Goal For The Green

Guest Post by Zeke Iddon

Yes, the entire Internet.

A fairly odd question, but one that will probably give you pause for thought; in a world where the phrase ‘global warming’ is synonymous with SUVs, air conditioning and poor recycling, it isn’t often that we consider one of the most widely-used resources ever to grace the planet.

So, how green is the Internet? The answer will probably surprise you…

The Case Against

Putting aside for one moment the amount of energy used to power offices and home computer set-ups around the world, the data centers which they access are worth examining.

Forming the core of the ‘net, these data centers are absolutely gigantic – many are the size of large shopping malls – and house rows and rows of power-hungry cabinets as well as the systems which keep them cool.

It’s difficult to quantify exactly how much CO2 is produced globally since it can vary wildly depending on what power grid they derive their energy from (for instance, if a country runs its electricity grid via fossil fuels), but our best estimates put the worldwide CO2 emissions from data centers at around 80 megatons.

It’s a hard number to visualize, but to put it into perspective these data centers account for 1.5% of all the world’s electricity (as of 2010). By 2020, it is predicted that the emissions put out by all of the data centers on the planet will quadruple, making this sector of industry a bigger pollutant than the airline industry.

But if you think that sounds extreme, consider this: data centers are only 10% of the equation.

90% of the pollution is generated within our own homes.

Connecting to a network wirelessly (either through routers or via mobile carriers) accounts for nearly 43.2 TerraWatts of all energy usage, which carries a carbon footprint equal to putting nearly 5 million new cars on the road.

With this in mind, it’s not surprising that having this technology in our homes has implications not just for the planet, but also our own health. There’s strong evidence to suggest that radiation emissions from WiFi routers and static towers has a tangible effect on the human body, which gives further rise to concern about our reliance on WiFi. These dangers – as well as the carbon footprint – are greatly mitigated by simply plugging into a router directly.

Obviously we’re not suggesting that the world shuts down the entire Internet, but at face value, the Internet appears to be one of the biggest – and most often ignored – drains on our resources, and something that should be used sparingly… or is it?

The Case For

In order to fully understand this tricky puzzle, we need to look at the bigger picture. Every activity uses up resources; what it really comes down to is how sustainable those activities and resources are.

We cannot begin to count the amount of hours spent watching cat videos on YouTube, or how much energy is used up by teenage girls pursuing One Direction on Twitter. But what we can quantify is the energy savings afforded to businesses on a practical level:

Increased connectivity allows for better telecommuting. Home offices typically use half the energy of a corporate set-up, and hugely telecommuting reduces emissions caused by traffic congestion.

This applies to numerous industries, too – particularly ones that are moving towards digitization. If you cut out the amount of unnecessary travel, and also factor in that telecommuting is proven to increase productivity, the Internet is very much a force for environmental good.

And while the amount of data centers needed to house the ‘net is on the up, so are their efficiency levels. In part driven by Green Peace activism (and for cost reasons), many of the big data companies – Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. – are striving to make their data centers more energy efficient.

According to a Standford report, the big players have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by a huge 88%, and Apple have already managed to become carbon-neutral.

In Conclusion

So the question isn’t necessarily how green the Internet is, but more one of how green we can make it.

The answer for those of us at home?

Plug directly into your wireless routers, and try to work from home more often.

The planet will thank you for it.

Few places on our small planet have suffered more repeated disasters in the past decade, resulting in loss of life and destruction of property, than the United States Gulf Coast. Katrina was bad. For many areas, Ivan was even worse. The BP blowout, resulted from insatiable GREED,  and hunger for carbon-based fuels.    These things are among the true causes, and reasons for the blowout. For me, it’s still a challenge, to attempt to wrap my brain around the size and complexity, of what has transpired since April 20, 2010, at the Macondo, Deep Water Horizon site.  I don’t live in the area, but I do know,  that the event  has altered life, in that particular area, irrevocably, and for many years to come.

Well, now it’s been  six months,since the Deepwater Horizon exploded, and it’s safe to say that the BP spill, will not be remembered, as making any kind Read the rest of this entry »

It all began 3 years ago, when the first Earth Hour, was observed world wide in March, 2007. Each year since then, more than 80 countries, many global landmarks, and major cities, fall into a dark abyss, from 8:30 -9:30 P.M.

The Earth Hour Event, is not just about turning off your lights for one hour.  Rather, it is an event that shows concern, against global warming and climate change.

It is estimated that in 2009, as many as one billion people, may have participated in the event. Last year in Toronto, Canada, the electricity demand, for just that one hour, fell 15% below usual demand, and 7% below their Earth Hour, in 2008.

Why participate?

Earth Hour is intended to be a call to Action, to show support for our future, and the future of our planet.

In doing so, we can join together to create a sustainable future for Mother Earth, and for future generations, simply by electricity saved.  If you haven’t gone “green”, it is the one simple thing you can do, that can really make a difference, in the carbon footprint of our planet.  It’s the one time when black, really is “green”.

Show your support this Saturday evening March 27th, from
8:30 to 9:30 P.M.  Lights out, and working towards many better tomorrows, for our planet, and  future generations to come!