Green IT Initiatives Moving Forward

Back Published 2010-08-02

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — Aug. 2

A new study that shows a sizeable reduction in the annual CO2 emissions associated with IT equipment is clear evidence of the IT industry’s commitment to a cleaner and greener world, according to CompTIA.

The study, which was recently released by the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) shows that the IT sector has reduced CO2 emissions associated with IT equipment by more than 32 million metric tons worldwide since 2007.

CompTIA is a sponsor of CSCI, a global industry coalition formed in 2007 to reduce the environmental impact of new and emerging IT equipment through energy efficiency.

“The results of this important study clearly indicate that our industry is on the right track,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer of CompTIA. “Our members remain committed and dedicated to CSCI’s energy efficiency mission. We look forward to helping achieve even greater CO2 emission reductions in the coming years.”

The benchmark study was conducted by Natural Logic to assess the progress of CSCI’s goal of reducing annual CO2 emissions from the IT sector by 54 million metric tons by June 2011. The research shows that annual CO2 emissions from IT equipment have decreased by 32 million to 36 million metric tons worldwide since 2007. This amount is equivalent to taking nine coal-fired power plants offline and is equal to more than $2 billion in annual energy savings.

Additionally, the study indicates that the IT sector is on target to achieve CSCI’s reduction goal by the end of its 2010 fiscal year in June 2011.

“When CSCI was established in 2007, desktop computers wasted 50 percent of the power coming from the wall,” says Pat Tiernan, executive director of the CSCI. “Today, through the collective efforts of our members, hardware manufacturers, large IT buyers and other key partners, the IT sector has cut that waste by at least 25 percent for new systems.”

Up Next: Focus on Networking Equipment
Going forward, CSCI will leverage the expertise and leadership of its members as the organization expands its focus to include commercial and home networking systems and devices.

CSCI will begin by setting new energy efficiency criteria for networking technologies. These new criteria will be developed by working with members and through alliances with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others.

“As the number of networked devices continues to increase, the energy demands on networks and networking equipment will increase in step,” said Rick Bauer, director of product management for CompTIA. “With this growth, there is significant energy and cost savings potential. CSCI and CompTIA recognize that in order to achieve end-to-end computing energy efficiency, we must address the energy used by connected devices and their interaction with the network.”

As part of this expansion, commercial and residential routers and switches, commercial WLAN, and security and access devices will be incorporated into the organization’s environmental mission, with the goal of reducing annual CO2 emissions by an additional 38 million metric tons by 2015. This is the equivalent of $5 billion in annual energy cost savings.

“We’re also eager to expand our collaboration with CSCI in the training and credentialing of green IT professionals worldwide,” Bauer added. “Technology professionals with skills unique to the green IT environment are essential.”