Blogs & Ecology

Photo via Paul Hammond

A major measurement used in figuring out the efficiency of a data center is PUE, or Power Usage Effectiveness. However, that measures the efficiency of data center cooling and power supply. What about the efficiency of the equipment humming away within the data center?

Though the economy flags, there are more eyes than ever on clean tech and climate change. That is why CarbonFlow,
a software company working to bring transparency to the emerging carbon market, just gained a nice fat check from venture capitalists. CarbonFlow is turning that investment right around and putting it into the carbon market. ...

It is no secret that Windows Vista has a whole lot of hate aimed at it by its (often unwilling) users. Even "I'm a Mac" commercials put it as the punchline. Windows 7 is Microsoft's answer to the demand for a better operating system, and there is an improvement that makes it way cooler than just a functional version of Vista.

Photo via Martin Kingsley

Used PCs are filling up UK dumps, and some startling statistics show the enormity of the problem.

In the last five years alone, 12.5 million computers have been tossed into UK landfills. Over 1 million computers have been tossed into the household trash cans, and about 25% of people take their PCs to the dump rather than a recycling plant.

So what can the UK do to combat the errors in e-waste disposal?...

Photo via Gizmodo

One screen is tough enough to green up in our struggle to reduce energy consumption and e-waste in laptops as much as possible. But Fujitsu has added a small but energy- and materials-wasting feature to their LifeBook family. ...

NComputing, a California-based company, is creating a $70 networked computer that uses about 1 watt of power. Sound like a futuristic dream? Not to the 1 million people currently using their devices. ...

Photo via MrBill

Apparently it only took the economy taking a tumble to finally get AT&T to install some “duh” energy-saving (and therefore money-saving) software onto 310,000 desktop computers at their US facilities. This tiny fix adds up to some huge numbers......

Planting trees as a way to offset carbon emissions is a bit controversial, since a lot more has to happen to change the plight of Arctic ice than putting trees in the ground. However, reforestation is an absolute must so planting trees is pretty cool, even if it is under the guise of reversing global warming.

Photo of data center via Robert Scoble

I’d like to think that here at TreeHugger, we give you all the Green IT run down you need to stay on top of things like data center improvements, smart grid info, green computer upgrades and whatnot – and all in real time, for free! But, if you feel the itch for something more, there happens to be a new reader-friendly resource coming your way in March of 2009. ...

Dell’s new OptiPlex 960 uses a little post-consumer recycled plastic in its casing. According to OptiPlex’s product manager, it equates to about three plastic water bottles recycled into each PC casing.

All that eco-minded consumers have to do is fight the urge to say, “Ho hum…”

Okay – sarcasm aside, there are some great elements to the OptiPlex 960 that make it actually interesting as a greener computer option for big purchasers. ...

Ever wish you could to tell a computer company exactly what a “dream computer” is supposed to be like? Well here is your opportunity, thanks to Intel and ASUS - both of whom have had greener computers on the brain for awhile now.

The duo is launching a project that will allow consumers to offer input, discuss with each other, and design the computer of tomorrow. Sounds like an excellent opportunity for eco-minded computer nerds to sound off. ...

Web 2.0 is barely in the vocabulary of the general public and here we are blasting into Web 3.0. But, that’s the tech world for you.

Web 3.0 is called the semantic web – a smart browsing system in which a search engine learns the meaning of a word in order to improve searches. Considering how much the web has expanded, it’s not surprising that we would need an advanced way to search.

Right now, a green search engine called Truevert has the jump on the semantic web....

Data Center "Cable Mess" Al Carbonara

What a tangled web (of data cables) we wired ones have woven in the last 20 years, gratifying our virtual cravings with ever more power, plastic, copper, and greenhouse gas. Brian P. McCann, CMO of OnPATH Technologies spoke with TreeHugger about his company's novel approach to lessening the footprint. Don't be put off with the "virtualization layer" lingo. Brian gets to the heart of the matter in short order.

Most everyone has a website nowadays, and we know that even though websites seem like they have zero impact, it takes a lot of energy to get one up and running, from data servers to computer energy used in managing the site, and even emailing.

We can add one more cool web host to the list of greener options out there. Taproot is a small start-up out of Portland, Oregon that aims to green up web hosting with some very cool energy sources and methods of operating. ...

Photo via Lizzardo

One of the major issues behind the digital divide is the expense of obtaining a computer. They cost a pretty penny and when you’re on a tight budget, it can feel impossible to bring home the latest in computer gear.

Thankfully, there is a way to get affordable computers to people who need them and improve our impact on the environment at the same time. ...