Assignment 4 MIS

Green computing is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently. The primary objective of such a program is to account for the triple bottom line, an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational (and societal) success. The goals are similar to green chemistry; reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product's lifetime, and promote recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste.

Modern IT systems rely upon a complicated mix of people, networks and hardware; as such, a green computing initiative must be systemic in nature, and address increasingly sophisticated problems. Elements of such a solution may comprise items such as end user satisfaction, management restructuring, regulatory compliance, disposal of electronic waste, telecommuting, virtualization of server resources, energy use, thin client solutions, and return on investment (ROI).

The imperative for companies to take control of their power consumption, for technology and more generally, therefore remains acute. One of the most effective power management tools available in 2009 may still be simple, plain, common sense.

The 3 url's about "green campus computing":


http://ecenter.colorado.edu/energy/projects/green_computing.html

Green Computing Guide

The growing use of computers on campus has caused a dramatic increase in energy consumption, putting negative pressure on CU’s budget and the environment. Each year more and more computers are purchased and put to use, but it’s not just the number of computers that is driving energy consumption upward. The way that we use computers also adds to the increasing energy burden.

Research reveals that most personal desktop computers are not being used the majority of the time they are running and many personal computers nationwide are needlessly left on continuously. Every time we leave computers or lights on we waste electricity. Burning fossil fuels generates most of our electricity and it also emits pollutants, sulfur, and carbon dioxide into the air. These emissions can cause respiratory disease, smog, acid rain and global climate change.

Computer Operating Costs

Over the last fifteen years, computers have transformed the academic and administrative landscape at the University of Colorado. There are now over 18,000 computers on campus. Personal computers (PC) operation alone may directly account for nearly $550,000 per year in University energy costs.

Computers generate heat and require additional cooling which adds to energy costs. Thus, the overall energy cost of CU’s personal computers is more likely around $700,000.

Meeting computer cooling needs in summer (and winter) often compromises the efficient use of building cooling and heating systems by requiring colder fan discharge temperatures. In the summer, these temperatures may satisfy computer lab cooling needs while overcooling other spaces.

Given CU’s commitment to energy conservation and the environmental stewardship, we must address the issue of responsible computer use. By adopting conserving practices, annual savings of $300,000-400,000 are possible.

How Much Energy Does Your Computer System Use?
A typical desktop PC system is comprised of the computer itself (the CPU or the “box”), a monitor, and printer. Your CPU may require approximately 100 watts of electrical power. Add 50-150 watts for a 15-17 inch monitor, proportionately more for larger monitors. The power requirements of conventional laser printers can be as much as 100 watts or more when printing though much less if idling in a “sleep mode.” Ink jet printers use as little as 12 watts while printing and 5 watts while idling.

How a user operates the computer also factors into energy costs. First let’s take the worst case scenario, continuous operation. Assuming you operate a 200 watt PC system day and night everyday, direct annual electrical costs would be over $125 (at $0.075/kWh). In contrast, if you operate your system just during normal business hours, say 40 hours per week, the direct annual energy cost would be about $30 – plus, of course, the cost of providing additional cooling.

Considering the tremendous benefits of computer use, neither of the above cost figures may seem like much, but think of what happens when these costs are multiplied by the many thousands of computers in use at CU. The energy waste dollars add up quickly.

http://technologysource.org/article/campus_computing_project/

The Campus Computing Project: An Interview with Kenneth C. Green

What prompted you to initiate the Campus Computing Survey?

The Campus Computing Project, including the annual Campus Computing Survey, was launched in 1990. At that time there really were no national data about the issue of information technology (IT) planning and policy in the context of instructional and scholarly technology.

The mission of the Project has always been to serve the campus community by providing information that will aid and inform campus IT programs, planning, and policy-making. The model has been to follow "the Gretsky rule": as you may know, Wayne Gretsky once commented that as a hockey player, what made him successful was that he skated to where the puck is going, not to where the puck is currently. The Project's activities have been to understand where the puck is and to collect data that helps us all understand where the "digital puck" is going.

Where is the puck going with the use of information technology tools on college and university campuses?

The puck is going in several directions. In one sense we are coming to the end of an era—what I would call the initial phase of a two-decade long initiative focused on IT and instruction.

If you think about the recent history of technology in higher education, the current cycle really began around 1984 when some campuses, working with Apple and IBM, began computer resale programs in their bookstores, selling desktop computers—microcomputers—to students at a significant discount. By doing so these campuses, in essence, made an implicit promise to undergraduates about the role of technology in the curriculum. The resale programs, coupled with other early campus investments to support IT in the curriculum, were a significant policy statement that computers were not just for computer science or engineering students, but in fact a resource for all students in any and all majors.

The survey data indicate that instructional integration has been and remains a key IT issue for all institutions. The 2002 survey data document the growing use of technology in the curriculum across all sectors of the campus community (Figure 1). This year's survey data also confirm the role of Course Management Software or Learning Management Software (CMS/LMS resources) as a key component of the IT infrastructure across all sectors of American higher education (Figure 2). The data also document the emerging role of wireless technologies in campus IT planning and services (Figure 3).

We are also seeing a subtle but important shift in current campus IT priorities, suggesting that this is a time when campuses are trying to consolidate some of the continuing instructional IT activity but not launch significant new initiatives. Instead, many campuses seem focused on the administrative side of the house as the campus community experiences the transition of what we used to call "administrative computing" towards a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) model that involves fully integrated information systems: student databases, financial information, human resources, alumni data, donors and development, and the like.

For example, I think it is significant that this year, for the first time, our respondents in public and private research universities identify "ERP upgrade/replacement" as the "single most important IT issue confronting my institution over the next two-three years." In contrast, for the past four years, across all sectors, the leading response to this question on our annual survey has been "instructional integration," followed by "user support".

http://greencampus.winserve.org/greencampus/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=40

PUTTING YOUR COMPUTER TO SLEEP

When you're not using your computer, you can save energy by putting it to "sleep." When your computer is in sleep, it's turned on but in a low power mode. It takes less time for a computer to wake up from sleep than it does for the computer to start up after being turned off.

You can put your computer to sleep right away by choosing Apple menu > Sleep. You can also choose to put the computer to sleep automatically when your computer has been inactive for a specified amount of time. You can also set only the display to sleep. If your computer is in the middle of a task that you want to let finish while you are away (for example, burning a DVD), you should set only the display to sleep.

Let's do I.T.!!!