Connected Urban Development Workshop Research Environmentally Responsible IT

Connected Urban Development

Workshop for Research Program on Environmentally
Responsible Information Technology Practices

IT as an Environmental Issue:

Problems and Opportunities
Richard Hodges
7079330299, RHodges@GreenIT.net

2 Copyrighted Material All Rights Reserved 2007

Environmental sustainability is a major
st
global issue of the 21 Century.
l Global climate change
l Air and water pollution
l Ocean degradation
l Depletion of nonrenewable natural
resources
l Human health and safety issues
l Toxic wastes
l Disposal of solid wastes
l Species extinction


IT systems are a significant, and rapidly
growing, part of the problem …


… consuming nonrenewable natural
resources for manufacturing …
“Manufacturing computers is materials
intensive; the total fossil fuels used to make
one desktop computer weigh over 240
kilograms, some 10 times the weight of the
computer itself. This is very high compared
to many other goods: For an automobile or
refrigerator, for example, the weight of fossil
fuels used for production is roughly equal to
their weights. Also, substantial quantities of
chemicals (22 kg), and water (1,500 kg) are
also used.” Computers and the Environment, Kuehr and Williams, 2003)


… creating health human health issues
during manufacturing and use …


… consuming resources for global
distribution of products …


… consuming electricity while in use …

Electric Power
Generation
by Fuel Type (2004)


… producing waste …
l Paper – 60% of solid
waste from offices.
l “Consumables” waste.
l Universal and toxic
waste
l Packaging waste.


… during short product lives …

l “gadgets” <6 months?
l Cell phones, PDA’s – 2 to 3 years
l Laptop Computers – 3 to 4 years
l Desktop PC’s – 3 to 5 years
l Servers and Network Gear – 3 to 5
years
l Telephone Systems and Public
Network Gear – 5 to 7 years


and becoming toxic ewaste at the end
of useful life.


The environmental effects of IT systems
can be assessed using the same
categories as green buildings.

lEnergy and Atmosphere
lMaterials and Resources
lIndoor Environmental Quality
lSite
lWater


LEED Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design
Certified
“The Leadership in Energy and Silver
Environmental Design (LEED) Gold
Green Building Rating Platinum
System™ is the nationally
accepted benchmark for the
design, construction, and
operation of high performance
green buildings. “


Energy and Atmosphere – Electricity
How much of a building’s electricity
consumption is due to IT systems?
Data
Tech Center
Offices 95%?
DoE 50%?
LBNL Survey
Study 26%?
3%?
“Office equipment accounts for 26 percent of electricity
used in office buildings. This is more than the entire
lighting system (22 percent) and almost as much as the
chilled water subsystem (28 percent).” Flexyourpower, State of CA


Calpers Headquarters –
Sacramento, California LEED Gold
KEY PARAMETERS:
l GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGE: 1.1 million
ft2
l COST: $192 million
l COMPLETED: November 2005
l ANNUAL PURCHASED ENERGY USE
(BASED ON SIMULATION): 81.6 kBtu/ft2
16% reduction from base case.

65% of the energy use is for Greensource Magazine,
April 2007
data center and office
equipment.

Current California design standards
for “plug load” in commercial
buildings …
l 2
Title 24 limits lighting to 1.1 to 1.2 watts per ft.

l For quot;plug loadquot; at the desktop, engineers plan for 1.52.5
watts, or more.

l “Plug load” excludes power in data closets (not
regulated) or the cooling load associated with any of the
equipment (also unregulated if it's specific to telecom
closets/data centers).


EPA Report on Server and Data Center
Energy Efficiency, July 2007
l Data centers consumed about 60 billion kilowatt
hours (kWh) in 2006, roughly 1.5 percent of total
U.S. electricity consumption.
l The energy consumption of servers and data
centers has doubled in the past five years and is
expected to almost double again in the next five
years to more than 100 billion kWh, costing about
$7.4 billion annually.



IT Systems are
the fastest growing
segment of
electrical power
consumption
worldwide.

Information Week,
February 27, 2006


Materials and Resources – Computers
l Copper
l Aluminum
l Lead
l Gold
l Zinc
l Nickel
l Tin Producing one
Manufacture of Manufacture of PC and
l Silver
square centimeter
one two gram Monitor
Iron
of Silicon wafer
l microchip
(0.16 grams)
l Platinum •Uses 240Kg of fossil
Palladium •Uses 32,000
l • uses 45 grams of fuels, 22Kg of chemicals
grams of de
l Mercury chemicals and 556 and 1500Kg of water
ionized water
l Cobalt grams of elemental •For a 50 pound computer
•Generates 26Kg
l Antimony gases /VDT combination, this
of waste, some of
l Arsenic •Consumes 1.8 makes a materialsto
it highly toxic.
l Barium kwh of electricity product ratio of 71:1, not
l Beryllium •Generates 17.8 including packing,
l Cadmium Kg of waste water distribution, delivery,
l Chromium and 7.8 grams of usage, and disposal at
l Selenium solid waste end of life.
l Gallium


Materials and Resources – “EWaste”
Selected toxic substances in electronic products
Toxicity Reason for attention
Substance Exposure to humans of fine cadmium powder affects renal
Cadmium (batteries, pigments) and respiratory systems. Small amounts of dissolved
cadmium are toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms.
Lead affects the central nervous system and kidneys of
Lead (circuit board solder, batteries, humans. Environmental toxicity has been reported in
cathoderay tube glass) several organisms.

