It is often said that there are two Indias that live side-by-side; the antiquated and the avant-garde. On one hand there is an India that is ancient and archaic, with millions of individuals flocking to the Ganges every 12 years to wash their mortal sins. And on the other there is the modern India that is sending Chandrayan to the moon, building nuclear reactors, winning Olympic medals or even corporate scandals. The disparity between the two is ironic if not depressing.

And this stark incongruity between the India of Lord Rama and that of Ramalinga Raju is most evident in the law and order structure of the nation, while the nation grapples with the troubles of the 21st century, most of the laws that are in use were framed in 20th century, leading to a stark gap between what needs to be achieved and what is really done. The green movement in India to a great extent suffers from this laxity.

Climate Change Challenge
There is little doubt now that mankind faces an uphill battle in terms of the climatic disaster that awaits us. With every passing day, we come closer and closer to the cataclysmic point of disaster, wherein things would change irreparably for the worse. While much of this damage has been wrought by the greed and gluttony of the advanced nations, the developing world is also no less behind. India for instance is the fourth largest polluter in the world in terms of CO2 emissions, yet the Indian government, quite like the Emperor Nero from ancient Rome is doing precious little.

Since the 1990s there has been a greater move toward eco-consciousness across the world thanks to pacts like the Kyoto Protocol, which have enforced certain binding conditions on the advanced countries to curtail CO2 emissions in a phased manner. In fact the European Union has been quite sensitive about the whole issue of climate change and has over the last few years passed strict legislations against the use of toxic materials in the manufacturing process. Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Directive and Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive are two legislations that have set the ball rolling on that front.

But things have been fairly slow and quite complex back in India. Though India has much benefited from the eco-awareness, with market mechanisms like Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) etc, beyond that there isnt much story to tell. There are some stirrings of late, like the announcement of the National Action Plan for Climate Change, but it is still very rudimentary in nature and sets no specific goals that need to be achieved.

The big question is yet to be resolved: Who is responsible for Green? As of now there are multiple agencies and ministries driving green initiatives. For instance in India, green falls under the purview of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Ministry for Science and Technology, Ministry for Power, Ministry for Renewable Energy, State Government machinery, etc. As the old adage goes, too many chefs indeed spoil the broth, that is much the case here as well. There is an urgent need for a central coordinating agency on the lines of EPA in the US, comprising climate change experts to drive the agenda. As of now, the ministries are only passing on the buck.

By Choice or Force?
But to say that India isnt going green would be a folly as well. Much of the movement on the green front has been happening due to voluntary efforts being undertaken by enterprises and individuals. The reasons for this voluntary movement have been diverse from good economics in terms of savings to profits when it comes to carbon trading. In fact, CDM has completely changed the way companies look at environment-friendly practices. There is little altruism and more economic gains that drives CDM.

Companies like Gujarat Ambuja Cement, Jindal Vijayanagar Steel, Indian Rayon and Industries, Triveni Engineering, Balrampur Chini Mills, SRF, Gujarat Fluorochemicals, Birla Corporation, DCM Shriram, Oswal Woolen Mills, Tata Steel, Usha Martin, JK Cement, Birla Cement, Kalpataru Power Transmission, and others have already started projects under the CDM guidelines.

Not only that, green buildings are proliferating across the length and breadth of India. There are scores and scores of Platinum, Gold and Silver LEED rated buildings projects that have come up or are being constructed. Companies like Wipro, Infosys, Patni, ITC, etc have modern green buildings and campuses that save up to 20% energy costs upfront, resulting in huge money savings. In the past few years, India has become a significant force in the green building space and all of this has been voluntary.

But is voluntary good enough? Sadly, no. The problem that confronts us is too big to be solved by mere RoI. While economics can be a catalyst, it cannot be a sine qua non for the shift. Recently, there was a study conducted with assistance from OECD that measured patents in energy efficiency technologies across countries. One key observation of the report was that statistics suggest that the Protocol (Kyoto) has induced more innovation in the recent period. While innovation in climate change technologies and innovation in all technologies were growing at the same pace until the mid-nineties, the former is now developing much faster. Between 1998 and 2003, innovation in climate mitigation technologies has been growing at the average annual rate of 9%. This increase has taken place in Annex 1 countries which have ratified the Kyoto Protocol but not in Australia and the USA.

Hence, it is quite obvious that given the regulatory pressure, green movement encourages innovation and change. A vivid example of the same is the state of California in the US. While on a federal level there was much resistance to green policies, California under the aegis of governor Arnold Schwarzenegger enacted sweeping laws that prohibited companies from polluting the environment and incentivised clean technology development. The change has been very encouraging and goes on to prove what a push from the top can achieve. The new President of the US, Barrack Obama, is also pushing for green technology which has already recharged the green brigade.

However, governments are moved by public opinion, and till the time people are not sensitized there will be little done on that front. Even RK Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, evokes the same sentiment, I think the first step, and perhaps the most important step is to see that the public is educated about climate change. They must understand the reality of the problem and must realize what the role of the society is in meeting this challenge. Awareness is spreading no doubt, but there is still a long way to go. This is something that everyone from corporate leaders to national leaders should look into seriously. Once the political and corporate leaders understand the issue and start voicing their opinion, than people at large will understand it as well as come round to it.

The Road Ahead
The good part is that there is an increasing level of awareness about green standards within the corporate sector. In the recently concluded Dataquest Green IT survey, over 50% of the respondents from some 300 enterprises of India said that they were aware of the different standards and legislations. Since, many of the companies are obsessed with cutting costs, Energy Star seems to be the most popular ones, but there is still a long way to go as close to a quarter of the correspondents stated that they were unaware of any of the green standards.

But the government still needs to do its bit, as a leading climate change expert in India says, Many of the investments initially in green business needs governmental support till they mature. The support can be in the form of Eco taxes or subsidies or lower income tax rates to companies performing better in this area.

Niranjan Hiranandani, MD, Hiranandani Constructions, who is involved with a host of green building projects, also endorses the incentivised approach. There is a proposal in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation that will provide benefits to green projects in terms of lower taxes, etc. There is also talk of a law wherein green buildings would gain from greater FSI than normal ones. This incentivised approach will be a great boost to green, he says.

There is little doubt that as we move ahead, the pressure would keep mounting. While the voluntary mechanisms may give more flexibility to the corporate sector in terms of defining actions for climate change but it lacks enforceability, measurability and hence credibility. And it is just a matter of time before India has to take on carbon emission caps, etc. The question here is, whether Indian enterprises will wait for that day, or would they start moving now? The green ball is very much in India, Incs court.

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The Many Acts of the Government

Energy Conservation Act 2001: Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) operationalized from March 1, 2002. Its mission is to develop policy and strategies with a thrust on self regulation and market principles, within the overall framework of the EC Act with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy.

Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC): The government has introduced Energy Conservation Codes for commercial buildings. Initially, implementation of the codes will be voluntary but will be made mandatory soon under the Energy Conservation Act 2001 for buildings having connected load of 500 kW or more. The implementation of the codes will reduce energy consumption from 25% to 40% and will yield annual saving of about 1.7 bn units.

The codes sets a minimum efficiency standards for external wall, roof, glass structure, lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning of the commercial buildings in all the five climatic zones in the country. The state government will have the flexibility to amend these codes to suit local or regional needs and notify them accordingly.

National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): Launched in 2008, NAPCC outlines a national strategy that aims to enable the country adapt to climate change and enhances the ecological sustainability of Indias development path. It stresses that maintaining a high growth rate is essential for increasing living standards of the vast majority of people of India and reducing their vulnerability of the impacts of climate change.

Eight National Missions, form the core of the National Action Plan, representing multi-pronged, long term and integrate strategies for achieving key goals in the context of climate change.

These Missions are

* National Solar Mission
* National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency
* National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
* National Water Mission
* National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system
* National Mission for a Green India
* National Mission for Sustainable  Agriculture
* National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
Shashwat DC

‘Greener business, healthier bottom line’ was the theme for the first ever Green IT event organized by Dataquest towards the end of 2007. The event was hosted in 3 cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore keeping in mind the rising interest levels on green and to promote a discussion on it. During the a panel discussion on ‘Energy Management Issue’ in one of the cities, there was much debate and discussion on green not from the esteemed panellists sitting on board but from the delegates that had turned up in large numbers. One of the biggest grouse of the innumerable CIOs present on that occasion was that there was not much literature or discussion on green from a holistic purpose. “We do get to read on green, but it is usually comes with a lot of hard sell,” was a common refrain.

Keeping in mind the wishes of the enterprise community and the need of the hour, Dataquest decided to come out with a regular feature on green within the magazine itself, that was to be published every alternative issue. Though, green features were regularly carried within the magazine like most others, but it was for the first time anyone had specifically set aside whole section for green coverage.

In the year gone by, month after month, Dataquest touched upon numerous issues that required immediate or long-term attention, be it green electronics, green buildings, carbon emissions, green datacenter, green software, renewable energy, etc. For the first time, there was substantial green coverage from a domestic perspective, and not just reprinting of reports and features from foreign mags. Dataquest had indeed taken the lead in terms of engaging the Indian enterprise community on the green agenda.
Thus, it was only fitting that the first ever comprehensive survey on green readiness was conducted under the aegis of Dataquest itself. After almost a year of constant coverage, numerous outreach events, time was ripe to know the level of ‘greenliness’ among Indian enterprises. Over a period of few months, a survey was conducted by a professional agency, spanning across cities. The mandate given out was simple and terse: discovering the ground scenario on green.

The DQ Green Survey, for the first time maps the level of awareness levels of Indian enterprises on Green IT, their perceptions, the challenges faced and the stage of implantation. This survey gives a complete snapshot of how green India Inc. is or is turning into.

India Inc. wakes to Green IT
Everything starts with hype, is what any analyst will tell you. For a technology or trend to take shape, the first stage is to find takers for it. It can only happen when there is mass interest for it. Green IT is a buzzword in the West and has already progressed beyond the ‘hype’ stage, as is evident from the kind of work and research that is happening on that front. Thus, to know whether Green IT will find its ground in India, one of the most basic aspects and also the starting point of the survey was to check the awareness levels of it in Indian enterprises. Over the past few quarters there have been a slew of reports that have been released and advertising blitzkrieg done by vendors on the issue of Green IT, hence it was important to check the awareness levels.

The result was fairly encouraging as close to 69% of the respondents admitted that they were aware of the Green IT.  This is a heartening find, as it proves that there is a high amount of interest on the issue. Not surprisingly the awareness levels were higher in the MNCs with some 77% admitting to know about the issue. But it is interesting to note the high awareness levels among the PSUs, some 76% of them said that they were of Green IT.  Another interesting thing to note is that the awareness levels was the highest among the companies with annual revenues of Rs. 50-100 crore, around 79%. Big companies, with annual revenues of over Rs. 500 crore, came next.

Thus the results are conclusive, the hype and hoopla around Green IT seems to be working, as the awareness levels are fairly high. But that leads us to the next question, so what if the awareness levels are high are there any takers for the same? Indeed mere awareness is no surety of whether the CIO will be implementing Green IT within his company.

Hence, as a corollary, we tested the perception of respondents towards Green IT; did they think it was hype, reality, necessity, or none of that? The results again were fairly substantial, as a significant amount of people (around 65%) felt that Green IT was a reality and a necessity. Again and rather surprisingly, it was the PSUs that showed the most maturity on the issue, with some 52% of them stating that Green IT was a necessity. Of all the respondents, some 8% debunked Green IT as hype, and some 27% still seem to be undecided on it.

That means that even though the awareness levels are fairly high, there is still a lot of ambiguity around the issue of Green IT. This is chasm between awareness and perception is the next big challenge in front of India Inc., vendors, media, analysts, will now need to talk of specific benefits rather than merely talking of mundane. 

In fact when the companies were asked to rank the importance of Green IT, as most important, very important, important and little important. Most of them chose ‘very important’, followed by an even split between ‘most important’ and ‘important’.  This again underlines the above finding, that even when companies are aware of the green issues, they are not sure how pertinent it is for them.

It’s all about Money, honey
Thanks to so much talk about the environment nowadays, there is a earnest debate as to what is driving factor behind the rising awareness levels for issues like Green IT.  There are basically two schools of thoughts on this matter, according to one it the economics that is driving up the awareness and also the adoption, while the other plumbs for social responsibility as the primary driver.

In a rapidly developing economy like India, environment and social responsibility usually take a back seat to issues like growth and scale up. But, with burgeoning growth and crumbling infrastructure, organizations have realised that they need to achieve high productivity from the same or even lesser resources. This has led to better utilization of technology and this is also evident from the high number of respondents, some 78%, claiming that reducing costs is the biggest motivating factor for going green. It is obvious that with the increasing costs of resources, most importantly power and real estate, the CIO seems to have taken on some of the responsibilities of the CFO as well. And this is the very area where Green IT scores, it is not merely a way to green but a healthy one.

Yet again, on this issue as well, it is the PSUs that steal the limelight, with some 83% claiming that reducing costs is the primary motivation. This is quite interesting as for long, PSUs have been painted as a jaded and opulent enterprises, where monetary concerns are the last thing on the mind of a CIO. That is certainly not the case anymore. Meanwhile the MNCs also seemed to be keen on Green IT to create an environment-friendly workplace, some 41% described as a big motivator, though this was the lowest concern for the PSUs.

