Archives : Axel Haentjens

Green IT, Server Virtualization and Mega Data Centers: back to the future ?

published on 2010/03/15 by Axel Haentjens

One part of this is 'paper-free workflow', including EDI, printing on both sides of the page for handouts and plenty of other initiatives. The other part is related to the IT infrastructure, and it's this I want to look at now....

Green IT, Server Virtualization and Mega Data Centers: back to the future ?

"Green IT", or "IT for Green"?

published on 2010/02/03 by Axel Haentjens

Three years ago, the "Green IT" concept emerged as a way to talk about the positive impact that IT could have on the environment. Breakthroughs such as telepresence or videoconferencing, hardware virtualisation, unified communications, and remote applications like vehicle fleet management or mobile meter reading had all made their debut. Each promised qualitative benefits for the environment. For example, traditionally highly polluting industries could install telepresence rooms in order to speak of their environmental efforts in their annual reports.This "qualitative" era focused solely on brand image has now come to an end. The arrival of the carbon tax in France......

France: Is A Carbon Tax a Threat or Opportunity for Green IT?

published on 2009/09/10 by Axel Haentjens

While the Commission chaired by former Prime Minister of France Michel Rocard advocates the need to quickly implement a carbon tax, and with current French Prime Minister François Fillon announcing (on a beach polluted by green algae) that it shall be implemented by 2010, now is a good time to ask ourselves about this measure's possible impact on the promotion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to reduce businesses' carbon footprint. Since the Smart 2020 report from the Climate Group published in July 2008, it has been common knowledge that ICT accounts for 2% of the world's CO2 footprint (as much......

Green ICT focuses on fix to economic crisis

published on 2009/02/24 by Axel Haentjens

Remember the first half of 2008? Most developed countries and many emerging ones were taking action to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, and sky-rocketing oil, coal, iron, aluminum, and copper prices were making everyone conscious of the need to wisely manage and consume natural resources. Climate change was high on the agenda of most governments and CEOs; CO2 credits were traded at the Kyoto Stock Exchange; and plans were being prepared to reduce CO2 emissions in 2020 and 2050. Despite the subprime and natural resource crisis, it appeared that governments, enterprises and individuals could work together to avoid a major......

Is the credit crunch a threat or opportunity for sustainable development?

published on 2008/10/29 by Axel Haentjens

The first part of 2008 underlined the importance of sustainable development. The price of oil sky-rocketed to $140 per barrel and the cost of primary materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, silver, gold rose, along with basic foodstuffs like wheat, milk and rice. Pollution was in the headlines in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics and by the end of the summer the Artic Sea was open to navigation, with permanent ice at the North Pole expected to vanish by around 2025. There was a growing consciousness of the challenges caused by climate change and pollution of the planet.......