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Eco friendly is also referred to as environmentally friendly (McGarvie and Kraft, 2009). Eco friendly product or service is not harmful to the environment (Cq Researcher, 2009). Such a product or service in most cases is made in an environmentally sustainable manner (Kocsis, 2009). Technologies, which are environmentally friendly help in protecting the environment, cause less pollution, sustainably utilize resources, recycle most of their wastes and products and employ acceptable procedures to handle residual wastes (Cortada, 2010). Employing eco friendly technologies ensure efficiency in firms since it enables them to reduce raw material consumption (Cq Researcher, 2009). It also results in innovation that leads to creation of new business opportunities and hence helps in increasing the competitive edge of the firm (Reynolds, 2009). Efficient and clean utilization of materials can be applied in firms for long-term economic and environmental benefits (Cortada, 2010). Firms can promote the use and diffusion of technologies, which are environmental friendly at factory site or unit level (Schwable, 2009). This can be attained through change of manufacturing technique or processes; altering input materials; making changes to products or reusing on site materials (Cq Researcher, 2009). Technologies can also be improved at strategic level through establishment of individual or corporate policy on utilization of eco friendly technologies (Reynolds, 2009). This can also be done by availing information to stakeholders for illustrating environmental performance of such technologies and their benefits (Kocsis, 2009). In addition, technologies can be improved by focusing on research and development of designs, which are sustainable at strategic level (Cortada, 2010). Employment of life cycle assessment during the development of new products and technologies can also help in utilization of eco friendly technologies (Grant and Meadows, 2010). Technologies can also be improved to be eco friendly by use of environmental technology assessment (Reynolds, 2009). Furthermore, cooperation with other players in the industry can ensure that the best available technology is one that is utilized (Cq Researcher, 2009). Finally, technology can be improved by examination of investment criteria and policies used to source for contractors and suppliers to ensure that tenders have minimum environmental criteria stipulated (Schwable, 2009).
Information technology encourages reduction of material consumption (Reynolds, 2009). One can access and consume much information without having to consume many resources (Kocsis, 2009). It also provides environmentalists with tools to monitor and manage environmental change than ever before. To be environmentally friendly, the energy consumed ought to be reduced significantly (Cortada, 2010). Studies have indicated that utilization of IT can help in tackling climate change by reducing emissions in the IT sector and increasing energy efficiency in other sectors. This can also involve the employment of IT based systems to monitor the environment and weather globally in addition to swiftly transmitting data, analysis and alerts (Cq Researcher, 2009). However, the technology also consumes energy (Schwable, 2009). Studies have indicated that IT industry is responsible for about 2% of carbon emissions, which is equivalent to that emitted by airline industry (Grant and Meadows, 2010). Many IT firms have no policies of adopting or consuming IT related technologies in eco friendly manner (Kocsis, 2009). Of the power consumed by IT departments most of it is consumed by data centres. This calls for optimization to cut down consumption of power.
Making IT eco friendly, also requires concerted efforts of manufacturers and users. The need for green IT is becoming more popular in many businesses globally (Cq Researcher, 2009). Many investors are becoming more interested in the implementation of IT resources that are eco friendly (Reynolds, 2009). Thus, firms involved in the manufacture of IT hardware are prompted or forced to adopt and manufacture infrastructure that goes a long way in ensuring environmental safety. Making IT eco friendly is related to IT in that IT fosters procedures and provides avenues for environmental conservation (Kocsis, 2009). In addition making eco friendly enables firms involved in manufacture and utilization of IT to be sensitive to the environment in their ventures. It also allows individuals in contributing toward conservation of the environment (Cortada, 2010).
