Have a "Green" IT plan

Have a "Green" IT plan

Companies should build power and e-waste solutions into their budgets and RFPs. The greening of the technology industry is a trend that is developing with great speed, and for good reason. According to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, e-waste (electronic waste) is the fastest-growing part of the waste stream today. The EPA estimates that e-waste accounts for 2 percent of the municipal solid waste stream in the United States. More than 1,000 chemicals used during electronics production, such as lead, mercury and cadmium, have been linked in some way to cancer, reproductive problems and other serious illnesses.

Footprint

Now that technology is considered essential to scalable growth of enterprises, the demand on US power grids has forced technology companies to begin creating and manufacturing more energy-efficient and sustainable products to reduce power consumption. Of course, there are environmental reasons for going green, but building a green infrastructure can also result in significant savings. Interactive Data Corporation predicts that the cost to heat and cool components will grow to 70 cents per dollar by 2010. Whatever the goals, IT managers have more options than ever for getting their companies thinking about and acting green.

Vital Statistics

The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition estimates there are 500 millionobsolete computers in the United States, and 130 million cell phones arethrown out every year. Indeed, e-waste is a major problem that can nolonger be resolved by tossing end-of-life electronics into a nearbytrash bin or landfill. Both the EPA and some state environmentalagencies mandate the proper disposal of e-waste. For example,California's Department of Toxic Substances Control requires companiesto manage the disposal of CRTs (the old tube computer monitors) with thesame caution and care as they would hazardous waste. Meanwhile, a billin the U.S. House of Representatives-HR 233, also known as the NationalComputer Recycling Act-would establish an advance recycling fee of asmuch as $10 on desktop computers, monitors, laptops and otherelectronics. As some of you may know, this fee already exists in thestate of California and costs the end user $15.00 per LCD. The moneycollected is used to help encourage collection and recycling ofelectronic products.

Implement an IT Recycling Plan

Companies should create a recycling plan that will address equipmentobsolescence. This includes figuring the costs of recycling into yourtechnology budget. IT managers can help the situation by accounting forelectronic recycling in their budget at the beginning of each new fiscalyear. Another method of offsetting the costs associated with technologyrecycling is to locate companies that offer minimal or even freerecycling or disposal of old information technology equipment.