The green divide – technology Vs the planet

By Laura Mead

Last week, Greenpeace announced the second edition of its Green Electronics Ranking, which ‘ranks leading mobile and PC manufacturers on their global policies and practice on eliminating harmful chemicals and on taking responsibility for their products once they are discarded by consumers’.  Nokia sits at the top, but unfortunately, Apple has plummeted to last place, with Greenpeace stating that the iconic computer company has done little to change its environmental policies since the last ranking was released in August.

As an iMac/iPod/iTunes (you name it) loving owner, I find it quite disappointing that such a forward-thinking company isn’t leading the pack on the green front.  But this does raise the questions as to who exactly is responsible for driving greener technology, and where do you start? 

There are so many different facets of the IT industry that need to be addressed.  Take the office environment for example – according to The Carbon Trust, office computers and server equipment alone soak up 15% of total energy usage in the UK today, with figures expected to double to a whopping 30% by 2020 if we continue to consume at the current rate. 

What’s more, the internet itself is also causing environmental problems as it continues to grow at an exponential rate.  In particular, the interactive technologies and bandwidth-intensive applications of Web 2.0 are increasing the amount of energy we consume at an alarming pace.

At this rate, bigger and bigger data warehouses will need to be built to support the infrastructure that runs the internet, and eventually, they’ll need their own mini-power stations just to keep up with demand.  Is this eco-friendly, cost-effective or even practical?

We’re entering a crisis stage and something needs to be done quickly.  Legislation – whether from the EU or the UK government – needs to be put into place to help drive the green IT revolution and to start cleaning up the mess that we’re creating. 

Regulations can not only help with placing restrictions on certain technologies, but can also serve to help companies better understand what might be harmful, where to start with eliminating it, and what processes are best implemented in order to stamp out environmentally harmful actions.  We have already seen initiatives such as the WEEE Directive and RoHS starting to influence the way in which certain products are manufactured – but this still needs to be escalated before we start to see a major difference.

In the meantime though, it is the social responsibility of vendors – like Apple – to lead by example and to educate consumers on how we can collectively strive for cleaner, greener IT and ultimately a better future for us all. 

If nothing else, a green IT policy will help decrease everybody’s energy bills…

Comments

[Marjorie]

Here in France, it is only one month since we respect the European directive about recycling our electrics and electronics devices. Now, consumers have to pay an “eco-tax” on any new device they buy (Tvs, Pcs, mobile phones, fridges, etc…) in order to contribute to the recycling costs of their old one. We are quite late in taking care about our environment, compared to Germany or Switzerland... but it’s a good start!