But, wait a minute even with the obsession to cut down on costs, the organizations have not lost sight of their larger role. As environmental issues and corporate social responsibility were the 2nd and 3rdmotivating factor for Green IT, with compliance and corporate image being tied on the 4th place. Thus, it will be a fallacy for someone to debunk environmental concerns, while there is little doubt that even as money is the primary mover for Green IT, organizations are no less concerned about the environmental impact.

Perceptions on Green
Well, it was heartening to know that a vast majority of Indian enterprises both from the private sector to the public sector were aware about the need to go green, and attached fairly high importance to it. But, what exactly is Green IT? Is it putting new blade servers in the data centre? Going in for virtualization? Or configuring desktops to go to sleep mode, once they are no more in use? To be honest, there is no one single definition of Green IT, it is more of a journey than a destination, a journey that makes an organization more efficient and agile.

To know how exactly do Indian enterprises perceive Green IT, respondents were asked to listen down their beliefs twice, the difference in the first instance they were unaided and in the second instance they were shown a lists of steps and then asked to prioritize them. Whenever some one is asked to list down a set of things in a prioritised order, they often share what’s there on the top of the mind. But when shown a list of options, the mind starts to reason. Thus through this two-pronged approach, we were able to decipher as to what the respondents instinctively believed to be Green IT and what they reasoned to be Green IT. The basic idea behind this technique was to arrive at what really constituted as green at these organizations.
On listing the top 5 perceptions from the two, one gets an interesting story.  Energy efficiency is at the top of the mind of the organizations. When unaided, in fact 3 of the top 5 perceptions relate to power management of the PCs, the next two things is to reduce server power and e-waste management.

When the respondents were aided, i.e., shown a list of steps that enable green within an organization, almost suddenly data centre gained prominence. This time round 3 of the top 5 concerns were around data centre. The top 2 were still related to PC energy management.
This shows that at the top of the agenda for the CIOs across all the energy efficiency, they are still grappling with it. The sudden emergence of data centre in the aided list also points out that due to much publicity it has gained prominence among the community, hence when the list was shown, it suddenly dawned upon them that it was an important aspect. Nonetheless, virtualization still languished at the bottom of the table, implying that not many enterprises associate virtualization with green.

Another interesting finding is the differences in the way different segments, namely organizations types, perceive Green IT. For instance, the PSUs seemed to be more concerned with data centre, as reducing server power consumption and upgradation of data centre cooling was the among the top three concerns. Meanwhile the MNCs and private companies seem to be more inclined towards power management at the user end, as PC power management, was the top priority.  This could also be due to the fact, most of the PSUs have larger IT infrastructure at the back-end, rather than at the user level, while that is not case with MNCs and private companies.

Implementation of Green
Next on the survey menu card, was the actual implementation levels of Green IT within the organization. Respondents from across the verticals were asked to list down the steps taken by them to go green. Questions ranged from configuring desktops to go to sleep mode to regular monitoring of carbon footprint. The companies were asked to respond on a 5-point scale, ranging from ‘we have already implemented (high level) to ‘don’t really have any plans’ (low level). The different questions in the survey were inter-related and grouped in a certain way to discover at what level of Green IT implementation was the organization as of now.

Using statistical tools like factor and cluster analysis (Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.  Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization), the responses were grouped under different headings, namely starting from the very basic steps of Green IT, that is PC/Laptop power management to higher levels like E-waste/ Recycling, data center and server management, green building initiatives, vendor management and employee initiatives.  An analysis of the different groupings provides an idea of the level of implementation and preparedness.

PC/Laptop Power Management

Power management on the PC/laptop end is undoubtedly at the very basic of green. Any implementation of green within the organization usually starts from this end, as PCs are configured to go to sleep mode, or users are asked to switch off the desktops and monitors when they leave from work. The advanced steps on the same front, is to install power management software and promotion of CFD techniques for energy efficiency.

One look at the graphs reveals the complete story. Most of the companies have either implemented or are in the process of implementing green steps, over 60% of the companies have configured the desktops to go into sleep mode and around the same number have asked the employees to turn off the desktop and monitors at night. There is a drastic dip in the numbers as we move up the scale, with lower number of organizations having installed power management software at the user end and much lesser talk of using CFD techniques.

Within the group as well, there is not much difference in the way MNCs, private limited companies or PSUs have undertaken power management steps. The same is indicative that the organizations are currently starting off on their green journey, and in the near future at least there will be much awareness in terms of power management at the user level, at least. Once that is in place, companies will be able to move to the next level that is using CFD techniques for energy mapping, etc.

Managing E-waste

One of the biggest issues plaguing India is that of management of e-waste. Much of the problem arises from the fact that a lot of developed countries dump their electronic waste in India, creating a bio hazard. But that does not take away the fact that India itself is now generating a lot of electronic waste. Outdated PCs and peripherals are usually dumped at local junkyard, and new machines are brought in.

On being queried on the issue, a lot many organizations mentioned that they were in the process of going in for e-waste take back agreement with IT vendors. But the worrying fact is that close to 40% haven’t given the matter much thought or don’t have any plans to implement it. This negative figure rises as we move further, with over 60% saying that they haven’t thought or just won’t tie-up with NGOs or e-waste companies for processing the waste. And in-house recycling of hardware is also something that is not on the top of the agenda, with close to 46% falling in the negative band.

Ironically, or rather sadly, e-waste seems to be a rather mindset issue, as there is not much difference in the way companies across the spectrum are dealing with it. Though MNCs are marginally ahead when it comes to formulating a take-back plan, they seem to be as loathe tying up with NGOs for waste management.

This is a worrying trend, as it indicates that not many organizations are paying attention to the issue, especially when you consider it in the Indian perspective.  Also the fact that there are no rules and regulations relating to the same might be another factor that plays a role in this context. Looking at the scenario now, one is certain that outward looking companies, namely IT service companies and BPO are the ones that seem to have woken to the issues, whereas domestic companies still seem to the ignorant of the same. Hopefully, that will change once there is some legislation on that front in the near future.

Data center and server management

Data centers as have been mentioned time and again in different features carried in our magazine and other studies, are big guzzlers of power. A major chunk of this power is spent on cooling the servers. Thus there are different aspects of data center management that an organization can look into for greater efficiency.

On looking at the results, there seems to be fair understanding and movement on this front. Again this could be borne out of the result of the constant bombardment of the same by the hardware vendors that often tout their wares under the green garb. Without doubt, much attention has been paid on this issue by the hardware vendors, and this could be the reason that it features prominently.

PSUs continue to maintain a clear lead when it comes to implementation of technologies around datacenter, in fact close to 48% have already virtualized their servers, which is pretty high when compared to 29% by MNC firms and 20% of private companies.

