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January 24, 2008 | Comments: (0)

The PowerEdge M-series from Dell has it all, from a hyper-efficient power supply to superior cooling and power management
From a green-tech perspective, the most intriguing server I've ever known (from a distance) was the Gemini Green Series from Open Source Solutions (OSS). Highly efficient power supplies? Check. Efficient internal cooling? Check. Easily swappable components -- from motherboards to memory to power supplies -- to eliminate the need for ripping and replacing upgrades? Check.

Alas, OSS is no more, but its legacy won't be forgotten -- not by me, anyway. The fact that it's gone the way of rainbow suspenders is no reason to dismiss the beauty of its product design either. In fact, I see glimmers of the Gemini in Dell's newly announced PowerEdge M-Series chassis and blades. Dell designed the M-Series "from the ground up using Dell Energy Smart technologies, resulting in 30 industry patents," clearly with sustainability in mind.

Playing it cool
Like the OSS Gemini (which was a 2U server, by the way), Dell's new PowerEdge blades employs 90-plus percent efficient power supplies, developed in-house. (For reasons I still can't fathom, the standard among server vendors still appears to be in the realm of 80 percent.)

Not only is Dell's power supply capable of hitting a higher energy-efficiency level; it does so more quickly than rival power supplies, according to Mike Roberts, senior product planning manager for the M-Series line. He says that most power supplies achieve their maximum level of energy efficiency only when the supply is running at 90 to 100 percent utilization -- which certainly isn't the norm. "We get to a really good efficiency level at relatively low threshold, 88 percent at only 20 percent utilization," he says.

Those seemingly small differences among power supplies can actually make a dramatic difference in terms of reducing a server's power and heat waste -- and the associated costs scale impressively the larger your datacenter.

Dell also claims to have developed an innovative internal cooling system, designed to adapt to the needs of both high-end and low-end configurations. In addition to its optimized fans (as well as their underlying algorithms), the system boasts a superior airflow design, according to Roberts; Dell has taken great pains to remove impedance throughout the chassis. "The easier the air flows, the less hard the fans have to work," says Roberts.

The chassis also has three distinct cooling zones, each cooled by its own fan bank. In lower-end configurations where the chassis isn't fully loaded with blades, "the fans on the side can run really slowly because they don't have to work hard to cool their zone," says Roberts.

There's also the swappability factor (a word you will not find in Webster's, by the way). In an ideal green-tech world (mine anyway), an IT admin would be able to swap in and out all major components in his or her servers, while they're on the rack, such that machines wouldn't need to head to the shop or, more likely, to the recycling bin if a substantial upgrade is needed. It doesn't look like the major hardware vendors of the world are ready to offer that level of hardware interoperability, but here, Dell has taken a step in that direction.

Specifically, the company has developed what it dubs FlexIO switch technology for easily upgrading the machine's network connectivity up to 10Gig without replacing the base switch. For the enclosure, customers can opt for an upgradeable Dell PowerConnect M6220 Layer 2/3 Ethernet blade switch, with 1Gb ports and optional bays that can support either 10GbE or stacking ports.

Further, customers have three Cisco Ethernet switch choices, including a switch with a variety of 1Gbps, 10 Gbps, and stackable ports. Also available: a Cisco Infiniband switch. Add to that the options for two Brocade 4Gbps Fibre Channels, as well as Fibre Channel and Ethernet Pass Through options.

Additionally, with an eye on the future, Dell has designed the M1000e enclosure not to be dependent on specific server processor/chip set architecture. Further, it will be able to accommodate double-wide blades down the road.

Secret software sauce
Dell's hardware choices alone don't result in a more energy-efficient machine. Like an increasing number of vendors, Dell is turning to server management software to rein in energy waste -- a promising development that stands to lower those power bills and extend the life of hardware.

In Dell's case, that software takes the form of its Version 5.3 of its OpenManage systems management suite, released last November. Dell touts the package -- which comes at no cost with the blade package -- as "easy-to-use yet powerful management tools that help reduce the cost and complexity of managing computing resources."

