It’s certainly not new to you that lowering your carbon footprint on the planet is an Earth-friendly move. Reduce, reuse, and recycle have been on the brain for decades, and the mass influx of technology in our lives has a lot to do with aligning ourselves with that motto.
However, even living a technologically advanced lifestyle has its draining points on the environment. It takes a lot of energy to run all of the devices you enjoy, but IT doesn’t have to be a drag on the planet.
If you’re looking to go a bit deeper in your search for sustainability, take the time now for a little light research. Here is a brief look at some effective ways information technology can improve sustainability.
Consider the sustainability of materials
There is no structured ranking system for “green” IT products, but there are a few things you can consider when seeking out sustainable technology. Sony Ericsson places a little green heart on the sustainably made products they sell.
Hewlett Packard snagged the top rating in the Guide to Greener Electronics, but there’s no uniform standard set to truly investigate the green potential of their products.
Cloud computing boosts sustainability
Cloud computing boosts information technology sustainability in more ways than one. Outsourcing the job of several different programs and functions of your computer to the cloud centralizes the use of energy in storage, communications, collaboration, and more.
The cloud enables millions of people to effectively share virtual space, and only a small device is needed to access a large collection of data. You can find information regarding everything from what you can do to boost your business to choosing the best rifle for your collection, all thanks to the ubiquitous nature of the cloud. It’s efficient.
Supply chain responsibility
Supply chain efficiency has been revolutionized by the advancement of information technology. Electronic tracking helps to streamline the process of taking a product from its origin to the hands of the consumer.
Electronic tracking cuts down on the need to print or write things on paper. Streamlining results in less waste, and your operation’s carbon footprint is instantly reduced.
Energy efficiency
Technology has certainly boosted sustainability efforts through the various ways it helps us use the energy we have more efficiently. Simply replacing light bulbs and thermostats helps save a bulk of energy each year, and the numbers compound when these tactics are used in a business setting.
Predictive maintenance
Better technology means better preventative maintenance measures. Instead of waiting for something to break or go awry, technology has the power to foresee energy draining issues before they get out of hand. When your home’s thermostat tells you it’s time to change the air filters, that’s predictive maintenance at work.
