Green It It as an Environmental Issue Richard Hodges 1203066778883261 4

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Copyrighted Material - All Rights Reserved 20072

IT as an Environmental Issue:

Problems and Opportunities

Richard Hodges707-933-0299, [email protected]

Workshop for Research Program on EnvironmentallyResponsible Information Technology Practices

Connected Urban Development


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Environmental sustainability is a major

global issue of the 21st Century.l Global climate change

l Air and water pollution

l Ocean degradationl Depletion of non-renewable natural

resources

l Human health and safety issues

l Toxic wastes

l Disposal of solid wastes

l Species extinction


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5/34Copyrighted Material - All Rights Reserved 20075

consuming non-renewable natural

resources for manufacturing

Manufacturing computers is materialsintensive the total fossil fuels used to makeone desktop computer weigh over 240kilograms, some 10 times the weight of thecomputer itself. This is very high comparedto many other goods: For an automobile orrefrigerator, for example, the weight of fossil

fuels used for production is roughly equal totheir weights. Also, substantial quantities ofchemicals (22 kg), and water(1,500 kg) arealso used. Computers and the Environment, Kuehr and Williams, 2003)



creating health human health issues

during manufacturing and use



consuming resources for global

distribution of products


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producing waste

l Paper 60% of solid

waste from offices.

l Consumables waste.

l Universal and toxic

waste

l Packaging waste.


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during short product lives

l gadgets -


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and becoming toxic e-waste at the end

of useful life.


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The environmental effects of IT systems

can be assessed using the samecategories as green buildings.

lEnergy and AtmospherelMaterials and Resources

lIndoor Environmental Quality

lSite

lWater


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LEED - Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design

The Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED)Green Building RatingSystem is the nationallyaccepted benchmark for the

design, construction, andoperation of high performancegreen buildings.

CertifiedSilver

GoldPlatinum


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Energy and Atmosphere Electricity

Calpers Headquarters Sacramento, California

KEY PARAMETERS:l GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGE: 1.1 million

ft2l COST: $192 millionl COMPLETED: November 2005l ANNUAL PURCHASED ENERGY USE

(BASED ON SIMULATION): 81.6 kBtu/ft2- 16% reduction from base case.

Greensource Magazine,

April 2007

LEED Gold

65% of the energy use is fordata center and officeequipment.


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Current California design standardsfor plug load in commercialbuildings

l Title 24 limits lighting to 1.1 to 1.2 watts per ft.2

l For "plug load" at the desktop, engineers plan for 1.5-2.5watts, or more.

l Plug load excludes power in data closets (notregulated) or the cooling load associated with any of theequipment (also unregulated if it's specific to telecomclosets/data centers).


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Information Week,

February 27, 2006

IT Systems are

the fastest growingsegment of

electrical power

consumptionworldwide.


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Materials and Resources Computers

l Copper

l Aluminum

l Lead

l Gold

l Zinc

l Nickel

l Tin

l Silver

l Iron

l Platinum

l Palladium

l Mercury

l Cobalt

l Antimony

l Arsenicl Barium

l Beryllium

l Cadmium

l Chromium

l Selenium

l Gallium

Manufacture ofone two grammicrochip --

Uses 32,000grams of de-ionized waterGenerates 26Kgof waste, some ofit highly toxic.

Producing one

square centimeterof Silicon wafer(0.16 grams) - -

uses 45 grams ofchemicals and 556grams of elementalgases

Consumes 1.8kwh of electricityGenerates 17.8Kg of waste waterand 7.8 grams ofsolid waste

Uses 240Kg of fossilfuels, 22Kg of chemicalsand 1500Kg of waterFor a 50 pound computer

/VDT combination, this

makes a materials-to-product ratio of 71:1, notincluding packing,distribution, delivery,usage, and disposal atend of life.

Manufacture of PC andMonitor


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Materials and Resources E-WasteSelected toxic substances in electronic products

Substance

Cadmium (batteries, pigments)

Lead (circuit board solder, batteries,

cathode-ray tube glass)

Mercury (switches, relays, fluorescentlamps for flat panel displays, also emitted from coal firedelectricity generation plants)

Beryllium (circuit substrates, spring steel alloys)

Phthalates (additives to polymers)Brominated flame retardants (on circuit boards,such as FR4, and in plastics in electronic equipment)

Toxicity - Reason for attentionExposure to humans of fine cadmium powderaffects renaland respiratory systems. Small amounts of dissolvedcadmium are toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms.

Lead affects the central nervous system and kidneys ofhumans. Environmental toxicity has been reported inseveral organisms.

