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Unit 1 - Lecture notes Unit 1

Information Retrieval (Anna University)

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UNIT: 1

FUNDAMENTALS

Syllabus:

Green IT Fundamentals: Business, IT, and the Environment – Green computing: carbon foot print,
scoop on power – Green IT Strategies: Drivers, Dimensions, and Goals – Environmentally
Responsible Business: Policies, Practices, and Metrics.

INTRODUCTION
An indisputably winning argument behind the implementation of green IT initiatives is
based on business efficiency. This is the same reason why businesses strive to be lean, improve
their quality, and reengineer their processes. Thus, while myriad reasons abound for why an
organization should become green, the one reason that is beyond reproach is that ―a green business
is synonymous with an efficient business. When a reduction in carbon is allied with the economic
drivers of a business, the search for justifying the costs to optimize business processes and
virtualized data servers become relatively straightforward.
Green IT is defined as ― the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using and
disposing of computers, servers and associated subsystems (such as monitors, printers, storage
devices, and networking and communication systems) efficiently and effectively with minimal or
no impact on the environment.

THE ENVIRONMENT TODAY

As mentioned earlier, whether human activity is the cause of change in the environment or
not becomes a background conversation to improving business and achieving environmental
outcomes in the process. It is this business-driven collaborative path that opens opportunity for
corporate action.

Fig: Information technology influences business, society, and environment – lead up to the
sustainable triangle.

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Fig shows that the information technology affects business, which in turn, influences the
society and the overall environment in which the business exists. It in business makes use of massive
computing and networking technologies that require large and dedicated data centres. The location
of these data centres and the people who work in them are all socially affected by this use of IT by
business. The direct influence of IT is seen in the massive proliferation of household gadgets, use
of computers in schools and hospitals, the popularity of social networking, and the high level of
communications technology.
A carefully constructed strategy for Green IT is a crucial enabler for an organizations overall
transition toward an environmentally sustainable business.
The following are some of the specific ways in which a comprehensive Green IT strategy is
beneficial to an organization:
 Incorporates environmental issues within the business strategies in way that is
complementary to each other.
 Demonstrates the importance of environmental issues as one of the core business issues
rather than merely good to have add on.
 Explores the possibilities of enhanced green performance to discover and develop new
business opportunities.
 Expands the technologies of business intelligence for the purpose of reducing the
organizations carbon foot print.
 Applies the concept of carbon efficiency to business processes leading up to green business
process management and green process reengineering.
 Develops the idea of the carbon footprint of collaborative business processes that cut across
multiple organizations and approaches to improve that collective carbon footprint.
 Proposes a Green enterprise architecture (GEA) that builds on the technologies of web
services and cloud computing.
 Discusses the importance of people, their attitude, and approaches to Green IT that would
bring about a positive change without condemnation.
 Expands on the role of Green HR including the training and positioning of roles and
responsibilities in the green space.
 Expands on the vital role of business leadership in bringing about positive green change
across the organization.
 Presents the legal and political aspects the international protocols on greenhouse gases
(GHGs).
 Argues for the use of ISO 14001 family of standard for the environment within the
organization.

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 Discusses the metrics and measurements related to carbon data with an aim of understanding
and mitigating the sources of carbon generation within and outside the organization.
 Incorporates the use of mobile technologies and smart metering for real-time measurements
and use of carbon data.
 Discusses and advises on the use of Carbon Emissions Management Software (CEMS) in
the context of carbon metrics, measurements and reporting.
 Outlines the approach to Green IT audits for reporting and compliance.
 Explores the futuristic issues impacting environmental performance of an organization.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
IT is an inseparable, integral part of modern business. In fact, IT is so closely intertwined
with business processes that is difficult to imagine any modern core business without IT. In addition
to being an integral support to business processes, IT particularly with communications
technologies, is a creative cause for many new and wide-ranging business interactions. The synergy
between business and IT implies that growth in business also implies corresponding growth in IT.
This in turn, also implies greater IT based carbon generation.

