IT Sustainability

Green IT Initiatives

The following Green IT Initiatives are either currently in place or in the process of being deployed.

• Information Technology (IT) has embraced the Laboratory-wide effort to reduce energy costs and consumption along with reducing the Laboratory’s greenhouse gas emissions by offering Energy Star capable computers and energy saving power strips on the Managed Hardware Program.
  
  
• Utilize energy saving power strips for devices such as label makers, faxes, mobile device chargers, or other items that cannot be managed by computer power settings. These devices are available on the Managed Hardware Program site.
  
  
• Information Technology recommends network printing be used whenever possible. Users who have personal printers should consider getting rid of them or at a minimum, turn the power off, until they are needed.
  
  
• IT recommends powering off or placing monitors in stand-by when not in use for a pre-set length of time. This will apply during business hours as well as after hours.
  
  
• Review and recommend applicable energy conversation settings on other Operating Systems (Macintosh, Linux).
  
  
• Started a pilot program (9/2009) with F&O and other GREEN volunteers to deploy the software client Verdiem Surveyor on computers to establish a baseline for potential energy savings. Verdiem will enable ORNL to centrally control and reduce the energy used on ORNL’s Windows PCs.
  
  
• In support of ORNL's net-zero buildings project, Verdiem was deployed in August 2009 to all windows computers in buildings 3147 and 3156 to minimize energy consumption by computers and displays.

FY 2010

Information Technology will continue to encourage users to think about energy conservation.

• IT will continue testing Verdiem and developing a path forward for deployment of the most cost affective application for energy conservation.
  
  
• Research the cost and benefits for utilizing thin-client computing and/or virtualization.
  
  
• Research ways to reduce data center energy consumption.