Abstract-WhereToFromHere-Dick

= Green IT – Where to from here? =

Geoffrey Dick

Abstract
The use of technology for “green” purposes has reached a point where many researchers and numerous others in the community at large can see a great deal of potential benefit. Governments around the world continually call for technological solutions to environmental problems. While there are environmental issues in the manufacture, use, and obsolescence of technological devices (who still has his first cell ’phone and where did they all go?) and with the high energy and chemical cost of their production, the benefits at least look promising. Fast internet connections enable video-conferencing, meaning that widespread telecommuting programs are at least technically viable, with the inherent reduction in emissions leading to less dependence on (foreign) oil. GPS technology means that trucks can choose routes with less congestion, saving time and money. At a more pedestrian level, the use of screen savers on a PC means less consumption of energy and longer screen life, energy optimization software with energy saving options now comes standard on many new computers, fast central printers can cut the cost of printing and the use of toners, a multitude of green apps are available on smartphones to aid in environmentally conscious decision making, and energy monitoring software is available that allows users to visualize, and remotely control, energy use. Other potential “green” solutions include the use of thin clients, virtualization, promising nanotechnology that shrinks both hardware and its energy requirement, the implementation of smart cooling systems to cut cooling costs for the perpetually toasty data centers, and the use of alternative energy to satisfy our centers' ever growing demand for power.

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