Tags: audiovisual, AV, Projectors, sustainability, TCO Certified Projectors 1.0
Sustainability is now making inroads in the Audio-Visual space – great news from an area where product performance has traditionally outweighed environmental issues. TCO Certified has now been recognized by InfoComm International’s new sustainability rating system for AV installations –STEP (Sustainability Technology Environments Program). As part of the program, TCO Certified projectors and monitors will be recommended for pro AV equipment purchases.
STEP will promote sustainable practices by the associations’ members and their customers. The rating system will be a tool for owners and technology providers to plan for and implement sustainable practices in their technology projects. By recommending TCO Certified products as part of STEP, buyers and installers can be assured they are choosing products designed for the environment, as well as high performance.
Soren Enholm, CEO of TCO Development, comments: “We are honored and excited to see TCO Certified as a recommendation in the STEP program. The TCO Certified eco-label offers the Pro AV community useful guidance in the selection of projection equipment designed for sustainability as well as optimal image quality. By choosing TCO Certified projectors and monitors, users can be assured of a product that delivers both high performance and sustainable design.”
Allen Weidman, sustainability officer, InfoComm International and executive director of the STEP Foundation comments: “InfoComm is delighted to include the TCO Certified designation as a tool for identifying sustainable technology products. The STEP program is dedicated to promoting existing sustainability designations that have been vetted and accepted by consumers.”
Tags: headsets, Plantronics, Savi 700, sustainability, sustainable, TCO Certified
The newly released TCO Certified Headsets includes requirement on CSR to improve working conditions in factories. We have also introduced tough durability requirements with purpose to improve life length of the headset and requirements to improve the sound quality.
To us it is important to increased life length of a product since it contributes to a sustainable life style for both the user – that avoid health and safety problems, and the environment, that benefit from with less resources used and less E-waste.
Plantronics SAVI 700 Series is first with TCO Certified Headsets – a proof for a sustainable life style. Choose products with high quality and use them longer – Now it’s simple to choose headsets for a sustainable lifestyle, just choose headsets with the TCO Certified label!
Posted by Annika Overodder
Tags: environment, Green IT, sustainability
So we’re all reading about companies, communities and households becoming “greener” – which is a good thing of course, right ? But after attending last weeks State of Green Business Forum hosted by GreenBiz, it seems like more companies and governments are now taking a step further to incorporate “green” into every element of their core business and bottom line results. The idea of “green” or “environment” as a stand-alone entity is fading while each aspect of the business works to implement more sustainable practices in their everyday operations.
We heard from Nike’s Lorrie Vogel on how a design initiative based on PET bottles resulted in Nike’s best ever soccer jersey. Bob Langert of McDonalds discussed how minor reductions in materials use in napkins and straws led to huge savings on transport and distribution costs. City of Chicago’s Commissioner for Environment, Suzanne Malec-McKenna was also a passionate advocate for how “green” is now one aspect contributing to the overall success of every city-wide initiative: housing, office energy consumption and education for example. It seems like the concept of “Green Business” is evolving to where sustainable practices are determining bottom line results.
Tags: ergonomics, sustainability, USA
At first glance, the annual North American ErgoExpo is a showcase for the latest in ergonomic office furniture: space age seating, curvy keyboards and mice that are basically an extension of your hand – all designed to help us feel good and be more productive. But this year, a trend topic was incorporating Ergonomics, Health & Safety into the broader concept of Sustainability. Leading edge companies that are already implementing green practices such as energy saving, recycling, and responsible purchasing as well as ergonomics are now asking “What about the bigger picture – combining these elements to create a Sustainable Enterprise?”
While the concept of Sustainability is well entrenched in parts of Europe, North American organizations are now beginning to engage in an effort to build truly sustainable organizations– combining areas of environment, health & safety, energy, social responsibility and financial goals into a single effort that goes beyond green. In the building sector, companies are looking at how the tenants of a building and their comfort, wellbeing and productivity are actually increasing the environmental performance of the building itself, which is why the LEED system for building design now offers credits for ergonomics as part of the overall design.
How is your company moving from Green to Sustainable?
Look for more posts from me on sustainability. In the meantime you can find more about ErgoExpo at www.ergoexpo.com
Tags: carbon footprint, CO2 emissions, energy saving, environment, Green IT, IT products, save energy, sustainability, sustainable IT
While major electronics brands compete to develop more eco-friendly PC products, some areas of Green IT are actually shifting towards greater industry collaboration. A couple of recent stories caught my attention. Firstly, at CES I attended an Electronics Takeback roundtable, hosted by the US EPA and featuring senior environmental managers from Panasonic, Best Buy and L.G. When discussing the challenges of implementing a cohesive takeback infrastructure, industry reps agreed there is a need to work together to create a common eco-system and create efficiencies in how takeback is handled across multiple product categories.
Second, the Green Touch project was announced this week in a cross-industry effort to reduce PC processory energy use 1000-fold. In real terms, this would mean being able to run the world’s communications networks, including the internet, for nearly three years using the same amount of energy it currently uses in one day. The Green Touch project kicks off in February. More details here
Tags: design, efficiency, energy, love It, sustainability, World Usability Day
This week was World Usability Day, all over the planet on 12 of November, so also in Stockholm. Lots of good presentations, discussions, work shops and a nice cosy summing up mingle at Clarion Sign Hotel.
One of the presentations was a splendid example of how to learn more about Usability, and then simply love it by doing and acting personally. Under the title ” I love it, how to make the climate question more simple, more fun and more interesting”, Mr Martin Magnusson, lead consultant on energy, efficiency and sustainability, working for Logica, Sweden, made this very obvious. He explained why the processing towards “loving” has to pass through the processes of “external pressure”; “should” and “being interested”. He showed a various kit of devices and services on how to save energy. These devices were carefully created in Design for high Usability, for the consumer, for the company as well as for the community, also on a national level. His summing up was Good Design that clearly showed how to improve Usage, leading to energy saving and higher efficiency.
Those of you who understand Swedish, follow Martin´s presentation on WUD´s website http://www.wud.se/
http://www.wud.se/aktiviteter/32.pdf
Tags: design, sustainability, USA
This week I was speaking at the International Symposium for Sustainable Systems and Technology in Tempe, Arizona http://www.ieee-issst.org/ and was impressed to see the innovative approach to sustainability learning at Arizona State University, who has opened USA’s first School of Sustainability and celebrated their first graduates earlier this month, with President Obama in attendance.
ASU President, Michael Crow described the School’s multidisciplinary approach to sustainability, with a focus on real outcomes. A clearer connection between science, engineeering and social science is a priority as sustainability graduates are encouraged to look closer at human behavior and intergenerational design. http://schoolofsustainability.asu.edu/