The coming of Green Buildings

Buildings are one of the most dubious aspect of green, as they are passive and hence don’t seem to be pollutants and yet according to international reports account for close to 8% of global emissions. The ‘glass dabbas’ (how RK Pachauri refers to them) are much cause of concern as they require immense cooling, thereby resulting in excess spending of energy on HVAC. Fortunately, over the years there has been much progress on that front, thanks to all those LEED rated buildings and complexes that are coming up across the length and breadth of India.

At the base level, companies seem to have readily adopted CFL lamps over incandescent bulbs, with over 70% saying that they have installed it already or will be installing soon. Even data center power supply seems to have merited significant traction as over 60% of companies have put in solutions or are in the process of doing so.

Nonetheless, while there is a lot of talk around nowadays of going carbon neutral or even climate neutral, this is certainly not on the immediate horizon of Indian companies, as over 60% haven’t given much thought or won’t be doing anything about it. Still, as we move forward as a nation and inevitably have to take carbon emissions caps, etc. the numbers will rise. And surely the 37% that are already monitoring the carbon footprint or in the process of doing so, will inspire others to do so.

Vendor issues

In advanced countries, a lot of premium is attached to green products, but that is certainly not the case in India yet. Much of the decisions on purchase of equipment still seems to be driven by the cost factor.  And as much as 50% of the organizations said that they would not be giving any premiums to green product suppliers.  This is also evident from the fact that over70% of the respondents mentioned cost as the biggest challenge in sourcing green products.

It is the PSUs that for the first real time seem to be dragging their feet on this issue and dont seem to have woken up to the new reality, with over 56% listing in the negative band. The big reason could be the fact that much of the contracts are still awarded in the archaic tendering method, that favors the lowest bidder. Hopefully, since a lot of the PSUs are also looking to earn money through the means of CDM, etc. they would have to pay attention to this aspect as well.

One of the indicators of the change is the %age of budgetary allocation for Green IT with close to 70% mentioning that they are allocating over 5% of their IT budgets to make Green IT related purchases.

Engaging the employee

Engaging the employee is one of the most important aspects of growing green, as unless the employee is not motivated or aware of his responsibilities not much changes can take place. While traditionally, Indian enterprises have been rather staid in engaging the employees on such issues, be it green or even CSR. But the trend seems to be changing, as quite a few of the companies admit to be paying attention to the need to engage the employees.

Internationally, green is being merged into the CSR objective, as companies of the like of Google, Dell, GM, Microsoft and others talking about the ecological impact of their operations. Indian firms have been traditionally shy of CSR, more akin to talk about corporate philanthropy, but over 40% of the companies are indeed looking at green from the CSR perspective, maybe they are taking the cue from international firms.

Other things Green

Beyond all these, there are a lot of things and aspects that fall under the green ambit. There are a host of issues that are responsible for a company to go green, one of the biggest trend noticed in India is that still green usually comes from the top. The firms and companies that are adopting green in a major ways, are using doing so at the behest of the passionate head honcho, one of the most obvious example is that of Wipro and Infosys.  Even though, TCS is the largest IT firm in India, it hasn’t really adopted green like the other two, simply because the mandate needs to come from the top. That is also the case with quite many firms in India, unless it comes from the top not much happens otherwise.

Another heartening fact is that there is an increasing levels of awareness about green standards within the corporate sector. As many of the companies are obsessed with cutting costs, Energy Star seems to be the most popular ones, but there is still a long way to go as close to a quarter of the correspondents stated that they were unaware of any of the green standards.

In Conclusion
Any major feat cannot be accomplished in isolation. Similarly, it is to our scores of readers, to whom we are indebted for guiding and appreciating the green cudgel picked up by us. At the risk of sounding pompous, 67% of the respondents of this survey (that by the way represent the whos who of India Inc.) stated that they liked the green coverage in the magazine and found it worthwhile.  That is really a big pat on the back.

It does not take a prophet to know that the road ahead is indeed green. Through choice or compulsion, Indian Inc. will have to adopt green measures in the years to come.  Fortuitously, the year 2008, in which we keenly started focussing on green, was designated the International year of Planet Earth.  And now, as we move into 2009, let’s paint it green and dub it the Year of Green IT. Here’s wishing you a prosperous green year ahead.

Shashwat DC
shashwatc@cybermedia.co.in

If Dr. Alex Wissner-Gross is to be believed (and there is little reason not to, considering his antecedents), our innocuous habit of ‘Googling’ on anything and everything on the Web has a detrimental impact on the environment. The Harvard University Physicist has worked out the carbon footprint of every search performed on the Web and that includes, Google, Yahoo and the rest.

Thus according to Dr. Wissner-Gross, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2. The newspaper that quoted him also worked out a stat that, boiling a kettle generates about 15g (http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5489134.ece). Hence, two searches on the Google is equivalent to boiling a kettle of water, in terms of the CO2 released.

No sooner was the story out, there was a lot of hue and cry around the environmental impact of performing a Web search, or rather Googling for most of us. The environmental equation comes from the fact that Google (and the likes) maintain humongous datacenter farms to be able to serve the need for people like me. Now, each of these farms consume enormous amount of energy, both in terms of equipment and cooling. So is Google red?

Apparently not. Over the years, Google has been talking a lot about its ‘green avatar’. While, it won’t divulge its carbon footprint, the company claims to have the ‘most efficient datacenter on the planet’. There is also a lot of preening about the recycling and sustainability initiatives at the Google Campus in California. So even though Google won’t share any specifics about its energy consumption or climate footprint, it would very much like us to believe that it indeed ‘does no evil’ when it comes to environment.

So no sooner did Time UK publish the story, it was picked up by almost all the magazines and media that matter, and Dr. Wissner-Gross became a celebrity of sorts being inundated with requests for interviews from across the globe (mine included). The communication team at Google also scurried into action, and almost on cue, a post appeared on the Google blog refuting the claim. The blog post goes on to say that:

“Google’s data center’s are carbon neutral, so it is only the client end you do have to worry about. However, breathing generates about 6g of Carbon every 10 minutes. Or about as much as they estimate computers do. Together with other work performed before your search even starts (such as building the search index) this amounts to 0.0003 kWh of energy per search, or 1 kJ. For comparison, the average adult needs about 8000 kJ a day of energy from food, so a Google search uses just about the same amount of energy that your body burns in ten seconds.”

According to Google, one Google search is actually equivalent to about 0.2 grams of CO2 and not 7 grams as mentioned by Dr. Wissner-Gross, and also goes on to state that an average car driven for one kilometre produces as many greenhouse gases as a thousand Google searches.

But on closer look even the measly 0.2 grams looks astounding when you factor in the amount of searches done on Google, approximately 200 million a day. Thus every day, the search company is responsible for some 40000 kgs of CO2 in the atmosphere. The company might be doing a lot of other efforts to offset this emission, but that does take away from the fact that it is a fairly significant number, something like 40 metric tonnes of CO2 daily. Now that is a big cause of concern isn’t it?