Among its features is dynamic power management, which enables admins to set high- and low-power thresholds to help ensure blades operate within their defined power envelope. The norm is for servers to consume the maximum recommended amount all the time, even if they're not usually being run at full bore. Moreover, the package offers real-time reporting for enclosure and blade power consumption, and the ability to prioritize blade slots for power to provide optimal control over power resources.

So, for example, if an admin were to allot 3,000 watts to a given chassis, the system would distribute power evenly among all the blades. However, if the chassis wasn't pulling enough power, for whatever reason, it could be set to prioritize which blades would be throttled down first.

Your benchmark or mine?
As Dell tells it, the various greenovations it's injected in these babies reap superior power efficiency (that is, performance per watt) over rival blade offerings from HP and IBM. According to a Dell-sponsored study by Principled Technologies, "the PowerEdge M-Series consumes up to 19 percent less power and achieves up to 25 percent better performance per watt than the HP BladeSystem c-Class. Compared to the IBM BladeCenter H, the M-Series consumes 12 percent less energy and achieves up to 28 percent better performance per watt."

Were you to apply a cost-per-kilowatt amount to those figures, as Dell has, you'd save $2,600 annually per year over HP's blade competitor and $1,500 per rack per year over IBM's.

I wouldn't discount Principled Technologies figures outright, just because the study was sponsored by Dell. It's entirely conceivable that, given the power-efficient measures Dell has taken, its blades consistently delivered better per-watt performance -- but only in that test, which used the SPECjbb2005 benchmark.

Problem is, that benchmark wasn't really developed to measure power efficiency. Organizations and analysts are still grappling as to what method is best for accomplishing that, as evidenced by a recent study comparing the power efficiency of AMD and Intel's respective quad-core chips.

The point is, benchmarks are slowly emerging, such as SPEC's recently announced SPECpower_ssj2008. However, that benchmark isn't suited for a blade environment. In short, work here remains to be done.

Hopefully the InfoWorld Test Center will have a chance to test Dell's claims against offerings from HP and IBM. Whatever the outcome of that test might be (again, if it happens), I still extend kudos to Dell for further raising the green bar more among hardware vendors.

One last thought: IBM and HP may claim that they're not worried about Dell's latest foray into the world of blades. In fact, a rep from one of those vendors sent me a rather dismissive note prior to the official Dell announcement: "We've been hearing rumors over here that Dell finally plans to announce their copycat blade on Monday. Odd that they'd choose a national holiday to announce, but that's another story ;-)."

Of course, when you go out of your way to eagerly point something out and declare you're not worried about it -- you're probably at least a leetle bit worried about it. Conceivably, Dell has surprised the competition with the level of innovation it's brought to the table here, enough to generate some concern.

Posted by Ted Samson on January 24, 2008 03:00 AM

January 17, 2008 | Comments: (0)

Dell, HP join effort to measure supply chains' carbon output

Feeling increasing pressure, both internally from high-level execs and externally from customers, investors, and politicians, companies are taking the size of their carbon footprints quite seriously.

Yet more companies are determining that their own daily operations aren't the sole contributors to their carbon emissions. Rather, they're factoring in the emissions produced by the vendors down their supply chains. No one wants to be a greenhouse gas spewer by association, so to speak.

Exemplifying this trend is a recent announcement from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a collaboration of over 315 institutional investors managing more than $41 trillion in assets. CDP is working with 11 corporate giants -- including IT heavyweights HP and Dell -- to develop a standard method to gather carbon-emissions information from suppliers.

According to CDP, developing a standard means for suppliers to deliver carbon-emissions information "will vastly decrease the burden on [those] suppliers who might otherwise receive several separate requests for similar information."

Indeed, suppliers have already been facing increased scrutiny for customers further up the supply chain, such as HP, IBM, and Wal-Mart, to demonstrate their environmental and social stewardship.