Elemental mercury is toxic by inhalation or ingestion.
Mercury (switches, relays, fluorescent Mercury affects the human central nervous system and the
lamps for flat panel displays, also emitted from coal fired kidneys. It is also toxic to aquatic organisms and may
electricity generation plants) cause longterm effects in the aquatic environment.

Beryllium (circuit substrates, spring steel alloys) Very carcinogenic by inhalation.

Phthalates (additives to polymers) Probable hormone disrupting chemicals (still under
Brominated flame retardants (on circuit boards, investigation) Some brominated flame retardants are
such as FR4, and in plastics in electronic equipment) carcinogens, some are suspected to cause reproductive
effects and some may cause organ and especially liver
toxicity in humans. Some degrade slowly in nature, all are
bioaccumulative, and some produce dioxins when
incinerated.

Source: Toxicity and Ecotoxicity, Danish EPA, Environmental project number 568, 2000, www.gnteknik.dk



Increasing volume
•PCs
•Servers
•Cell Phones

Increasing restrictions
•Basel treaty
•WEEE/EuP in Europe
•State and Federal Government in U.S.



Image From SVTC Website http://svtc.etoxics.org

Materials and Resources – Data Cables
l Virgin Copper – 1.5B pounds
per year for building cable.
l PVC Plastics – 11 pounds per
1k feet of data cable.
l Lead – PVC sheaths are 2 to
8% lead by weight.
l Volume of IT cable in
buildings >1,300 feet per
office worker in the U.S, and
growing.
l Disposal at End of Life –
Cables as toxic “Ewaste”


Materials and Resources Data Cables

“Abandoned cable is a hidden hazard in our
buildings today. In addition to creating cable
management, structural and air flow problems,
excess cable adds unnecessary fuel load in
concealed spaces of buildings. This adds to the
risk of smoke and fire spread. After many years of
accumulation, removal of abandoned cable was
required by the National Electric Code (NEC)
2002.” DuPont Cabling Solutions, 2005


Materials and Resources – Universal Waste
“Common items that have traditionally been thrown in
the trash cannot be safely disposed in landfills. These
items are referred to as hazardous waste, and some of
them as ‘universal waste’ (uwaste).” CIWMB
Batteries. Includes all batteries, AAA, AA, C, D, button cell, 9volt,
both rechargeable and single use. Also leadacid batteries.
Computer and television monitors. Most monitors are currently
considered hazardous waste … including cathode ray tube
(CRT), liquid crystal diode (LCD), and plasma monitors.
Electronic devices. Includes computers, printers, VCRs, cell
phones, telephones, and radios.

“As of February 9, 2006, all ‘uwaste’ items are banned from the trash.”
CIWMB


Indoor Environmental Quality

l Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOC’s) and particulate
emissions from Printers
and Copiers.
l VOC offgassing from
electronic equipment.
l Chemical residues from fire
retardants on computers
(PDBE’s).
l Lead from data cable
sheaths.


Indoor Environmental Quality
“Big Health Risk Seen in Some Laser Printers”
San Francisco Chronicle, August 1, 2007

“If you work near
certain models of laser
printers, you might be
breathing the same
amount of ultrafine
particle pollution as if
a smoker were puffing
away in the next
cubicle.”


Site – Space Requirements
Space for IT equipment in a
typical office building …

ANSI/EIA/TIA 569 minimum
standard is about 1% of
usable floor space.

Actual space
needs are higher,
and growing.


Site – Space Requirements
Materials and Resources Infrastructure
IT systems drive
requirements for
building infrastructure
… and more space.
l Electrical power
distribution systems.
l Backup power systems
for IT equipment.
l Cooling systems.
l Fire suppression systems.

What is the one thing that we know is
true about technology?

We always overestimate the effect
of technology in the short and
underestimate the effect in the
long run.
Tom Edrington IV, 1984


The “internet” (aka the global
information network) really is going to
change everything.

Graphic attributed to Gartner Group


Greening information technology
systems requires new thinking and new
processes, for example …

The three R’s of environmentalism:
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

3
The GreenIT ER Principle: ELIMINATE
… then Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.


The environmental benefits of new
thinking and new processes …
MITIGATION
• Reduced consumption of materials and equipment.
• Improved energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions
reductions. :
• Reduced electronic and office waste.
INNOVATION
• Reduced space needs.
• Less employee commute travel.
• Reduced business travel.
• New ways of delivering government services.
New ways of delivering government services.


We can do better.


Connected Urban Development Workshop Research Environmentally Responsible IT

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