Yet, our modern existence makes us very environmentally inefficient, for instance, the PCs, the music systems, the air conditioners, the cars, TV, our emails and our phone calls, etc., each of these things have an adverse impact on the environment. According to one of the estimates, a single book runs around 2,500 grams of CO2, or more than 350 times a Google search. By other estimates, a single cheeseburger has a carbon footprint of around 3,600 grams – over 500 times larger than a Google search. So, the big question arises whether we can really then do away with the carbon impact, or are we really missing the point here, when there are so many bigger avenues to cut our emissions, is it worth the while to bother about Googling.

Speaking for myself, I don’t think I can live without searching; I must have performed some dozen odd Web searches before I penned this article, amounting to some 0.24 grams of carbon. To offset it, I intend not to breathe for some 2 minutes today or won’t order a Cheese Pizza like I intended too (good for the wallet as well).

In fact, I have a better suggestion, next time you perform a search on the Web do this, hold your breath, am sure that should help, if not you or Google but at least the environment.

So in case you are feeling generous in this season, these are a few gifts on my wish-list:

Rollable Solar Charger:
This waterproof solar charger can provide electricity for everything from laptops to car batteries. The cadmium-free solar cells are mounted on a thin film, allowing you to roll it up for easy packing.

Green Desktop:
This green PC runs on an energy-efficient power supply and has an outer shell made of responsibly harvested bamboo. It uses a fraction of the power of a typical tower, but has most of the regular features of a full-size model.

Kill-a-watt Charger:
With displays of voltage, kilowatt-hours, and leakage current, this power strip helps track inefficient appliances. Just knowing how much energy a product uses allows you to cut down on consumption.

Green USB Drive:
Made from a bamboo veneer, this smart USB hard drive uses up to 90 percent less electricity than other drives. The recycled aluminum enclosure dissipates heat from the Energy Star compliant power supply, eliminating the need for cooling fans.

Eco TV:
Has an on board light sensor that monitors ambient lighting and adjusts the LCD’s backlight accordingly. The brighter the room, the less power the backlight draws.

Solar Power Bag:
Uses solar panels to recharge a notebook PC (up to 17 watts), using only a day’s worth of sunlight. It can also charge gadgets such as phones and MP3 players via the included adapters, USB port or integrated 12-volt car charger.

Solar Rechargable Light:
This multi-function device can function as a bicycle light, a torch or even a battery  charger. It can be used for up to 15 hours when fully charged, and the LEDs have a service life of over 10,000 hours.

Solar Hybrid Lawnmower:
A robotic lawnmower that charges via AC power, but draws extra power from onboard solar panels. Built-in sensors keep it from knowcking over your lawn fixtures and it clears up to about half an acre in size.

Longer-Lasting Lights:
More efficient LEDs (light emitting diodes) are ready to replace CFLs (compact fluoroscent lamps). LEDs use one-tenth the energy of a similar incandescent bulb, and a life span of 50,000 hours.

Bamboo Bike:
Weighing just 4 pounds, this tough and durable hand-made bicycle is crash tolerant. Bamboo, though very light, is a resilient wood. The bamboo is heat-trained and coated with oil for a sleek, protective seal.

Recyclable Speaker:
Powered by a Class D amplifier, that wastes little electricity, this iPod speaker is made of a handcrafted wood veneer from sustainable plantation sources. It uses no hazardous materials like lead, cadmium and chemical-based adhesives.

Water Powered Clock:
Attractively designed, this clock rums on salt water that acts on the clock’s electrodes, which releases electrons to provide power to the monochrome LCD. It can go for weeks without a refill.

Wind-powered Charger:
This wind powered battery charger, it can be strapped on to your arm, bicycle, boat, dog – if there’s room you can pretty much strap it to anything. The wind turns the propeller, which in turn powers the turbine and creates enough energy to power up your rechargeable gizmos. All you need to do is plug the battery unit into your iPod, mobile phone or PDA and you’ll soon have enough of a charge to see you through the next phone call or playlist.

****

These are few of my favorite green things. And believe me,  I am very keen to have them and will be quite obliged if you, dear sir/madam, were to courier them off to me. Write to me for address..

And yes, yes, these are bad times and yes, of course, I am sorry for being presumptous.

Shashwat DC

Let me just list what really is carbon neutrality. In our mundane modern day existence, we as individuals are responsible for lot of direct and indirect carbon (to be more precise CO2) emissions in the atmosphere. Right from the toothpaste that we use (after all its manufacturing and transportation must have cost much energy), to the food we consume (oranges from Nagpur, apples from Shimla, mangoes from Raigad, Kellogs from the US, chocolates from Switzerland, tea from Assam, rice from Orissa, etc.) and other similar things are what constitute indirect emissions. Now, coming to the direct ones, namely, our commuting, the electricity that we consume directly namely the air conditioners, the PCs, even the food that we consume, for instance meat and non-vegetarian stuff is considered to have a high carbon footprint.

Essentially, the difference between direct and indirect boils down to one simple things, things that can be changed by individual choices (direct) and things that be influenced in a round about way (indirect). The first step towards leading a more eco-friendly life is to first measure these emissions; the sum of all is referred to as a carbon footprint. Expressed in CO2 tonnes, for instance my personal carbon footprint is 4.85 tonnes per year (courtesy: http://calculator.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx).

(Digressing a bit, according the same calculator:

* The average footprint for people in India is 1.20 tonnes
* The average for the industrial nations is about 11 tonnes
* The average worldwide carbon footprint is about 4 tonnes
* The worldwide target to combat climate change is 2 tonne)

Now, when you extrapolate the same system on a corporate entity and that becomes the carbon footprint for the company; so a manufacturing company will have a much larger footprint vis-à-vis a non-polluting firm like an IT company.

Technically, you can undo quite a major bit of damage that is caused through the means of eco-friendly practices and lifestyle. For instance, an individual and even a company can cut down on the direct emissions by ways of making right choices, for instance, using a bicycle rather than a car, or buying energy efficient equipment. And the indirect emissions can be ‘offset’ by means of undertaking some holistic steps, like planting a tree, etc.

To be carbon neutral, or having a zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset. (Wikipedia).

It is sincerely this offset that really bothers me. It all started with the Kyoto Protocol, wherein CERs were touted as a mechanism to reduce the evil of climate change. The idea was simple, rich nations would take a pledge to cut their emissions, and one of the means would be to fund eco-friendly projects in developing countries.

Over the years, there has a huge industry has emerged around the whole ‘offsetting’ business. Especially in countries like US and other European nations, scores and scores of companies offer these ‘offsetting’ options, namely plant trees, adopt an acre of rain forest, etc. By using these offsets a lot many companies are either touting a ‘carbon neutral’ tag these days.

