Expected Growth for Green Computing

Field so new that few classes or programs yet exist

 By Peggy Albright

Motivated by high energy costs and the need to think more ecologically, more companies are adopting sustainable computing strategies. In the coming years, corporate attention to these issues is certain to grow and IT professionals will find green computing concepts becoming a bigger part of their work.

“In many ways, the principles and practices will be ingrained in many IT activities in one way or another. There won’t be a separate identity. It will be part and parcel of what everyone does,” said San Murugesan, co-editor (with G.R. Gangadharan) of "Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices," forthcoming from Wiley and Sons. Murugesan, an adjunct professor in the school of computing and mathematics at the University of Western Sydney in Australia, is also associate editor in chief of IT Professional magazine

Learning the terminology

Green IT can mean different things to different people. Generally, the terms “green IT” and “green computing” refer to strategies to minimize energy consumption and the environmental impact of products, equipment, and systems. More broadly, green IT can also encompass “sustainable IT” or “sustainable computing,” strategies that consider larger IT environmental and social issues and government policies, and figure out new ways to use computing resources in ecologically responsible ways.

In Europe, green computing began taking off a decade ago after European policymakers mandated reduced use of hazardous substances in electronic equipment and recycling electronic products. Since then, industry has recognized the need to improve IT systems to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse emissions. READ MORE