Green Technology

It might be a marriage made on the farm .. with data centers being located in rural areas that have lots of farms using manure to power data centers is a way to be green

"Data centers need a lot of energy. Dairy farms create a lot of methane. ... HP Labs has done the math to show that one could be used to support the other."

" ... data centers ... increasingly being located near existing power generation or cooling resources. ... untapped source of energy, however, is the methane generated by manure on farms around the world."

" ... HP ... paper shows how a farm of 10,000 dairy cows could ... power a typical modern data center and still support other needs on the farm."

" ... turning data centers from being energy hogs into energy neutral facilities ... goal ... see if we can take the data center completely off the grid."

Via:  Hewlett Packard  LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 05:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Data Centers are moving to rural areas where land and labor are less expensive.  There are often farms and lots of cows ... and therefore lots of cow manure.

A significant cost of operating data centers is the electric bill.

" ... data centers ... building them in rural areas, which happen to have an excess of animal waste. The heat from a data center could be used to improve the process by which the waste turns it into methane, which can be used in place of natural gas or diesel, HP's researchers maintain. "

"... average dairy cow, ... produces approximately 120 pounds of waste a day. It would take 10,000 cows to produce enough energy for a data center big enough to support a bank.  "

Via:  Fierce CIO LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 06:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

H-P's newest data center in Wynyard England is cooled ENTIRELY by wind blowing off the nearby North Sea.  The North Sea is cold and so are its winds. It is H-P's greenest data center yet ...

The " ... new 360,00 sq. ft. Wynyard center is 40 percent more energy-efficient than conventional data centers ..."

" ... Traditional data centers use thousands of megawatt hours per year ... if they were classed as a separate industry, they would be the sixth-largest user of electricity ... "

 Other energy saving / carbon saving features of the Wynyard data center are: " ... harvesting rainwater ... to maintain proper humidity levels in the air that’s brought in from outside ... light-colored server racks because they reflect light, allowing for 40 percent less lighting to be installed compared to using black cabinets."

"HP had previously announced that it plans to reduce the combined energy consumption of operations and products by 25 percent below 2005 levels by 2010."

Via:  SmartPlanet LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The USPS has made great efforts to be green and help others be green. Through an arrangement with several electronics companies select USPS locations are offering prepaid mailers that can be used to recycle small electronics.

" ... committed to leaving a “green” footprint across America. ... are pioneers in using alternative fuel-capable vehicle ... support recycling and offer eco-friendly products."

Via: USPS  LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 "HP recognizes the important role that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector will play in enabling carbon dioxide (CO2) reductions ... committed to reducing our own contribution to climate change as well as developing IT solutions that can help lower or reduce the release of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as CO2 into the atmosphere. ...  In most countries, buildings are the largest driver for both energy use and CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions. The 160 million buildings of the EU, for example, are estimated to use over 40 percent of Europe’s energy and to drive over 40 percent of its carbon dioxide emissions ..."

"HP’s Intelligent Building Competence Center (IBCC) offers the BuilDog solution for the next generation of fully managed and optimized buildings ... manage a buildings heating and cooling and electricity use as well as security, facilities, inventory, telecommunications and more. Smart management ... can result in reductions of 25-35% (in cost) through optimization of the facility as well as resource use and purchase."

Via:  HP LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 05:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "On August 27, power down your computer, monitor, and printer at the end of the day. We’ll calculate the number of people who Power IT Down, and post the results on this page. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

PC manufacturers have long craved a long live battery ... one that provides many hrs per charge as well as one that last several years.  Consumers see this as a GREEN selling point and manufactures are looking to fill this need.

"HP has partnered with Boston-Power to offer a longer lasting notebook battery ... notebook batteries—powered by Boston-Power’s Sonata® lithium-ion battery cells— deliver like-new performance for three years ... longer-lasting power with Sonata cells that are Nordic Ecolabel certified. PLUS, enjoy the protection of HP’s 3-year battery warranty—an industry first!"  

Via:  HP  LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 04:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not long ago data centers were concerned with maximum density and processing power.  But as electricity cost have risen and supply becoming a gating factor - the data center is changing .. 

" ... companies have become increasingly concerned over the state of the environment.... new generation of servers: machines that deliver more performance per watt and, perhaps to a lesser degree, are built in a more environmentally responsible manner. Hardware makers are stepping up to meet the challenge, "

" ... HP, ... a new line of ProLiant G6 servers that, claims the company, deliver twice the performance of the previous generation of ProLiant servers -- while using half the energy. ...  replacing servers purchased prior to 2006 with new HP ProLiant G6 servers, customers can slash their energy bills in half."

" ...HP is certainly not the only vendor touting the green credentials of its server hardware. ...  AMD and Intel are working furiously to make CPUs that are high on performance and low on energy consumption."

Via: Infoworld.com  Link

Posted by Green Dude at 06:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continue reading "Dell Electronic Waste Will Not Be Exported To Developing Countries" »

Posted by Green Tech at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wal-Mart's push towards becoming more green has spill over effects to retailers and customers.  Examples are that they are one of the largest seller of CFBs and their redesigned milk "bottle" that reduces packaging and waste and allows significantly more milk to be shipped per truck.

An extension of this was their challenge to reduce packaging - which HP accepted ... and came up with a novel way to ship laptops to retailers ...