The fig. depicts this ongoing interplay between the business and the environment. The IT
sheath that encompasses the business is shown on the left. Any business activity that involves IT
and most does impact the environment. The carbon impact is shown by an arrow from left to right.
This impact of business activities through IT on the environment has to be understood in
three ways:
1. From the length of time
2. The depth of activity from the length of time,
3. The depth of activity, and the breadth of coverage of the carbon effect.
Following are specific areas of IT systems, processes, architecture, and people that impact
the carbon footprint of an organization. These respective IT areas have a dual influence: the increase
in business activities through these packages increases the carbon foot print of the organization, but
the optimization of the business and backend IT servers and networks has the potential to reduce
the carbon footprint of the organization. These IT areas are discussed as follows:

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 Software applications and packages: These are the existing ERP/CRM applications within
the organization that need to undergo a major revamp to incorporate green factors. The
carbon data form within the organizations are measured through various means such as
smart meters, are inputted directly by users or updated through interfaces from other
systems. Carbon usage data are then fed into the financial type calculators of the
organization to ascertain the corresponding carbon calculations.
 Carbon trading applications: with potential carbon trading on cards, these organizational
applications will also be geared toward performing analytics on the real time data that will
enable the organization to figure out trends in its own carbon performance as well as that of
the market. Carbon reporting tools will play equally significant role in the carbon economy.
 Green enterprise architectures: This is the ground-up building of new enterprise
architectures that take a fresh look at the enterprise applications from a green perspective.
 Green Infrastructure: This is an area of IT that deals with the buildings, data centers,
vehicles, and other non-movable and movable assets of the organization. The design,
development, operations, and decommissioning of these IT and non-IT infrastructure assets
of the organization needs to be investigated.
 Governance standards (ITIL and CoBIT): the way in which the governance standards
are implemented is also reflective of the organizations carbon initiative.
 People: the attitude of the end users and the extent to which they are trained and educated
in the efficient use of resources, and the feedback provided to them on their carbon usage is
vital in the creation of green IT culture within and around the organization.
 Dynamic Social Groups: The creation of social groups that reflect their usage and
consumption patterns can lead to not only directed marketing and sales but also help the
organization in its green credentials.
 Wired and Wireless Communication: The way in which various communications
technologies are exploding has connotations from green IT. Thus, the way in which these
wired and wireless networks are configured and deployed will impact the carbon foot print
of the organization.
 Emerging Cloud Technologies: Computing is becoming increasingly decentralized and
having a dedicated data center is no longer the privilege that it used to be. A cloud essentially
enables sharing of large-scale storage of data, corresponding computation, and analysis and
reduces overall carbon.
 Green Peripherals: This is the area of printers, copiers, shredders, and similar office
equipment’s that are associated with IT and that contribute to the overall carbon of the

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organization. These peripherals have a substantial impact on the carbon footprint of a

growing organization.
 Renewable Energies: These include alternate sources of clean and green energies such as
solar, wind, and nuclear. These energies will be treated separately in terms of their costs,
and in terms of calculating their carbon contributions.
 Development of efficiency solutions based on IT Systems: These solutions would include
measurement, monitoring, and reporting on energy performance. These solutions would
further monitor and control resource usage and energy consumption.
 Design, Development, and use of power efficiency in IT and Non-IT Hardware: This
would include not only power efficiency in electronic chip designs, but also expansion into
green power grids and management of equipment through software and operating systems.
 Adherence to regulations and standardization: Includes active participation in creation
of new standards, agreements, and consortium-based protocols.
 Recycling and Disposal of IT Hardware: This will impact the procurement as well as
disposal aspect of IT that is associated with efficient design of equipment, as well as ethical
disposal of the same when their use is consummated.
The Three Rs of Green IT
Unwanted computers, monitors and other hardware should not be thrown away as rubbish,
as they will then end up in landfills and cause serious environmental problems. Instead, we should
refurbish and reuse them, or dispose them in environmentally sound ways. Reuse, refurbish and
recycle are the three ‘Rs’ of greening unwanted hardware.
Reuse:
Many organizations and individuals buy new computers for each project or once every 2–3
years. Instead, we should make use of an older computer if it meets our requirements. Otherwise,
we should give it to someone who could use it in another project or unit. By using hardware for a
longer period of time, we can reduce the total environmental footprint caused by computer
manufacturing and disposal.
Refurbish:
We can refurbish and upgrade old computers and servers to meet our new requirements. We
can make an old computer and other IT hardware almost new again by reconditioning and replacing
some parts. Rather than buying a new computer to our specifications, we can also buy refurbished
IT hardware in the market. More enterprises are now open to purchasing refurbished IT hardware,
and the market for refurbished equipment is growing. If these options are unsuitable, we can donate
the equipment to charities, schools or someone in need, or we can trade in our computers.