"The Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration is a key step towards a unified business approach to climate change," said CDP CEO Paul Dickinson in a written statement. "By bringing together the purchasing authority of some of the largest companies in the world, CDP will encourage suppliers to measure and manage their greenhouse gas emissions. This will enable large companies to work towards managing their total carbon footprint, as the first step to reducing the total carbon footprint is to measure its size."

A pilot of the project is now under way. Each participating member of the Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration has selected as many as 50 suppliers to respond to the CDP pilot information request in the first quarter of this year. From there, the project will be rolled out in May.

In addition to Dell and HP, other companies participating in the Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration include: Cadbury Schweppes, Imperial Tobacco, L'Oreal, Nestle, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, Tesco, and Unilever.

More information about CDP's Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration is available on the CDP Web site.

Ted Samson is a senior analyst at InfoWorld and author of the Sustainable IT blog. Subscribe to his free weekly Green Tech newsletter.

Posted by Ted Samson on January 17, 2008 03:54 PM

November 01, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Dell tailors Inspiron desktop for green

Even before Energy Star 4.0 went into effect, we saw business-oriented workstations available from vendors including Dell and HP. Now Dell has unveiled a line of ES 4.0-compliant systems for home users: greened-up versions of the Inspiron 531, apparently with enough oomph to run Vista.

"We are committed to providing consumers a choice that helps protect the environment without sacrificing the performance needed to maintain a rich, high-definition digital experience," said Karen Plotkin, director of consumer desktop marketing, in a written statement. "Consumers using this energy-efficient Inspiron 531 can reduce their carbon footprint while also reducing their electric bills."

The Inspiron 531s are powered by 80-percent efficient power supply, as required by ES 4.0. Additionally, Dell has configured the machines to enter a low-power sleep state after 15 minutes of inactivity. (Powering down systems that aren't in use can, indeed, shave money off your energy bill.)

Moreover, the company is touting the fact that the system "includes a forest-friendly paperless owner's manual," which, I, as an advocate of paper-waste reduction, do appreciate. I do wonder if it means more calls to the Dell support people from non-tech-savvy users who can't manage to get to the paperless manual to begin with.

The entry-level configuration of the Inspiron 531 comes with Vista Home Basic and includes an AMD Sempron 3600+ processor, a 1GB2 Dual Channel3 DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs; a 160GB4 SATA drive (7200RPM), as well as a CDRW/DVD combination drive and NVIDIA integrated graphics.

On the other end of the spectrum, there's a configuration running the AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 5000+ with 2GB2 Dual Channel3 DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs; and a 500GB4 SATA 3Gbps drive (7200RPM). This one, which has Vista Home Premium installed, is listed at $1,184.

More information is available here.

Posted by Ted Samson on November 1, 2007 12:50 PM

October 18, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Dell launches green-computing contest

Eco-geeks, take note: Dell is looking for designs for environmentally responsible computing technology, and it's ready to pay you for the best ones.

The company today announced a contest called "ReGeneration: International Green Computing Technology Design Competition," though which competitors are invited to submit "ideas that demonstrate fresh approaches and responsible solutions for green computing technology." In other word, the abacus, as eco-friendly as it may be, is out.

The professionally juried competition is open to all, with a focus on students of universities and colleges that offer design programs

Finalists will receive $10,000 each. Another $15,000 will go to the competitors whose idea who wins a popular vote to be held online. If that winner is a student, his or her school will be eligible for another $15,000.

The submission period spans January through April, 2008; finalists will be announced next May.

For more information, go to www.dell.com/designregeneration.

Posted by Ted Samson on October 18, 2007 11:29 AM

June 28, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Dell chills with Emerson

Companies say bundled server and cooling products can deliver an 80 percent increase in system performance

InfoWorld: Dell chills with Emerson As datacenter managers become increasingly aware that it can cost as much to cool a server as it does to run it, hardware vendors are concocting ways to put the freeze on those high energy bills.

