Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

How Green Computing Can Benefit Schools

  • By Arun Kumar
  • 04/01/11
By making the transition to green computing, schools can reduce their energy consumption, save on their power bill, extend their budget and help to save the environment.
 
How Schools Can Benefit
At recent webinar on green computing, participants discussed steps that schools could take to reduce their energy consumption of their technology systems. This would not only reduce environmental impact, but also help cut their expenditures and save on their budgets.

Schools can benefit from programs such as IBM’s Big Green Innovations, which is aimed at helping schools and businesses design more energy-efficient data centers to reduce power consumption. IBM also buys back and disposes of used computer systems.

Understanding how much energy is being consumed is a major step to solving the problem. There are a number of steps that schools could take, beginning with calculating which systems are using the most energy and determining which of them could be placed in idle mode when they are not in use.

The IT systems account for an estimated 45 percent of energy use and power and cooling infrastructure accounts for 55 percent, yet it is also estimated that only 20 percent of the average school IT system is being used at any time.

How Schools Can Use Green Computing Practices
There are several ways that schools can green-up their computer systems:

  • purchase only ENERGY STAR-compliant products;
  • use an Intranet along with Microsoft SharePoint technology for posting internal information (schools can reduce the amount of storage space needed on individual machines and reduce the number of printed emails);
  • use server virtualization technologies to combine a number of servers onto one or two hardware systems to save energy;
  • cut power consumption by setting monitors to go into sleep mode; and
  • give students access to virtual schooling at home to cut down on the use of electricity and gas consumption. This is particularly effective for students who live in rural areas and have to travel further to get to school.


Arun Kumar, MVP, is the manager of operations for the Website Dreams-Central. He can be reached via the Website at thedreamscentral.com.

Featured

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).