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Recycle:

When we cannot refurbish or otherwise reuse computers, we must dispose of them in

environmentally friendly ways by depositing them with recognized electronic recyclers or
electronic waste (e-waste) collectors. E-waste – discarded computers and electronic goods – is one
of the fastest- growing waste types and poses serious environmental problems. The United Nations
Environment Program estimates that 20–50 million tons of e-waste is generated worldwide each
year, and this is increasing. IT hardware contains toxic materials like lead, chromium, cadmium and
mercury. If we bury IT hardware in landfills, toxic materials can leach harmful chemicals into
waterways and the environment. If burned, they release toxic gases into the air we breathe. So if e-
waste is not discarded properly, it can harm the environment and us. Waste electrical and electronic
equipment (WEEE) regulations aim to reduce the amount of e-waste going to landfills and increase
recovery and recycling rates.

GREEN COMPUTING:
Green computing is the study and practice of designing, manufacturing and using computers,
servers, monitors, printers, storage devices and networking and communications systems efficiently
and effectively, with zero or minimal impact on the environment. Green IT is also about using IT
to support, assist and leverage other environmental initiatives and to help create green awareness.
Benefits:
Green IT benefits the environment by
 Improving energy efficiency.
 Lowering GHG emissions.
 Using less harmful materials.
 Encouraging reuse and recycling.
To foster green IT – The issues to be concerned
 What are the key environmental impacts arising from IT?
 What are the major environmental IT issues that we must address?
 How can we make our IT infrastructure, products, services, operations,
applications and practices environmentally sound?
 What are the regulations or standards with which we need to comply?
 How can IT assist businesses and society at large in their efforts to improve
our environmental sustainability?
Environmental Concerns and Sustainable Development:
Numerous scientific studies and reports offer evidence of climate change and its potential
harmful effects. Specifically, the growing accumulation of GHGs is changing the world’s climate
and weather patterns, creating droughts in some countries and floods in others and pushing global

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temperatures slowly higher, posing serious worldwide problems. Global data show that storms,
droughts and other weather- related disasters are growing more severe and frequent.
Global warming can occur from a variety of causes, both natural and human induced. In
common usage, however, global warming often refers to warming that can occur due to increased
GHG emissions from human activities which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth.
This phenomenon is called the greenhouse effect.
The most significant constituents of GHG are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide
and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases. Electricity is a major source of GHGs as it is generated by
burning coal or oil, which releases CO2 into the atmosphere. Reducing electric power consumption
is a key to reducing CO2 emissions and their impacts on our environment and global warming.
Why Should You Go Green?
The reasons for going green are manifold:
 Increasing energy consumption and energy prices,
 Growing consumer interest in environmentally friendly goods and services,
 Higher expectations by the public on enterprises
 Environmental responsibilities and emerging stricter regulatory and compliance
requirements.
CARBON FOOT PRINT:
A carbon footprint is defined as: The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly
and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide
(CO2). In few organizations, carbon footprint might mean that everything is tallied—sourcing
materials, manufacturing, distribution, use, disposal, and so forth.
The amount of greenhouse gases and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such
as a person's activities or a product's manufacture and transport) during a given period.
For measuring carbon footprint, we require to track lot of information such as:

 Facilities
 Operations
 Transportation
 Travel
 Purchases
Measuring Carbon Foot Print:
Step 1: Define the boundary for your carbon footprint:
We need to monitor the carbon footprint process year by year, so it is very important to have
some rules to follow about scope of work to be done. Our primary objective is to reduce the emission

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of carbon, if we fail to define the carbon footprint boundary can inhibit comparisons against
benchmarks and could also undermine meaningful monitoring of performance.
There are three types of boundaries:
 Type 1: Operational control: Using this approach every operation of our
organization/company is captured in the carbon footprint. This also includes supply chain if
an organization has sufficient operational control over suppliers.
 Type 2: Financial control: In this approach all financial elements are included. Often this
excludes elements which our company may operate but not financially control and therefore
using this approach can result in a smaller carbon footprint.
 Type 3: Equity control: This approach includes all elements that our company owns. If our
company has part ownership, then the proportion ownership is used to calculate the relevant
carbon footprint attributable to that company.
Step 2: Decide which emissions will be included under scope:
Scope refers to the emission types captured in a carbon footprint. The scope of an
organization’s carbon footprint also breaks down into three components.
 Scope 1 emissions: These are direct emissions from assets that are either owned by our
company (i.e., fleet vehicle emissions from the consumption of fuel) or emissions produced
through an on- site activity (i.e., emissions from the burning of natural gas in a company’s
boiler).
 Scope 2 emissions: Scope 2 covers all indirect emissions or more specifically emissions
derived from the production of purchased electricity. Here company hasn’t actually
produced the emissions associated with electricity generation but due to the consumption of
electricity to power lights, equipment etc. we can say that our organization is indirectly
responsible for these emissions.
 Scope 3 emissions: Scope 3 covers all other indirect emissions which are not as a result of
the consumption of purchased electricity. This includes a wide array of emission sources
including waste, consumables, staff commute, supply chain emissions, water use etc.
Step 3: Define your carbon footprint period:
A carbon footprint is typically measured across an annual period. When choosing our period
for measurement it is best to think of other reporting cycles which can be used as the set time-frame.
Step 4: Use a practical approach to collect annual data:
Once we have defined our boundary and the type of emissions we are going to capture, we’ll
then need to collect data on all elements that we are going to measure carbon emissions for (i.e.,
electricity and gas usage, vehicle mileage, waste volume etc.)

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Here are some top tips that can be used:

 Annualize partial data: Data should be for an annual period.
 Use proxies where you don’t have primary data.
 Use intelligent estimation.
Step 5: Calculate footprint:
After we have collected all our relevant annual data the task is then relatively simple. You
need to use a carbon footprint calculator or carbon conversion factors to calculate our organizational
carbon footprint.
Need of Carbon Footprint:
Measuring carbon footprint is nothing but it another way to measure overall progress toward
becoming green. It can help with numerous business goals such as:
 Helping company to improve its efficiencies.
 Reducing costs.
 Getting public recognition.
 Maintain link in the supply chain.
 Good impact on customer.
SCOOP ON POWER:
The issue of power consumption is ongoing as we continue to use new machines. The more
power we use, the more money we spend as well as more fossil fuels the local electrical utility has
to burn, thus causing more greenhouse gases to be generated. So, saving the power is saving the
money as well as saving the environment.
Desktops:
The power can cab be effectively used in desktop computer by enabling power management
settings. Normally desktop PC requires 85 watts’ power, even with the monitor off. If that computer
is only in use or idling for 40 hours a week instead of a full 168, much more energy costs will be
saved annually from that workstation alone.
Datacenters:
The increase in servers and network infrastructure has caused a sharp hike in the electrical
usage in the datacenter. Power consumption per rack has risen from 1 kW in 2000 to 8 kW in 2006
and is expected to top 20 kW in 2010. This increase in energy consumption is not only because of
more servers but also use of additional network infrastructure. A normal 24-port Ethernet switch
uses 250 watts of power on an average. If the electricity generated to power this switch comes from
a coal-fired plant, 1,780 pounds of coal are needed to produce the 2,190 kW as shown in next figure.