Elemental mercury is toxic by inhalation or ingestion.Mercury affects the human central nervous system and thekidneys. It is also toxic to aquatic organisms and maycause long-term effects in the aquatic environment.

Very carcinogenic by inhalation.

Probable hormone disrupting chemicals (still under

investigation) Some brominated flame retardants arecarcinogens, some are suspected to cause reproductiveeffects and some may cause organ and especially livertoxicity in humans. Some degrade slowly in nature, all arebioaccumulative, and some produce dioxins whenincinerated.

Source: Toxicity and Ecotoxicity, Danish EPA, Environmental project number 568, 2000, www.gnteknik.dk


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Materials and Resources E-Waste

Increasing volume ----PCsServers

Cell Phones

Increasing restrictions ----Basel treaty

WEEE/EuP in EuropeState and Federal Government in U.S.


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Materials and Resources E-Waste

Image From SVTC Website http://svtc.etoxics.org


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Materials and Resources Data Cables

l Virgin Copper 1.5B poundsper year for building cable.

l PVC Plastics 11 pounds per1k feet of data cable.

l Lead PVC sheaths are 2 to8% lead by weight.

l Volume of IT cable inbuildings - >1,300 feet per

office worker in the U.S, andgrowing.

l Disposal at End of Life Cables as toxic E-waste


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Materials and Resources - Data Cables

Abandoned cable is a hidden hazard in ourbuildings today. In addition to creating cablemanagement, structural and air flow problems,excess cable adds unnecessary fuel load inconcealed spaces of buildings. This adds to therisk of smoke and fire spread. After many years ofaccumulation, removal of abandoned cable was

required by the National Electric Code (NEC)2002. DuPont Cabling Solutions, 2005


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Materials and Resources Universal Waste

Common items that have traditionally been thrown inthe trash cannot be safely disposed in landfills. Theseitems are referred to as hazardous waste, and some ofthem as universal waste (u-waste). CIWMB

Batteries. Includes all batteries, AAA, AA, C, D, button cell, 9-volt,both rechargeable and single use. Also lead-acid batteries.Computer and television monitors. Most monitors are currentlyconsidered hazardous waste including cathode ray tube(CRT), liquid crystal diode (LCD), and plasma monitors.

Electronic devices. Includes computers, printers, VCRs, cellphones, telephones, and radios.

As of February 9, 2006, all u-waste items are banned from the trash.CIWMB
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/HHW/UWaste/default.htm


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Indoor Environmental Quality

l Volatile Organic Compounds(VOCs) and particulateemissions from Printersand Copiers.

l VOC off-gassing fromelectronic equipment.

l Chemical residues from fireretardants on computers

(PDBEs).l Lead from data cable

sheaths.


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Indoor Environmental Quality

Big Health Risk Seen in Some Laser PrintersSan Francisco Chronicle, August 1, 2007

If you work near

certain models of laserprinters, you might bebreathing the sameamount of ultra-fineparticle pollution as ifa smoker were puffingaway in the nextcubicle.


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Space for IT equipment in atypical office building

ANSI/EIA/TIA 569 minimumstandard is about 1% of

usable floor space.

Actual space

needs are higher,

and growing.

Site Space Requirements


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Site Space Requirements

Materials and Resources - InfrastructureIT systems driverequirements for

building infrastructure and more space.

l Electrical powerdistribution systems.

l Back-up power systemsfor IT equipment.

l Cooling systems.

l Fire suppression systems.


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What is the one thing that we know is

true about technology?

We always overestimate the effectof technology in the short andunderestimate the effect in thelong run.

Tom Edrington IV, 1984


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The internet (aka the global

information network) really is going tochange everything.

Graphic attributed to Gartner Group


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Greening information technology

systems requires new thinking and newprocesses, for example

The three Rs of environmentalism:

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

The GreenIT ER3 Principle: ELIMINATE

then Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.


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The environmental benefits of new

thinking and new processes

:

MITIGATIONMITIGATION

Reduced consumption of materials and equipment.Reduced consumption of materials and equipment.

Improved energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissionsImproved energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions

reductions.reductions.

Reduced electronic and office waste.Reduced electronic and office waste.

INNOVATIONINNOVATION

Reduced space needs.Reduced space needs.

Less employee commute travel.Less employee commute travel.

Reduced business travel.Reduced business travel.

New ways of delivering government services.New ways of delivering government services.


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We can do better.

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Green It It as an Environmental Issue Richard Hodges 1203066778883261 4

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