In fact, being carbon neutral is perceived as good corporate social responsibility practice and scores of companies and even countries have declared their roadmap to going carbon neutral like, Dell, Google, HSBC, ING Group, Pepsi, Tesco, etc. Several countries like Denmark, Costa Rica, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, etc. have also announced city-centric or governance-centric carbon neutral approach.

But in this mad rush for being neutral, one important tenet is being ignored, namely “First reduce what you can, then offset the remainder”. This is where a lot of companies and corporates are floundering, by buying CERs or planting trees, they are washing their hands on the whole issue.

I personally know of a vendor of computing equipment, that promises to plant a tree for every PC bought from them. This practice according to the company, not only helps the customer in its carbon offset goals but the vendor itself uses it as a badge to show how neutral it is. I really liked the way Carbon Trade Watch has described the whole offsets phenomenon as “modern day indulgences, sold to an increasingly carbon-conscious public to absolve their climate sins.”

This article was itself prompted by a story that I came across today on Times of India that spoke about the emergence of ‘Green Hosting’. According to the story, some website hosting companies in the US are now ready to plant a tree for every website hosted, thereby making it carbon neutral.

The story quotes a CEO, some Munesh Singh from a Noida-based company, saying that, “Our contributions have helped towards the purchase of one hectare of land in Noida. Our staff is taking responsibility to grow trees on this land. This is a long-term project and will take twenty years before the forest becomes well-grown. The whole project is expected to sequester some 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide while making a real contribution to wildlife conservation.”

Now, the big question is, what the hell was Mr. Singh waiting for, till now? Buying a hectare of land and making it a forest? The whole story (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/Websites_log_on_to_green_hosting/articleshow/3825245.cms) in many ways makes mockery of the whole concept of carbon neutrality.

In India, I personally know of a BPO company, WNS that has declared its intention to go carbon neutral. But it is not using ‘shortcuts’ to do so. They have appointed a specialist and are working on a host of mechanisms to cut the carbon emissions, both direct and indirect. This indeed is the way to go forward.

Internationally, Google is another company that goes about the town on the whole green thing. But at one of the conferences it was pointed out by certain journalists, that the founders of the company, Sergie Brin and Larry Page’s opulent lifestyle (namely using private jets for travel) was not in line with the way the company asked its employee to adopt a eco-friendly lifestyle. I am sure, both Brin and Page can easily purchase CERs of the various carbon exchanges to offset their lifestyles, but is that right approach?

As we in India, talk about the environment and climate change, it is very important not to mistake the bush for the trees. It is imperative that in spite of all the hype and hoopla, we don’t get lost and remained focused on the goals. Plant trees by all means, but not because of your carbon goals but because you ought to. So, I won’t be paying some company, to offset my 4.85 tonnes of annual CO2, instead I will be more conscious of switching of this comp when I leave for home and probably walk it down instead of hailing a cab.

Paraphrasing the above tenet: First reduce, then reduce and subsequently go on reducing. Offsetting can come later, much much later.

Shashwat DC

Many people feel that such rules and strictures are a big reason why companies and enterprises in the US and Europe function in an eco-sensitive manner. And more often than not I come across arguments wherein it is stated that the reason why companies in India function with impunity is due to the lack of any formal structures or guidelines for the same. Come to think of it, lack of eco-friendly rules could be a part of the problem it is certainly not the sole or even the biggest one.

A big reason why governments and administrations across the west have adopted these rules are because of the high awareness levels of the end users. And this has been brought about by scores of NGOs that have taken green activism to newer levels. Thanks to the numerous NGOs not only the governments, even the companies have been forced to come clean on the way they function. Take the case of the US, there are scores of activists that have organized themselves into pressure groups, for instance the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) or the Green Computing Impact Organization (GCIO) and the immensely successful Green Electronics Council that came out with the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) to assist in the purchase of “green” computing systems. Even the industry players, to show that they are not all that bad as they are made out to be, have organized themselves into a action group called as Green Grid that advocates energy efficiency in datacenters and computing ecosystems.

To top it all, the dare devil Green Peace has jumped into the fray and now comes out with a quarterly report titled, Greener Electronics Guide, that ranks companies based on their environmental practices. Most of these are hardware vendors, and with every report the companies go up and down the rankings.

Such pressure groups shape the public opinion and there are lot of instances of customers and companies making their purchase decisions based on the reports and standards that these organizations publish. For instance there is a lot of support for EPEAT, the state of California has mandated that all the purchase decision for hardware must be made keeping in mind the guideline. Thus, much of the credit for green consciousness is due to green activism that is rampant here.

Coming back to India. While it is true that there is not much push from the government side, it is also a fact that there is almost zilch consciousness in the consumers mind. A customer here would not make a purchase decision based on the companies eco-track record, solely because he or she has not been sensitized to the need for it. This sensitization is usually done by such NGOs or pressure groups. Since there is not many of them in India, even the corporates are not that keen to go green. Green Peace to some extent has been doing that, talking about the use of toxic substances in HCL and HP products, but it has not really touched emotional chords because of the limited reach.

What we need is hundreds of activists in India, organizing themselves through the web and making green happen. There are so many of them within each company that do so in their own personal way. Somehow if the collective power could be tapped, somehow these disparate individuals be grouped and inspired to pick up the cudgels. For that we need scores of green activists across the length and breadth of this country. And till that happens, the governments or the enterprises will never feel the need to go green.

I for one, am ready to pick up the green cudgel. Are YOU??

Shashwat DC

(shashwat.dc@gmail.com)

As a result, few years back, BoI started the solar energy pilot. Based on its success, the pilot was extended to 200 branches across India. The results have been truly amazing. Earlier, due to dependency on electric power to function in the computerized environment, non-availability or acute power shortage led to scenarios where the total branch working along with customer service was unable to function properly. The Bank discovered that gensets were proving to be hazardous to the health of the employees and also that generating conventional power was un-economical as the kerosene, diesel or petrol was not easily available due to the shortages of stock in rural areas. Branch personnel had to travel long distances to procure the fuel required to run generator set.
Thus, by usage of renewable, non-polluting, clean, eco-friendly source – Solar Power computerized branches are able to offer un-interrupted Banking services to all its customers.

“By implementation of solar energy our desire to contribute and to do a little bit for the environment has also been fulfilled,” says Kalyansundar. According to him expected returns from the solar power project can be classified into two parts: – 1) subjective or cost (visible) benefits and 2) objective (invisible) benefits. The normal life cycle of the system is estimated to be approx. 25 years. While calculating the financials the Bank found that the payback period is approx. 4-5 years. Hence for the remaining life-cycle, cost will be nominal for annual maintenance. In addition, the burden on the profit and loss of the branch is reduced on account of zero expenditure on Gensets, fuel for gensets and also maintenance of these gensets.