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Consumption:
It is estimated that datacenters consume 1.5 percent of the nation’s electrical power and this
number will triple again by 2020, as number users of computers are rapidly increasing. If we do not
save power, then we need more power plants to satisfy future needs. Which in turn will increase
many million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. The EPA (US: Environmental Protection
Agency) suggested few ways for being more energy efficient, ranging from properly organizing
physical space to reduce cooling loads to using energy efficient power supplies. We have to increase
the use of energy efficient certified power supply. It always better if all organizations follow Green
IT methodology. We can also follow the guidelines of EPA.
Green IT Strategies:
An important consideration in developing a green IT strategy is the timeframe of its
influence. For example, if the organization only views ‘IT as Producer’ of carbon footprint, then
simple measures like switching off monitors and computers when not in use can be brought about
immediately. A more strategic approach to carbon footprint reduction will involve other measures
and take a longer timeframe to achieve.
Effective green strategies result from an approach that cuts across all the tiers and silos of
an organization. Such strategies come from individual understanding, leadership, vision, knowledge
about the organization’s structure and dynamics, awareness of the organization’s operational
nuances and people’s (i.e., stakeholders) attitude toward change.
GREEN IT DRIVERS:
Businesses need compelling reasons to undertake and implement green IT strategies.
Business drivers of green IT can be grouped into six categories.
1. Costs (including energy costs and operational costs),
2. Regulatory and legal,
3. Sociocultural and political,
4. New market opportunities,
5. Enlightened self-interest and
6. A responsible business eco-system.

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Cost Reduction:
Cost reductions provide an excellent driver for an organization to come up with a
comprehensive green IT strategy. As a result of a green initiative, cost reduction could be derived
from minimizing energy consumption (improving energy efficiency), reducing the use of raw
materials and equipment, recycling equipment and waste and optimizing storage and inventory.
Demands from Legal and Regulatory Requirements:
Government rules and regulations comprise a major driver for many green enterprise
transformation programmers. The relative importance given to the regulatory factor, as compared
with other factors such as organization self-initiation, customer demand and pressure from society,
are the highest – 70% as reported by Regulatory acts such as National Greenhouse and Energy
Reporting (NGER)) and the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) require organizations to
mandatorily report their carbon emissions if they are above a certain threshold level.
Sociocultural and Political Pressure:
Sociocultural and political pressure becomes major driving forces when an organization’s
society recognizes the environment as of significant value and is interested in protecting it. Such
acceptance of the environment’s importance by the society brings pressure on the organization to
change.
Enlightened Self-Interest:
Self-interest comes into play when an organization, on its own accord, realizes the need to
be and the benefits of being, environmentally responsible and creates or adopts a green strategy. It
may include a range of interests including the organization’s desire to undertake a genuine common
good, the need of business leadership to achieve personal satisfaction or maintain or raise employee
morale or simply the decision makers’ understanding that costs can be reduced and customers more
satisfied with a self-interest approach that also helps the environment.

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Collaborative Business Ecosystem:

If a large organization that has myriad different associations with its many collaborating
smaller sized organizations changes its direction and priorities, then those collaborating
organizations also have to change their priorities accordingly. When such a large organization
embarks on environmentally sustainability programmers in a major way encompassing its supply
chain, an entire ecosystem made up of the business partners, suppliers and customers and internal
user’s organizations, together with the industry and the corresponding business consortiums in
which the organization exists, is affected. These various stakeholders and associations are invariably
pushed into implementing environmentally responsible initiatives and strategies.
New Market Opportunities:
Global environmental awareness, corresponding legislations and sociocultural and political
pressure on businesses have created opportunities for new markets that did exist or were not even
envisaged a few years ago. For instance, these new markets can create and provide products and
services that assist other organizations in achieving their green initiatives and goals. Thus, we are
talking about not only ‘businesses that are green’ but also ‘green as a business offering’.
GREEN IT BUSINESS DIMENSIONS:
Once the drivers that provide the impetus to the business for its green initiatives are
identified and documented, they lead to discussion on the areas of business that are likely to be
affected by the changes. The changes resulting from green IT initiatives transform the organization
and, therefore, understanding them is an integral part of a green IT strategy. An organization
changes or transforms along four different lines or dimensions.
 Economy
 Technical
 Process
 People

