Green IT in Germany

Sabine Heegner — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:04:17 +0000

Here in Germany green IT is definitely an important issue, with something new every week.
After the CeBit exhibition 2009, which was the second one with a focus on green IT, we can say that green IT for the manufacturers is an important trend.
The green party recently coordinated a workshop on “Green IT – fair and sustainable?” This workshop focused on three areas: energy saving, resource saving and avoiding of waste and finally, social responsibility, which is also a part of sustainability. The participants agreed that a serious effort in green IT involves a number of activities in several fields. It is much more than energy saving. All the market forces need to bring in their ideas to make IT products greener:
The users need to ask for green products, the manufacturers need to concentrate on green products, that need less energy, don´t waste good resources and that are produced in healthy workplaces. Scientists need to think about using material better, while public administrations must set in place the political framework that supports the greening of IT products. And we – organizations that work with all those partners – have to offer good certification models that are easy to understand and to be trusted. Usability is also an important issue, which is sometimes underestimated.
The German government´s council for sustainability takes this aspect into account. Only three weeks after the green workshop, this council invited all the labeling organizations in Germany to a discussion about – again – three aspects: The first is to discuss how labeling organizations see their own roll on the market. Secondly, if a cooperation is helpful for the impact on the market and thirdly, whether the activities of labeling are really helpful to consumers.
So this will be an interesting event, and I am looking forward to it. It is vital to lead these discussions together and I am glad that green IT is growing as an issue!

Notebook or Netbook ?

Sabine Heegner — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:42:47 +0000

In the world of mobile technology, it’s interesting to observe the growing use of not only Notebook PCs but also the smaller Netbooks. This new development is really fascinating. Years ago, when we started to work mobile, Notebooks were the tool of choice. TCO Development has worked on environmental and usability criteria for notebooks, and now these little netbooks are also becoming a complement to our mobile tools for getting work done and keeping in touch while on the road. If you prefer pink, black or white, you have the choice… They fit nicely in a handbag of women of all ages – totally portable.

One issue that needs further investigation is the ergonomics of Netbooks. The screen and keyboard are much smaller than those of a Notebook and it would be interesting to see how this small size impacts the usability of the product over time. But most of them are very energy efficient. We know that Netbooks are intended for shorter sessions on the internet, rather than as a primary computer for office use. I use mine often for presentations and what can I say? I get a lot of comments and questions about it –people are curious about Netbooks ! We will be publishing more on the Netbooks vs Notebooks debate in coming months – issues like user comfort, image quality and functionality will be key issues we will explore more in future posts.

Mine is black – by the way, not pink!

Green IT Edge » Sabine Heegner

Green IT in Germany

Notebook or Netbook ?