The invisible benefits include un-interrupted power supply enhances and assists in efficient customer service. Clean, eco-friendly environment no-smoke & sound pollution in the branch premises decreases the health risks & increases the efficiency of the staff members. “This solution to paucity of power is very unique in the entire financial sector and has the potential to revolutionize computerization in the rural sector of the entire country. It is a matter of pride that our banking services are functioning on eco-friendly power – Solar Power at the remotest location,” he adds. Based on the success of this project, BoI intends to go even more strongly on the solar energy road.

(Shashwat DC. Published in Dataquest)

The solution has been pilot tested at various locations across India and has successfully provided an average backup of four to six hours in the absence of electricity. The pilot sites were in rural villages, where CSCs will operate or are operating. These tests were conducted with the SCAs (service centre agencies) that have already set up CSCs. One test was carried out at IL&FS at Baramati, Maharashtra; the pack provided continuous backup for up to six hours during the non-availability of electricity at the centre.

Presently, the pack powers a single computer, with standard software, a printer/scanner (Multi Functional Device). Upgrades and customizations are available on order.

(Shashwat DC. Published in Dataquest)

Salutations to you, possessor of the lustre of refined gold, destroyer of ignorance, the architect of the universe. Salutations to the destroyer of darkness, Splendor incarnate; the witness of the world.

A shloka from Aditya Stotram

Among the pantheon of Hindu gods – close to 30 million, according to claims – Surya has an unique and exalted position. The sun god is worshipped as one, ‘who knoweth all that lives’, and regarded as sustainer of life on our planet. In the Rig Veda there are quite a few hymns that elucidate the role played by Surya and implore him to continue his benign mercy. According to scriptures, Aditya Stotram (from which the above shloka has been quoted) was a prayer performed by Lord Rama, asking for power and energy to annihilate the evil hordes of Ravana and slay the demon king himself.

Not only for element worshipping Hindus; the sun was an important deity for the ancient Egyptians who worshipped him as Ra. It is said that the Greek city states were also in
some ways tapping the solar energy for their daily use and even for warfare. Remember the story on how Archimedes was able to burn ships with a very powerful convex lens that magnified the solar ray. Even during the medieval times, according to some researchers, as far back as 1447, Leonardo Da Vinci had predicted and prescribed the use of solar energy on a major scale for the sake of industrialization.

Thus, since time immemorial we have been looking up at the sun to give us power and energy to sustain our selves. The fact is true even today, in the age of supersonic jets and inter-planetary probes, we still look at sun to power our home appliances, office equipments, cars and what not. Much like Lord Rama did thousands of years ago, we are still looking at the sun, albeit instead of bowing our heads and cupping our hands, we have photovoltaic solar cells that do the same for us. The difference being now the worship is termed as clean energy or solar energy. And there are very pertinent reasons – more so for a developing nation like India – why quite like the ancients before us, we are again looking at the sun to save us.

Need for Solar
The past few years have been quite astonishing in terms of economic growth in India. With the economy growing at close to 9% y-o-y, everywhere around us are visible and tell-tale signs of this growth. But even as the those big expressways and massive glass buildings come up, there are serious questions that are being raised and need to be addressed; do we have the means to power this growth?

Considering the record high prices of oil, this growth puts added pressure on Indian infrastructure, especially the power sector. The gap between demand and supply widens as each new building comes up in Mumbai, Bangalore, Gurgaon or even Kochi. The result: acute power shortages, regular load shedding, erratic power supply or complete absence of it in rural sector. Enterprises, especially IT ones, have been under severe pressure to make arrangements for round-the-clock supply, so a big chunk of their operating costs goes into running generators or inverters.

But even these stop gap solutions are not enough, take the case of Mahindra Finance, because of its spread to small towns and city, Suresh Shanmugham, national head (IT), Mahindra Finance, needed to find a way so that all his field units were connected to the central one. His biggest issue was that of powering his branches. After much consideration, Shanmugham launched ‘“MF ESAVE – BITS’, a solar powered project within the company. “We have deployed schemes in utilizing the impact of power and value for life. further at remote locations, generate to save and use it to create an impact on the continuity of service and controls to enhance through the available models and methods, we have deployed solar power where we face problems in terms of electricity and empower the corporate customer centric desk with power to service and controls to be capture on time,’ he says. Something similar was undertaken by Bank of India as well (see the Case Study for further details). Of late, Shanmugham has become quite an expert on solar energy, doling out statistics and giving guidance on how to go solar.

Another recent addition to the ‘solar cult’ is Navtej Matharu, VP (IT), Infovision. His reasons for solar were quite different and quite the same like those of Mahindra Finance and Bank of India. As Infovision is a leading BPO company in India, Matharu’s biggest challenge is to power his company round the clock. Not only that, Matharu has also taken up the challenge of reducing the power bill of the company by close to 35-40% through various means. So, when Infovision decided to construct a new centre in Narnia, Haryana, he decided to look at alternative means like solar power as well. After much research and investigation, Matharu called in Sharp and started working out towards a solution with them.

“The biggest hindrance in going solar is the huge cost involved at the onset. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but once you have done that, there are immense paybacks that accrue from the same. For us, solar power is part of the overall drive to be more productive and also the fact that we are in some ways helping the environment by going clean. It is win-win deal,” he says.

Challenges and opportunities
Indeed like Matharu puts it, the biggest hindrance at the moment is the initial costs. Depending on the size and the quality of systems involved, it could easily run into a few millions of Rupees. Currently there are two companies, Tata-BP and Sharp that are able to provide complete solutions for solar energy. Of the two, Matharu vouches for Sharp, “they are more open to suggestions and keen to innovate depending on the requirements,’ he states.

One of the most common usage of solar power can be seen in terms of solar water heaters that are common in most of the hotels. But there are variety of ways in with it can be utilized. As India being a tropical nation, except for the 2-3 months of monsoon, there is in fact uninterrupted power supply almost round the year. The best part is that the cities that are truly in a power crisis, like Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, are best suited for solar solution, given their geographic location. Like in Europe and the US, one sees the wind farms, there could be scores of such ‘solar farms’ in India, powering the companies.

Almost all the professionals that we spoke to, mentioned that the government needs to do a lot more towards tapping the sun, than just talking. While, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has initiated schemes and incentives – like subsidy, soft loan, confessional duty on raw material imports, excise duty exemption on certain devices/systems etc – to boost the production and use of solar energy systems; there is a lot more that needs to be done. For instance in 1996 Amoco/Enron Solar Power Development planned to build a 50 MW solar photovoltaic plant in the Thar desert near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan state.Two other projects were proposed, one a 50 MW photovoltaics plant and the other a 200 MW solar chimney. None of these have been completed.

There needs to be a massive investment in R&D for the development of solutions that are best-suited for Indian climate. While some initiatives have been undertaken by the IITs in India, they have been few and far between. While the government of India has been talking about power security through atomic power, et al, there is little attention paid to the most potent way of clean power generation, namely solar power.