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Economy:
Economic considerations are one of the key factors in an organization’s decision to
implement environmental policies and systems. The costs associated with green transformations
and the returns on those costs are the first ones to appear in the minds of leaders and those in charge
of the green transformation. Therefore, this is a primary dimension along which green
transformation occurs in an organization. These include the cost–benefit analysis and a financial
return on investment (ROI) analysis. Economic growth in the current economy is usually associated
with increase in carbon emissions.
Technology:
Technology we mean an organization’s hardware, network infrastructure, software and
applications. This is also the more ‘popular’ and visible aspect of green IT. Switching off monitors,
virtualizing servers and eschewing printing on physical paper are the initial, visible aspects of
change that occur along this dimension. This is then followed by long-term strategic change in the
way the data centre is organized and operated. Emerging information technologies, such as service
orientation, software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing, are creatively used in this dimension
to reduce an entire organization’s carbon emissions.
Processes:
The process dimension of an organization deals with ‘how’ things are done within an
organization. Business process reengineering is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of
business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of
performance such as cost, quality, service and speed. The process dimension of an organization is
perhaps the most visible one, and it is often used to judge the level of ecological responsibility for
an organization’s green ICT. This is because the process dimension has immediate and measurable
effects on a business operation’s carbon footprint. It also has effects on clients, vendors and business
partners in the collaboration.
People:
The most difficult and perhaps most complex dimension of a green enterprise transformation
is people. Whilst the people aspect of an organization’s behaviour has been studied to great depths,
in this discussion the focus is on the attitudes of individuals and the sociocultural setup in which
they operate in the context of the environment. An enterprise-wide green strategy is best driven
from the top of the organization in order to ensure its success.
Leadership within this people aspect, such as that by senior directors and chief officers, is
a deciding factor in an environmental initiative. The involvement of senior management in bringing
about a change in the people dimension is vital – and it has to be done at an early stage of a green
initiative, though such involvement from senior leadership requires a substantial commitment in

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terms of time, money and other resources. Making the key stakeholders fully aware of the
importance of the green initiative for the organization and, through them, promoting the initiative
to bring about fundamental changes in attitudes are keys to success.
GREEN IT METRICES AND MEASUREMENTS:
Metrics for green IT performance of an organization can be based internal ROI goals and/or
on legal reporting requirements. Whilst the ISO 14000 series of standards can provide an excellent
starting point for the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for green IT, CEMS can be used to
automate, measure and report on carbon emissions and the carbon footprint.
Following are some typical KPIs that must be embedded in an organization that is
undertaking green strategies.
 Economic outcome: Reduce energy consumption by 10% of its current level per year for
three years; increase green services (e.g., the addition of one detailed insurance service
dedicated to green).
 Technical: Use virtualized data servers for all warehoused data; use smart meters to record,
repost and control emissions.
 Process: Optimize supply chain management to reduce or reengineer individual processes.
 People: Train people for green IT at all levels. Telecommute once a week to reduce
emissions.
Carbon metrics coverage:
A carbon intensity (or emissions intensity) is a ratio that reflects the amount of GHG
emissions per unit of energy delivered. This metric reflects the operational efficiency and emissions
of production processes related to the energy that will be delivered to consumers, and as such is an
important tool in monitoring and assessing the environmental performance of integrated energy
companies and their future strategies.
Carbon intensity metric quantifies the amount of CO2 equivalent emissions per unit of
energy supplied (gCO2e/MJ) to the end consumer. Non energy products such as lubricants and
chemicals and corresponding emissions are not included in this metric.
Green IT Measurement Challenges:
In the past the focus was on computing efficiency and cost associated to IT equipment’s and
infrastructure services were considered low cost and available. Now infrastructure is becoming the
bottleneck in IT environments and the reason for this shift is due to growing computing needs,
energy cost and global warming. This shift is a great challenge for IT industry. Therefore, now
researchers are focusing on the cooling system, power and data center space. following are few
prominent challenges that Green computing is facing today:

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 Equipment power density / Power and cooling capacities;

 Increase in energy requirements for Data Centers and growing energy cost;
 Control on increasing requirements of heat removing equipment, which increases
because of increase in total power consumption by IT equipment’s;
 Equipment Life cycle management – Cradle to Grave; and
 Disposal of Electronic Wastes.
Framework for Green IT Metrics:
Green Economy Indicators are key evidence-based instruments which facilitate the
evaluation of Green Economy policies by:
 Identifying priority issues;
 Formulating and assessing Green Economy policy options; and
 Evaluating the performance of policy implementation.
Measuring Carbon Footprint of your Organization:
Carbon footprint is all about carbon (and other GHG) emissions. It isn’t a measure of use of
natural resources, or the waste a company produces – though those might affect the calculation’s
results. The real win would be achieving reductions in your absolute total footprint, which means
getting total emissions down even as the business grows. The next best thing is finding ways to
reduce emissions relative to output, so bringing down emissions per product, per employee, or per
some unit of revenue.
Measuring Operational Cost in your Organization:
If properly followed Green Computing practices can save millions of rupees of an
organization. Ecologically responsible practices must be adopted. For green computing, initial
investment will be more, but eventually not only we will save money but also help to sustain the
environment. Many organizations hesitate for going green because of initial cost. Unless equipment
is planned to be replaced or there’s a datacenter design in the works, most businesses are not likely
to replace their equipment just for the sake of duty to society. But when the cost of power starts
taking a bigger and bigger bite out of the IT budget, organizations start really looking at green
computing nowadays.
ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS:
One of the best ways to make your business more environmentally-friendly is to practice
green procurement. This involves sourcing goods and services that are produced and supplied in a
sustainable fashion. Sourcing from local suppliers rather than those located far away is a good place
to start.
 Are manufactured in a sustainable fashion
 Do not contain toxic materials or ozone-depleting substances

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 Can be recycled and/or are produced from recycled materials

 Are made from renewable materials
 Do not make use of excessive packaging
 Are designed to be repairable and not throwaway
Policies in ERBs:
A green policy usually contains the following components:
 A declaration of your company’s commitment to the environment.
 A concise description of what your company is trying to achieve with your
environmental goals and how you will accomplish your goals.
 A commitment to prevent pollution and to continuously improve environmental
performance.
 A commitment to keeping employees and community members safe.
 A statement of the strategies and actions your business is willing to undertake to
meet its commitments.
Practices in ERBs:
Environmental Practices are defined as those actions that seek to reduce the negative
environmental impact caused by activities and processes through changes and improvements in the
organization and development of actions. The usefulness of the Good Practices is well proven and
lies in its low cost and simplicity of implementation, as well as the fast results obtained.
The implementation of Good Environmental Practices is assumed by the Foundation and
understood as a whole, committing itself to continuous improvement in its application. From Social
Promotion, this Guide and its implementation are considered as a tool to improve the transparency,
competitiveness and integral development of the beneficiaries of the activities.
This Guide has been developed in six lines of action, as follows:
 Materials
 Energy
 Water
 Waste
 Transportation
 Communications
Lean Impact on Green:
Lean Manufacturing plays an important role in supporting companies to overcome
environmental, social and economic impacts attributed to the production processes, which has been
a major concern for the industrial sector lately. Lean Manufacturing is focused on the reduction of
waste and improvement of operational efficiency using a set of different tools to get these

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objectives. Many of these tools can be successfully used in isolation, which makes it much easier
to get started, but on the other hand, the benefits will propagate as more tools are used, as they do
support and reinforce each other.
The combination of lean and green initiatives has been contributing to seek alternatives to
support companies balance efficiency gains and environmental performance in their industrial
processes. The lean philosophy also intends to reduce wastes in all the organizations areas, thus the
alignment with the environmental paradigm seems normal.
Environmental areas covered:
Policies and their practices can be viewed from three different angles—the breadth of
coverage, the depth at which they operate, and the length of time they are influential within the
organization.
Breadth of Environmental Policies (Areas Covered):

