplies
Mercury

It is used in batteries, switches, housing, printed circuit boards mercury is found in
medical equipment, data transmission equipment, telecommunications equipment and cell
phones as well

The problem mercury spreads out in water transforming into methylated mercury which
easily accumulates in living organisms it enters the food chain through fish that swim in
polluted waters methylated mercury can cause chronic brain damage.
•
Elements in trace amounts:
o germanium, gallium, barium, nickel, tantalum, indium, vanadium, terbium,
beryllium, gold, europium, titanium, ruthenium, cobalt, palladium, manganese,
silver, antimony, bismuth, selenium, niobium, yttrium, rhodium, platinum,
arsenic, lithium, boron, americium
o lead: solder, CRT monitors (Lead in glass), Lead-acid battery

Disposal Of Wastes:
Consider that the average computer lifespan is about 2 years (cell phones < 2 years)
10 years ago, the lifespan of a computer was 5 years.
o Disposal of these devices constituted 20-50 million tons per year (about 5% of the
total waste of the planet) this waste is called e-waste
Usage of E-Wastes:BIOGROW:
No need to worry anymore about ways to dispose off your electronic waste especially computers because
now you can use it grow bio-fuel. Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have
created Bio-Grow, an algae bio-reactor.
Reactor
.
 The device is made of old computer electronic parts to cultivate algae.

Bio-reactor basically encourages photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that happens in plants,
which uses sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into sugar.
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
Its’ various components include side panels from an Apple G4 CPU tower for the incubating tank
which also has a water pump, that aerates the algae and provides it with the maximum exposure
to sunlight.

PVC pipes for structural reinforcement and high density foam for insulation and stability.
PLASTONE:
 Cement is a carbon intensive product, requiring large quantities of heat in its production.

Researchers from Thiagaraj College of Engineering in Madurai have devised a new block
called the Plastone which combines recycled plastics and stone to make a block that is
much stronger than its cement equivalent but also non-porous, thus doing away with the
ills that affects traditional cement blocks.

Cement blocks tend to give way when heavy loads such as trucks roll over them, as well
as water seepage during monsoon seasons which undermines the traditional sand
foundation of the blocks, leading to potholes.

The plastone uses up to 30% waste plastics in its fabrication.
It may even be possible to make plastones using recycled e-waste, mainly the plastic boards on
which the electronic circuitry is embedded.
APPLICATION OF GREEN COMPUTING:

Nefsis is the latest video conferencingonline service designed for virtual workspaces and business-to-business online meetings.

Nefsis is easy to use, takes advantage of PCs and networks you already have, and
represents a realistic, immediately available option to reduce your carbon footprint
starting right this moment.

Nefsis dramatically simplifies what used to be a complicated process – video
conferencing. Today, even an ordinary webcam on any Pentium PC produces video
quality on par with boardroom equipment sold a few years ago.
A Logitech 9000 plug-and-play USB webcam produces stunning, full-screen video
using nominal bandwidth.


The Nefsis server cloud can easily connect multiple employees and business users in
the same meeting, even if they are in separate offices .

Green Technology & Realistic Carbon Footprint Reduction.
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
On-demand video conferencing can reach virtually any business desktop
worldwide. It is one of the few, realistic, green technologies available to businesses of
all sizes, and it’s available now.

For example, by using Nefsis you and all your employees could telecommute one day
per week.
This alone would be a huge reduction in burning fuel, and employee cost-of-living relief.
Another good example is cutting repeat travel to recurring meetings. This too is a realistic,
immediately available greenhouse gas reduction technique.
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS for NEFSIS
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Windows 2000, XP or later; for premium visual experience, Windows Vista & 7 are
preferred
Pentium 4 or newer
512MB RAM available
Broadband Internet access (DSL, Cable Modem, T1, etc.)
DirectShow 8.1 or later compatible webcam or video input (optional, to send video)
DirectSound compatible audio input (optional, to send voice), and headset or
speakers
Microsoft® PowerPoint® 97 or later versions. No proprietary hardware required.
Automatic CPU & Bandwidth Adjustment
Nefsis uses industry standard web browsers and Internet connections that traverse
firewalls and proxies for business users.
CONCLUSION:
Green computing has definitely come a long way, but with so many new innovations
coming along in regards of preserving the environment,.

It is safe to say that green computing is a great development.
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