While some vendors, such as HP and IBM have developed their own respective cooling solutions, Dell today is announcing a different approach: The company has teamed with Emerson Network to deliver Dell-Liebert Energy Smart Solutions, which combines Dell's PowerEdge Energy Smart servers with Liebert XD and Liebert DS cooling systems.

The companies assert that the bundle can "deliver an 80 percent increase in performance and a 42 percent reduction in facility power, while maintaining high levels of business continuity and availability."

"CIOs and facilities managers are consistently faced with the challenge of increasing computing capacity to meet growing business needs while concurrently minimizing energy costs," said Rick Becker, vice president of solutions for Dell Product Group in a written statement. "By reducing both operational costs and the carbon footprint for our customers, Dell is simplifying the way businesses can take advantage of energy efficient programs and technologies without compromising IT performance."

The Liebert XD system provides high-capacity overhead or rack-adjacent cooling using a high-efficiency pumped refrigerant, which Emerson says can result in inceased datacenter cooling efficiency while letting companies use their existing datacenter infrastructure.

Liebert DS supports the XD system and uses variable capacity Digital Scroll compressors to balance cooling across the room while controlling humidity and filtering out harmful dust and particles, according to Emerson.

Dell says it's in the process of developing Energy Smart Services to complement Dell-Liebert Energy Smart Solutions. The services will help customers identify power and cooling inefficiencies, assess datacenter infrastructure and systems capacities, develop recommendations for improvements to optimize computing capacity, reclaim data center space and reduce energy usage.

The Dell-Liebert Energy Smart Solutions are available worldwide, and are being jointly marketed and sold by the two companies.

Posted by Ted Samson on June 28, 2007 08:00 AM

June 12, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Dell Latitude D630 notebook scores gold status for green

Latitude D630 the first and currently only notebook on market to meet the highest EPEAT rating

Dell Latitude D630 notebooks scores gold status for green Dell has added a bit more gold to its green credentials, having released the first notebook on the market to achieve Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) gold status: the Latitude D630.

Dell announced the Latitude D630's gold distinction late last week, not long after HP announced the first EPEAT gold-status desktop on the market, the rp5700. Dell has a couple of EPEAT gold desktops itself: the OptiPlex 740 and 745 Energy Smart mini-tower systems.

EPEAT is a procurement system that helps purchasers evaluate, compare and select products based on environmental attributes. Products meeting all required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria are recognized as EPEAT Gold.

Among the Latitude D630's eco-friendly attributes that helped it earn EPEAT gold, the system meets Energy Star 4.0 requirements, plus it has a lifecycle of about three to four years, according to Dell spokesman Jeremy Bolen.

The D630 packs an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an upgrade from the D620, and offer integrated graphics for longer battery life, according to Dell. The hard drive is of the SATA variety, up to 160GB in capacity.

The system is also ruggedized (Dell calls it RoadReady) for longer life with full magnesium-alloy construction.

Power options include a 65-watt or 90-watt AC adapter with cord wrapping. Additionally, Dell uses 25 percent post-consumer recycled content in cardboard packaging.

For more information, go here.

Posted by Ted Samson on June 12, 2007 02:41 PM

June 06, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Dell aims for "greenest tech company" world title

Hardware maker's strategy includes fostering zero-carbon footprint, inducing suppiers to cut emissions

Tech companies of Earth, take note: Dell is determined to outgreen the lot of you. The company this week announced its bold ambition to be nothing less than "the greenest technology company on the planet."

It's a bold ambition, certainly, if not a bit hyperbolic (I still don't know how you can truly assess which company is the greenest). It's also a bit risky, as the company is setting itself up for serious scrutiny from eco-evangelists and critics.

Still, Dell has established a credible track record for environmental stewardship, and as part of this quest, it has laid out further eco-friendly goals.

"Our goal is simple and clear," said Dell Chairman and CEO Michael Dell in a written statement. "We'll take the lead in setting an environmental standard for our industry that will reflect our partnership with, and direct feedback from, our customers, suppliers and stakeholders, and we intend to maintain that leadership."

