"Greening" the Web

The internet has made information available without cutting trees, so it's already a friend to the Environment, right? Wrong. Between 2000 and 2006, the energy used by data centers doubled and is expected to double again by 2011. Computers create an estimated 54 million tonnes of needless CO2 per year. (climatesaverscomputing.org).

It's difficult sometimes to think beyond the computer screen in front of you. But, consider your daily dose of email, facebook and YouTube. Then consider how many other people drink their morning coffee while watching the "Charlie bit me" video.

YouTube alone has over 1 billion views per day with bandwidth measured in Petabytes. All of this data is stored on machines, which run 24/7 and draw power continuously. Consider that there are over a billion computers in the world storing, sending and receiving data. Globally, this means that we computer users consume over 100 billion kwH per year.

Where does it come from? Nearly half of the energy used by data centers in the US is from coal and only 8% of it from renewable sources, (data from 2007). Natural gas, nuclear and hydro make up the rest.

So, when you log onto the internet and surf the web, you are tapping into a worldwide network of coal-burning, energy sucking computers. With the focus on transportation and home energy use in the age of "Green", the web is not the first thing you think of when considering how you can lower your carbon footprint.

Although the efficiency of data centers has become a topic of interest with utility companies and even the FDA, it's not enough. To reduce our emissions, I believe it's also necessary to look at how we power one of the fastest growing industries of our time.

You can get involved! There is an outpouring of "green" websites that offer everything from energy efficient computing and renewably powered web hosting to corporate consulting on energy efficiency in business.

If you are a website owner or intend to be, consider using a hosting service that provides renewable energy and hiring a specialist in green web development.

Green IT: One Path to a Green Recovery
PDF file: Server Memory Solutions for the Impending Data Center Power Crisis
Also see my Green List with links to some useful resources to help make the web a greener place.