Green Technology at School
Celebrate Earth Day in the School Computer Lab
This April 22nd consider making an impact on the environment by enacting changes in the computer lab at school.
Earth Day conjures up images of gardens and roadside cleanups, but there are many ways to celebrate the Earth indoors. Environmentally friendly computing practices require some habit breaking and a little education, but can make a large impact on both the environment and energy costs. Consider enacting green changes at school this spring.
Cost of Computers
A typical PC uses about 100 watts of power, a small monitor from 50 to 150 watts, and printers anywhere from 5 to 100 watts. Assume a lab at school has 20 computers running on average about 200 watts each (including sharing one printer for the lab) and are not shut down at night or on the weekend. If the cost per kWh is around 8 cents then the annual cost to run the lab, not counting air conditioning, is about $1500. By shutting down the lab for nights and weekends, that annual cost drops to around $600.
For Earth Day do not just consider the financial cost, look also at the environmental impact. Reducing the amount of time the computer systems draw power also reduces the amount of electricity generated by the local power plant. This then reduces carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases.
What to Do
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires all computer systems to be energy efficient. Energy Star compliance means the equipment can be set to a lower power state, or sleep mode, when idle. If all computer systems (computer, monitor, printer, etc.) in the United States were configured to use this feature, or replaced with newer models in compliance with the new specifications that were released in July of 2007, the savings each year would be large.
To put it into perspective, the savings in energy each year would be similar to the yearly usage of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine combined and the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions roughly the same as that produced by 5 million cars. To improve this statistic, turn the system off when not in use.
Also, turn off the screen saver. Screen savers were designed to protect older monitors, but are not needed for newer ones, especially LCD monitors. The computer is using more energy than it would if allowed to go into sleep mode.
Whether using a laser or inkjet printer there are some eco-friendly choices to improve the greenness of the computer lab. Buy recycled paper and reuse the back of unwanted print jobs. Recycle unwanted paper. Turn off the automatic test print some printers perform when first turned on. When the ink runs out, recycle the cartridge or use a refill kit.
Reference: EPA Energy Star
