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Green computing

Our four-part guide to green computing analyses how firms can cut through the green wash and use environmentally-sensitive policies to boost efficiency

Written by Mark Samuels

IT plugs into the green agenda

Being green may once have been considered a luxury, but times have changed, and there are clear financial benefits and corporate advantage to be gained

Pick your green strategy

Green awareness permeates the Co-op in fields such as travel, retail and financial and legal services

Case study: Northumbria University

Northumbria University is keen to champion sustainable IT that can support a growing student population

Case study: K Line

Multinational shipping company K Line is in the second stage of a virtualisation project to cut energy bills by £50,000 per year

A greener future

One reason may be that green IT skills remain informal. The problem is linking the green agenda specifically to green computing

Case study: The Eden Project

Jon Curry, head of IT at Cornwall’s ecological park the Eden Project, started looking at how the organisation would refresh about a third of its desktop PC estate in November last year

Case study: Department for Work and Pensions

When the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) upgraded its desktop PC estate as part of an ongoing deal with supplier EDS in 2005, cost savings rather than environmental concerns was the prime motivation

Waste not, want not

What are the commercial reasons for adopting a green IT policy? The increased attention consumers are paying to green concerns is one issue

A holistic approach to green IT is essential

Even labelling the green computing issue as “environmental” does not really do the trick. IT managers should start with "sustainable development"

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