Resources
A
useful general source of information on IT equipment
as a global environmental issue is the book “Computers
and the Environment – Understanding and Managing
their Impacts.” Kuehr and Williams (Eds.).
Though the book focuses primarily on PC’s, the
concepts can be extended to other IT products.
E-Waste
The Silicon
Valley Toxics Coalition, the Basel
Action Network, and Greenpeace have
all taken active public roles in publicizing the environmental
problems associate with IT systems and advocating for
increased regulation.
A view of the problem from Switzerland
can be found at http://www.ewaste.ch/.
Numerous articles have appeared in the
popular press that addresses the issue of e-waste, including National
Geographic, Smithsonian
Magazine, and the San
Jose Mercury News.
Power
Consumption
For commercial buildings,
The State of California says “Office
equipment accounts for 26 percent of electricity used
in office buildings. This is more than the entire lighting
system (22 percent) and almost as much as the chilled
water subsystem (28 percent). Yet
this is the easiest area in which to achieve energy efficiency
savings”.
The
most comprehensive study of the issue of direct power
consumption by IT equipment in the U.S is the Lawrence
Labs 2001 study by Kawamoto, et al.
Their study concludes that office and networking equipment
represents 3% of total U.S. electricity consumption.
The
cooling load required to remove heat generated by IT
systems, particularly data centers, is becoming a significant
concern in commercial buildings. The U.S. EPA is sponsoring
research on the problem and possible solutions.
IT
Equipment Recycling Programs
Programs for
reuse and recycling of computers in the U.S are growing,
with support
from major manufacturers. CompuMentor/TechSoup has
a good resource page at www.techsoup.org/products/recycle.
Green
Procurement Programs for Electronics
The
U.S Federal Government has taken the lead in the
U.S. with the Federal
Electronics Challenge, launched
in 2004.
Many states and municipalities have enacted or are considering
Green Procurement programs that include electronics and
IT equipment.
The EPA is funding development of an Electronic
Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) to provide a methodology
and guidance for purchasing.
The
Center for the New American Dream offers
guidelines, advice, and institutional procurement resources
for purchasing computers.
Data
Cabling
The most comprehensive source of
information on the environmental effects of data cable
is the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) study: “Environmental,
Health and Safety Issues in the Coated Wire and Cable
Industry, 2002
TURI has undertaken a joint project with the U.S. EPA,
manufacturers, and suppliers to
develop more environmentally benign data cables.
DuPont is taking a leading role in the U.S. in developing
programs for recycling of old cable, highlighting the
problem of abandoned cable, and publicizing fire and
electrical code requirements for data cables.
Indoor
Environmental Quality
Research indicates
that IT equipment, especially copiers and printers, may
introduce unhealthy solids and gases into buildings,
including brominated flame retardants, pthalates, organotonins,
particles and fibers, dust, ozone, Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOC’s), and
ammonia.
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