Read on for more >>>

" ... Walmart asked electronics manufacturers to ... reduce environmental impact, HP ... was up for the challenge. ...a winning solution that reduced packaging materials by 97%.*"

 
"*...HP has reduced 97% of the amount of packaging waste the customer will need to discard. ...Factoring in the master carton, HP has reduced 65% of the packaging waste©"

Via:  HP  LINK

Continue reading "HP Wins Wal-Mart Challenge to Save on Packaging" »

Posted by Green Dude at 06:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Green Tech at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "At a Climate Savers summit held this week in Tokyo, HP officials pledged to reduce emissions from operations and the use of its products by six million tons below 2005 levels by 2010. In addition, the company committed to reduce energy consumption by 15 percent in its operations from 2005 levels, while achieving a 25 percent reduction in the energy used by its products and operations combined below 2005 levels by 2010. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "GE Energy Financial Services is acquiring a majority equity interest in the five solar photovoltaic projects, which SunPower will design and build, operate and maintain. GE Energy Financial Services will finance and own the systems under the SunPower Access power purchase agreement program, which allows customers to take advantage of the environmental and financial benefits of solar power with no upfront capital costs. The solar electricity will be competitively priced against retail rates, providing customers a long-term hedge against rising peak power prices. Construction of the projects is scheduled to begin in February and be completed by the end of the year. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

HP wants your old computers ...
>> ... to recycle. 

HP set a goal of recycling 1 billion pounds and having achieved that wants to recycle another billion pounds.

"HP meets billion pound recycling goal, sets target for 2 billion pounds by 2010.  Having met our goal six months early to recycle 1 billion pounds of electronics, we have set a new target for another billion pounds by the end of 2010, doubling our annual recovery rate."  Because e-waste is not confined to one country or region HP have recycling services in 36 countries.

HP's recycling service provides an easy way to recycle computer equipment, printing supplies, rechargeable batteries and other items."  Many items are free of charge to recycle - other require a small fee.  See their FAQs page for more info Link

Posted by Green Dude at 05:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The personal computer, and its associated parts such as monitors, mice, keyboards and other peripherals, are everywhere.  Many families have more than one and many families have the old ones in their basement or other storage areas.

We have 2 active PCs with monitors and at least one in the basement.  What to do with these ... as sooner or later everyone wants to UPGRADE.

"In 2005, the National Safety Council estimated that 63 million computers became obsolete. It is estimated as of 2007 these stored computers will amount to about 500 million computers.""

Want some help / Ideas?  Check out these ways to recycle / re-gift your old computers (some of these links have appeared previously in other posts on this blog):

• U.S. EPA eCycling program
• HP Recycling
• Dell Recycling
• TechDisposal
• Retire-IT

And as a reminder ... "... with whatever types of recycling, donation, or disposal programs you use, you always have to remember to securely wipe all data from your old computers. Don't forget that step."

Via:  TechRepublic.com   Link

Posted by Green Dude at 05:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The HP rp5700 Long Lifecycle Business Desktop PC was created with the environment in mind inside and out. Built with 95 percent recyclable components and a tool-less chassis design for quick and easy disassembly by hand, both the system and the packaging it comes in are easier to recycle. Plastic components in the system are made on average of at least 10 percent post-consumer recycled plastics, and the outer packaging contains at least 25 percent post-consumer recycled cardboard. Also designed for improved energy efficiency, the rp5700 desktop features a standard, 80 percent efficient power supply that is up to 15 percent more efficient than standard power supplies – reducing both overall energy usage and the amount of waste heat released into the environment.

HP lab tests have found that the rp5700 desktop PC, in its maximum energy-efficient configuration and paired with an HP flat panel monitor, may help customers save as much as 80 percent in power consumption over previous generation systems using CRT monitors. In addition to the EPEAT-Gold registration, the rp5700 platform meets or exceeds several other environmental standards, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for post-consumer recycled content in packaging; and the European Union’s RoHS. " ...

Via HP: Desktop PC First to Earn EPEAT-Gold Status

Posted by Green Tech at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

HP is committed to using packaging materials effectively ... protecting its products while minimizing waste.  Here is some of how HP approaches Product Packaging. 

"Packaging provides essential protection during transit ... as well as ensuring that products arrive in working condition, we also strive to minimize the environmental impacts of packaging in a cost-effective manner."

"Material quantity and type, transport mode, and recyclability influence the environmental impact of HP packaging. Our ... engineers ... following these guidelines:"

• "Design to reduce packaging material use while protecting products."
• "Eliminate the use of restricted materials such as lead, chromium, mercury and cadmium in packaging."
• "Eliminate the use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) in packaging materials."
• "Design packaging components for ease of disassembly by the end-user."
• "Maximize the use of post-consumer recycled content in packaging materials."
• "Use readily recyclable packaging materials such as pulp, paper and corrugated materials."
• "Reduce packaging size and weight to improve transportation fuel efficiency."

Posted by Green Dude at 01:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"HP recycled more than 164 million pounds (74 million kilograms) of hardware and HP print cartridges globally in its 2006 fiscal year – an increase of 16 percent over the previous year and the equivalent weight of more than 600 jumbo jet airliners."

"In addition, HP collected more than 2.5 million units of hardware globally – weighing
more than 50 million pounds (22.6 million kilograms) – to be refurbished for resale or donated."

"To date the company has recycled more than 920 million pounds (417 million kilograms) of hardware and HP print cartridges globally. This puts the company on track to surpass its goal of recycling 1 billion cumulative pounds (455 million kilograms) by the end of this year.(2007)"

Posted by Green Dude at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)