Multiple users can work from a single computer and therefore cut companies' carbon emissions, IT spend and electricity bills thanks to recent advances in technology.
Public access software pioneered by Canadian company Userful Corporation allows up to 10 people to work on a single computer unit simply by adding extra monitors, mice and keyboards.
The company estimates that the Software, called DiscoverStation, has saved 13,250* tonnes of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of taking 2,300 cars off the road.
The quick obsolescence of electronic products is another modern-day scourge. This is compounded by the fact that computer waste is high in many toxic materials, such as heavy metals and flame-retardant plastics, which easily leach into ground water and bio-accumulate.
Cutting down the number of units that have to be powered and kept cool by their internal fans will have the additional benefit of reducing the number of computers that have to be replaced. DiscoverStation can reduce electronic waste by up to 80%, further reducing its environmental footprint.
“Computer hardware production and disposal is one of the fastest growing threats to our environment,” says Timothy Griffin, President of Userful.
“Powering and cooling computers is an increasing contributor to global warming. By leveraging the underused power of modern PCs DiscoverStation helps people around the world go green.”
DiscoverStations have been deployed around the world with an average configuration of six stations per computer.
Environmentalists will be impressed of course, but start-up businesses will also be interested, as for them, cutting costs is a paramount concern. The technology means they have to buy fewer PCs, which obviously has positive ramifications for electricity consumption.
Public awareness about the need to conserve energy and the profligacy of modern electronic technology has been raised considerably in recent years.
Standby buttons, which keep televisions, DVD players and computers consuming energy when they are not in use, are particularly in the crosshairs of the environmental movement at the moment. Equipment lying in a ‘sleeping’ state accounts for 800,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year. Currys are now selling an energy saving plug adaptor that cuts the power to electronic products left on standby.
*(Based on 526kWh/PC/year for operation; 1818 kWh/PC for production; electricity generated @1.55 lbs of CO2/kWh; and 11,560 lbs CO2 per car per year)