In itself, IT is related to making IT eco friendly if resources such as IT hardware utilized are environmentally friendly and the actions of users uphold conservation of the environment (Cortada, 2010). Environmentally friendly IT hardware requires that manufactures of such components be involved in protecting the environment, cause less pollution, sustainably utilize resources, recycle most of their wastes and products and employ acceptable procedures to handle residual wastes (Cq Researcher, 2009). Technological hardware wastes have been found to pollute underground water once they are crushed or broken in the landfill. This can only be avoided when these firms utilize these wastes for recycling purposes and reuse them for production of new hardware materials (Kocsis, 2009). Some firms have taken strategic steps in production of technology hardware that is both efficient and utilizes less power (Reynolds, 2009). However, these products still consume a significant amount of power that contributes to pollution of the environment (Reynolds, 2009). Production of hardware that can utilize alternative power sources such as solar energy could go a long way in conservation of the environment and sustainable utilization of information technology (Cortada, 2010). Without such steps, being taken people will continue using power generated using oil, nuclear power and coal some of which are unsustainable or are detrimental to the environment (Cq Researcher, 2009).
Furthermore, utilization of biodegradable materials in the manufacture of the hardware components of IT can help significantly address environmental concerns surrounding the technology (Grant and Meadows, 2010). Most products of IT hardware are not eco friendly (Reynolds, 2009). For instance, computers and other peripheral equipments are not biodegradable. Since computer technology is evolving fast, most of them become outdated within a short period and hence are disposed in landfills. If the materials used were biodegradable, the wastes could not be a menace to the environment (Kocsis, 2009). However, they are not and manufacturers of such components have no strategies of collecting and recycling these materials. This ends up being improperly disposed off and contribute to environmental pollution (Cortada, 2010).
Even though information technology can be eco friendly when manufacturers of technology hardware observe environmentally friendly procedures, the consumer of the technology can also contribute significantly to the conservation of the environment (Grant and Meadows, 2010). They can do so by taking various actions as they utilize the technology (Cortada, 2010). First, the user can be turning off their computers when they are not in use (Cq Researcher, 2009). This will help save on huge amounts of electricity on yearly basis. It is estimated that such actions could remove up to 2,161 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year (Grant and Meadows, 2010). Users can also recycle their computers or other information technology products to reduce environmental pollution (Kocsis, 2009). It has been established that e-wastes are mainly produced by computers. The disposal of computers is the main concern of environmentalists since it has toxic substances such as lead, which are toxic to the environment (Reynolds, 2009). Users can check out for available programs for recycling e-waste once their computers have reached a point of being disposed (Cq Researcher, 2009). Furthermore, users can avoid use of screen savers. This has been found to help in prolonging the life span of monitors, which are mainly LCD (Schwable, 2009).
As a result, this reduces replacement frequency of damaged monitors and hence reduction in e-wastes (Cortada, 2010). Utilization of screen savers also keeps the screen active and as such continues to consume more energy that could be saved if the computer was turned off all together or allowed to enter a safe mode while not in use (Grant and Meadows, 2010). Users can also utilize information technology in eco friendly manner by jotting down some information instead of printing which consume much paper, ink and energy (Kocsis, 2009). Utilization of ink refills instead of new cartridges helps reduce IT wastes. Instead of buying discs, which are made of materials that are difficult to biodegrade, users can decide to download materials instead of buying discs (Reynolds, 2009). This will allow users to buy the required software and reduce environmental pollution. Moreover, IT users such as firms ought to have their IT operations centralized to attain eco friendly IT objectives (Kocsis, 2009). Centralization of IT is easier because it allows server virtualization, which significantly reduces carbon footprints of the firm (Schwable, 2009). This significantly reduces servers required by a firm for its data centre (Cq Researcher, 2009). This drastically reduces power consumption of a firm (Grant and Meadows, 2010). In addition to reducing power consumption, use of server virtualization helps to cut costs of cooling data centres, simplify maintenance and maximize processing capacity of IT applications in a firm (Cortada, 2010).