The few times that the government has showed interest, it has really worked. SK Sehgal, GM (IT), talks of one such initiative by the Himachal Pradesh Government to promote solar cookers by subsidizing them. “These cookers were very popular and one could see scores of households using these cookers, imagine the kind of savings it must have resulted in and the positive ecological impact, not to mention,” he says.

In the end, it all boils down companies and individuals to take a lead, ‘solar cult’ members like Shanmugham, Kalyansundar, Matharu to work out solutions around solar energy. As Vishwajeet Singh, head (IT), Fcm Travels puts it. “Not only from the environment point of view, it is also beneficial from cost point of view. It is a rule that if you don’t address a problem today, it will force you to do it tomorrow. It is up to an organization to understand the criticality today and give the opportunity to their IT team to build a Green IT infrastructure,” he adds.

Coming to think of it, we seem to be constantly looking at the past for inspiration. The more that we embrace modernity, the more past-like we become. It is such a paradox, isn’t it?  So like the ancient Indians, Egpytians, Greeks, Assyrians, and others, it is time we bowed our head in reverence to the mighty sun god and let’s ask him to power our lives and help us solve the single largest challenge in front of mankind: climate change.

(Shashwat DC. Published in Dataquest)

Some Quick facts on Solar Energy

• The sun receives enough energy from the sun in one hour to power the world’s population for a year.
• Enough energy reaches the earth each year to produce 1000 times more energy than is produced by burning fossil fuels.
• Shell has predicted that 50% of the world’s energy will come from renewable sources by 2040. Shell will also join in a massive renewable energy development project supported by the UAE. Several industrial heavyweights will join them: British Petroleum, Total, and Occidental Petroleum Corp, General Electric, Rolls Royce, Fiat and Mitsubishi
• In recent years manufacturing costs of photovoltaic cells has dropped by 3-5% per year while government subsidies have increased. While to some such facts about solar energy seem trivial, this makes solar energy an ever-more affordable energy source.
• The energy output of a 1 KW solar energy unit is roughly equivalent to the burning of 170 pounds of coal and 300 pounds of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.

But now that tomorrow seems to be turning into today, we seem to have started seeing the fruits of our actions. A vivid example could be this years winter and summer in the city of Mumbaiboth being unusually harsh. It is obvious that there is a shift taking place, and, undoubtedly, a shift for the worse.

The scenario seems to be pretty bleak and beyond our control, isnt it? So, is there anything that we can do, and is there anyone who can save us? The answer to both the questions is no. Just because the problem is on us, does not mean that the solution is beyond us. In fact, each and every one of us is a part of the solution. I firmly believe that if every single individual, including you and me, were to make a concerted effort towards saving electricity and not polluting our environment, the solution would appear by itself. The onus is very much upon us, and every small step will go a long way in fighting climate change. Let me share with you my experiences borne over years of running IT systems at the State Bank of India.

One might wonder how the IT and environment might be related? The answer is not hard to guessin almost all modern organizations, IT systems are the biggest guzzler of power. Thus, IT departments can become the harbinger of change and lead the way in terms of environmentally friendly practices. But typically, when companies talk of Green IT, they refer to concepts like green data centers, virtualization, green storage, mainframes, blade servers, etc. There seems to be a lot of hype around these concepts with various vendors trying to sell their products under the green garb.

Personally, I feel that while all this is indeed a part of the Green IT movement, this is certainly not the be-all and end-all of it. There is lot more to the greening movement and it touches almost every aspect of business and requires participation of all employees. Going by my bankers hunch, I believe that the best person who can give advice on green is someone who is not directly related to IT and is not a technologist.

At my office in Navi Mumbai, employees have been asked not to wear jackets or ties, as this helps us run the air-conditioning systems at 24 C. According to certain estimates, 24 C is the optimum temperature for running an AC and saves as much as 30% electricity compared to systems running at 20 C.

Indiscriminate paper usage is another practice that we really need to curb. How often do we think before we press Ctrl P. Nothing makes me sadder than when I see IT professionals themselves using paper instead of the digital medium. Take for instance all these big seminars, where you are loaded with tons of reports and brochures, one can not even imagine the number of trees that were chopped and turned into pulp solely to print all those copies. A simple CD, or better still a pen drive, would have been more than sufficient in doing the same thing. The good thing is that I am witnessing a change, a sort of consciousness on being more environmentally friendly. Even at SBI, we make a concerted effort to use as little paper as we possibly can.

Lighting systems also consume a lot of power in an office. First up, we have replaced all the bulbs with CFL and tube lights to ensure less consumption. Also, in my data center, I ensure that all the lights have been switched off. There is little need for lights in a data center, except for bare minimum.

We have also invested heavily in videoconferencing and use it extensively at SBI. All our local head offices, zonal offices, training institutes are connected through VC, and we use it extensively for meetings and communication. In fact close to 99% of my meetings across the length and breadth of India are conducted while sitting in my office. This helps us save travel related pollution, reducing our carbon footprint, and simultaneously saving quite a tidy sum of money.

Solar power is another area that we are looking at keenly. Currently, at our housing complex in Nerul, we have installed solar water heaters, thereby nullifying the need for geysers in the complex. We are also looking at implementing solar power at other levels in our everyday functioning.

Another interesting initiative came out of a project that I had initiated at my home in Lucknow. To reduce the heat during peak summers, I installed four empty coal-tar drums on my roof and filled them with manure. In the same I grew snake gourd creepers. Within a few months, the vegetable creeper covered the entire roof and there was an appreciable drop in room temperatures. This went a big way in reducing the load on the air-conditioners and coolers that we had to run during hot days. Also, the snake gourd came as a bonus for all of us. This experiment was replicated at one of our branches in West Bengal, and will soon become a norm at our offices.

Designing a data center that is specifically designed to be environmentally friendly is another project that we are currently working on. We intend to build a data center from scratch in a manner that completely optimizes power usage. Currently, we are looking for consultants who can help us design the same.

These are a few of the jugadu green initiatives that have been put in place. They go a long way to prove that being environmentally friendly is not about doing ecologically sound things, but about mindset. One needs to be conscious and, more importantly, make a conscious effort towards reducing carbon footprint. After all, this is our world, if we dont care for it who will?

In the past people were very conscious about the things like power usage, switching off the lights when not in use. Of late, with economic prosperity this consciousness seems to have vanished. Small things like taking a public transport, whenever possible and convenient. One needs to be conscious and more importantly make a conscious effort towards reducing the carbon footprint.

I personally believe, that we Indians are one of the most eco-friendly race, we almost recycle everything we use, from old garments to used cupboards. Remember, how as kids, we used to learn making things out of waste. It is all inherent in us, we just need to revisit it. After all, this is our world, if we dont care for it, who else will?

(SK Sehgal. The author is GM, IT, State Bank of India. An avid environmentalists, these are his personal views. Published in Dataquest)