What Information Technology Services is Doing to Go Green
Information Technology Services (ITS) supports sustainability in several ways. Examples include:
- Purchasing from Environmentally Committed Companies
- Participating in Electronic Recycling Programs
- Deploying Virtual Technologies
- Purchasing from Environmentally Committed Companies
- Print Management Service to Monitor Environmental Impact
Responsible handling of electronic equipment is critical in order to minimize the College鈥檚 impact on the environment. ITS purchases campus computers from Dell and Apple. Both companies are known for adhering to sustainable, environmentally responsible practices and standards which apply for the life of their computers, from design, production, and packaging to recycling after the machine鈥檚 useful life has ended.
Dell, Inc.
Dell vigorously upholds the highest standards for corporate environmental responsibility. To that end, Dell supported a multi-stakeholder group in developing the Electronics Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). All Dell computers purchased by the College meet the EPEAT standard (most at the Gold level, a few at the Silver or Bronze levels).
Dell also banned the export of their electronic waste to developing nations. They offer a strong trade-in program for used equipment. Dell focuses in every way on being environmentally and ethically responsible corporate stewards.
Apple, Inc.
Apple focuses on a comprehensive strategy for their machines, with specific goals for each phase of product development, use, and disposal. Every computer Apple sells has earned the highest rating of EPEAT Gold. Participating in Electronic Recycling Programs
Electronic Waste at 色中色 is Recycled in one of the Following Ways
- Outdated Apple equipment is returned either to Encore Repair Services or through Apple鈥檚 Trade-In Program, for credit where possible. Apple either refurbishes the equipment or recycles it in an environmentally safe manner.
- Other outdated equipment is managed by Greenway Recycling. is a leading provider of 鈥淕reen-Friendly鈥 recycling and disposal service options to decrease the use of overburdened landfills.
Deploying Virtual Technologies
By employing virtualization technology for servers, Information Information Technology Services promotes sustainability while also improving services! Just one virtual server can host services that once required multiple machines, thus reducing the power needed to run and cool the university鈥檚 physical servers.
What You Can Do
Follow these ten tips for going green at your computer:
- Look for the ENERGY STAR
Consider energy efficiency when shopping for new equipment by looking for products with an ENERGY STAR. - Turn Off Your Monitor
Your monitor uses a lot of power, so put it in standby or turn it off when not in use. - Use an LCD Monitor
LCDs are much more energy efficient than the older CRT monitors. - Adjust the Brightness
The brightest setting on a monitor consumes twice the power used by the dimmest setting. - Don鈥檛 Use a Screen Saver
Screen savers consume power and are unnecessary. Instead set your monitor to go blank or dim when not in use. - Turn Off Peripherals
When you don鈥檛 need your speakers, scanner, and other add-ons, turn them off.
- Leave Your Printer Off
A printer draws a lot of power, so leave it off until you need it. Also make sure its power settings include a standby mode that consumes less energy when on. - Preview Before You Print
Select and print only the content you need. Omit unneeded pages from the printing job. - Print on Both Sides
Another way to reduce the amount of paper you use is to print multiple pages on a single sheet. ITS Lab printers are defaulted where possible to print on both sides. - Don鈥檛 Print
Ask yourself if printing is necessary. Do you really need a hard copy or can you just read the e-mail, document, or Web page on screen?
Print Management
While 色中色 does not limit what you choose to print, we do have a print management software in place that can help us monitor environmental impact of printing. We use a program called 鈥淧aper Cut鈥. Paper Cut reports on how many pages are being printed at what printers and in what mode. Additionally it will monitor the environmental impact of our printing by telling us how many trees we鈥檝e used, how much CO2 has been produced and how many bulb hours we use.
Think before you print!