Utilization of a more power efficient cooling system can also enable an individual or a user to save on power consumptions. Finally, IT consumers can utilize Information technology in environmentally friendly manner by buying environmentally friendly computers (Chen, Boudreau, Watson, 2008). Such computers ought to have hardware and software that is more efficient in energy utilization (Kocsis, 2009). Firms utilizing IT can think of IT infrastructure in terms of site infrastructure and IT equipment and make informed decision on what to acquire. This is because site infrastructures have a longer life span ranging from 10 to 30 years while IT equipments become obsolete within three to five years of their use (Reynolds, 2009). Such consideration will enable such firms to make decisions, which are more environmentally friendly. Acquisition of less IT equipments and more of site infrastructure will imply that less waste is disposed off to the environment.
In formation technology, is also related to making IT eco-friendly in that it encourages paperless office and reduces the need to travel and transport certain material (Cq Researcher, 2009). With reduced utilization of paper in offices and more reliance on virtual information via computers, many trees, which could be, cut down to manufacture paper are conserved hence contributing to environmental conservation (Cortada, 2010). The reduction can be attained by printing only when necessary and reusing backs of printed papers (Kocsis, 2009). The reduction can also be attained through sending memos and other correspondence through e-mail, calling or walking the desk of the employee to talk (Cortada, 2010). In addition, IT has a great potential of substituting travel. With advent of IT related solutions such as videoconferencing platforms the need to travel is greatly reduced (Schwable, 2009). Thus, traffic is likely to be induced by the new communication facilities that can help in transportation of goods via e-commerce (Reynolds, 2009). Teleworking is enabling many people to avoid the need to travel and hence aiding in reduction of green house gas emissions.
IT is also related to making IT eco friendly because it is utilized in remote sensing (Cortada, 2010). Today there are many remote sensing and geographical information systems, which are effective in the management of the environment (Grant and Meadows, 2010). The tools allow monitoring and assessment of changes taking place in the environment (Cq Researcher, 2009). Thus, occurrences of calamities such as floods, droughts, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can be sensed well in advance (Reynolds, 2009). Such information can be very helpful to environmentalists and planners take precautionary measures to reduce the impacts of these catastrophes (Kocsis, 2009). IT can also be utilized in provision of a network of database on issues related to the environment such as renewable energy, pollution control, biodiversity and desertification (Grant and Meadows, 2010).
In conclusion, making IT eco friendly is related to IT and environment in various ways. First, making IT eco friendly is related to IT in that many IT applications allow monitoring of environmental changes that can help in prediction and being prepared for any occurrence of natural calamities such as drought and earthquakes. In addition, IT allows for paperless running of office tasks, which reduce environmental pollution. Furthermore, IT reduces the need for travelling, and transportation of products that can be delivered through e-commerce which otherwise are known for polluting the environment. However, IT is a contributor of environmental pollution via use of materials that are not easily disposable and increased power consumption. By adopting strategies, which ensure production of environmentally friendly IT, products and their proper utilization pollution to environment can be reduced. This requires concerted effort between manufacturers and users of IT applications. They both need to be involved in protecting the environment, causing less pollution, sustainably utilising resources, recycling most of their wastes and products and employing acceptable procedures to handle residual wastes.
References
Chen, A., Boudreau, M., Watson, R. 2008. Information systems and ecological sustainability. Journal of Systems and Information Technology, vol. 10, no. 3, pp.186 – 201
Cortada, J. 2010. How Societies Embrace Information Technology: Lessons for Management and the Rest of Us. London: John Wiley and Sons.
Cq Researcher. 2009. Issues for Debate in Corporate Social Responsibility: Selections from CQ Researcher. New York: SAGE Publishers.
Grant, A., and Meadows, J. 2010. Communication Technology Update and Fundamentals, 12th Ed. Oxford: Focal Press
Kocsis, A. 2009. The Complete Guide to Eco-Friendly House Cleaning: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply. California: Atlantic Publishing Company
McGarvie, B., and Kraft, R. 2009. Shaking the globe: courageous decision-making in a changing world. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Reynolds, G. 2009. Ethics in Information Technology, 3rd Ed. London: Cengage Learning
Schwable, K. 2009. Information Technology Project Management, 6th Ed. London: Cengage Learning.
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