What is highlighted is the need to consider the overall organization and its entire breadth in
terms of Green IT policy development and implementation. Such consideration will result in
appropriate creation of g green p programs, c corresponding use of an analysing, modelling, and
simulation tools for the study of environmental risk management and improved accuracy of
measurements. The broader is the coverage of green policies, the better are the organization’s
chances at success.
Depth of Environmental policies (Intensity of Coverage):
A deep practice of policies in large organizations is usually well supported by tools for eco
management, operating on dedicated systems platforms resulting in not only support, but also
measurements and reporting of carbon performance for single and collective business processes.
Depth of coverage for each process includes detailed description, mapping, responsibilities, and
execution of roles, deliverables, activities, and tasks within the organization. The depth of coverage
of green policies also facilitates audits and feedback to the same process in greater detail.

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Length of Environmental Policies (Duration of Coverage):

Green policy formulations require the policy makers to have the ability to look at the future
strategies that make predictions regarding the future of the firm. When incorporating time in
policies, it becomes important to consider the longevity of the firm itself, together with the longevity
of the Green IT initiative. A Green IT can transform the organization, but maintaining that
transformed green state over a period of time is only given due importance when the ―length‖ is
considered.

GREEN PRACTICE: A BALANCING ACT:

Balancing act, in practice, also requires consideration of the IT versus non-IT assets of the
organization. In developing the green policies and eventually practicing green in a holistic way, the
organization needs to consider Green IT from both IT and non-IT viewpoint. While the overall
influence of IT on the greening effort will vary depending on the type and size of the organization,
still understanding this mix of IT and non-IT assets is important for both policy development and
eventual practice.

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Mobility and Environment:

Mobility has a significant role to play in the reduction of carbon emissions as it has the
potential to offer location independence, that is, reduce the need to t ravel, to most business
processes. Some of the advantages and challenges in the use of mobile technologies in business
from the point of view of environmental sustainability are noted in this discussion.
Advantages to environment:
Mobility offers location independence and personalization, both of which are characteristics
that can be used to optimize business processes and reduce carbon. Therefore, mobile
technologies—including devices, networks, and contents—have a significant role to play in the
global carbon reduction effort.
Challenges to Environment:
There are some interesting and unique challenges of mobility when it deals with the
environment. Consider, for example, how mobility enables virtual collaborations between business
and individuals. These virtual collaborations, especially between businesses, can introduce
management challenges in implementing environmentally responsible strategies.
Relating Environmental Business Policies to Goals:
The importance of policies and their practice is that they enable an organization to achieve
its environmental goals. Therefore, policies need to reflect the green strategies of the organization
in this regard. Policies, in practice, also need to provide help and guidance in terms of prioritizing
the actions to be undertaken by the organization. The following are some of the green policies which
enable an organization to prioritize its environmental goals.
 Energy Consumption
 Energy Efficiency
 Operational Costs
 Operational Reputation
 Environmental Performance
 Green Sustainability
 Increased Revenues
Renewable Energy Resources:

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Apart from discussing the policies and practices associated with the organization in its
current state, it is also worth considering the impact of totally different types of energy as is
currently consumed within an organization. For example, if instead of oil or gas, the energy was
generated from coal.

Renewable energy certificates are one way for organizations to support green energy. Impact
of renewable sources of energies is usually felt through Government regulatory standards.
Government devises regulatory standards which control and support the energy providers. Energy
providers implement those standards and as a result, organizations have the opportunity to source
from one or more energy providers.

Mind Map for the Role of a Chief Green Officer (CGO):

Chief Green Officer (CGO) or the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) is the most senior
person in the organization responsible for green strategies. He/she is responsible for the
development and maintenance for the green policies. The green policy should have the ability to
justify the Return of Investment (ROI). An understanding of this mind map of a CGO can be helpful
in setting and directing the green enterprise transformation of an organization.

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