Among other things, the company has outline a a zero-carbon strategy, which, according to the company, "will include IT lifecycle assessments, management of Dell's direct and indirect climate impacts, reduction of the company's carbon intensity, and partnership with customers."

More specifically, Dell has pledged to reduce its carbon intensity (which I translate to "footprint") by 15 percent come 2012.

Additionally, the company is asking its primary suppliers to begin reporting greenhouse gas emissions data. "A supplier's volume of Dell business can be affected by the scores earned on reviews," according to the company," according to the company's announcement. Dell will work with suppliers on emissions-reduction strategies once data is collected. (Other tech companies have been putting pressure on their suppliers to embrace kinder, greener practices as well.)

Moreover, Dell is extending its "Plant a Tree for Me" program to Europe, which gives customers an opporunity to donate toward planting trees to offset hardware they purchase.

The company is soliciting ideas from customers as to what else it might to achieve the "greenest technology company on the planet" title. Suggestions will be accepted through June 26; for each person who presents one of the selected best ideas, the company will make a $1,000 donation to a non-profit environmental organization of his or her choice.

Posted by Ted Samson on June 6, 2007 11:23 PM

June 01, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Dell responds on OptiPlex, Energy Star 4.0, and Vista

Yesterday, I wrote about Dell's new OptiPlex systems, which are designed to meet the Energy Star 4.0 standards [PDF].

The thrust of my post was to explore whether or not it was possible to buy a desktops -- from Dell or any other company -- that would both meet ES 4.0 and would run Windows Vista effectively for the average business user.

Specific to Dell, I also wanted to know how a buyer could tell whether he or she had selected a configuration on the Dell site that met the Energy Star 4.0 criteria.

Dell spokesperson Jeremy Bolen was kind enough to offer a response to my post, which follows:

I just wanted to clarify a few things. First, customers can find Energy Star 4.0 systems by going to www.dell.com/energy -- a site with
information about our energy initiatives -- and through the regular OptiPlex online sites by clicking on Energy Star logo when you select either the OptiPlex 740 or 745.

There you will find systems that are fairly robust in configurability for commercial users. And, you'll find that our systems are available with either Windows XP or Vista that are perfectly capable of running Ultimate with up to 4GB of RAM and optional 256MB video cards.

As you probably know, Energy Star 4.0 divides systems into three categories, basic, mainstream and power user scenarios that have different energy consumption requirements. Depending on how a customer configures their system, it will fall into one of those categories (more information on this can be found at www.energystar.gov).

We feel that our offerings are transparent and our teams worked countless hours to ensure that Dell OptiPlex systems meet Energy Star 4.0 guidelines.

First off, thank you, Jeremy, for the reply. I do have some points to make in response:

1. Going to the regular OptiPlex section of the Dell site, I see no mention of Energy Star 4.0 at all.

2. Going to the Dell Energy page you reference, and clicking around a bit, leads you to another place from which to customize and order one of these new OptiPlexes.

Just above the Customize It button, there is a caveat: "Select configurations meet Energy Star 4.0 requirements."

See, that is the stumbling point for me, and my questions remain:
1. What does "select configurations" mean? Is there someplace a user can find them?

2. Is it really possible to get one of these systems that is Energy Star 4.0-compliant yet still capable of running Vista -- with Aero activated -- while meeting the average business user's needs?

3. How does a user know, once he or she has configured a system, that it is still Energy Star 4.0 compliant (i.e. that he or she has chosen a "select configuration")?

I do want to stress that I applaud Dell for being among the PC vendors tackling energy efficiency. I like that the company is making 80-percent efficient power supplies standard in these systems.

But at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I still want to know if any company -- not just Dell -- is capable of doing what I'm talking about here: developing a desktop (not workstation, as defined by Energy Star) that can take adequate advantage of Vista? If so, I'll be impressed. Given the system requirements of Microsoft newest desktop OS, I think the company has made it challenging for hardware vendors.

I also would urge PC vendors to make it crystal clear to buyers which configurations of their systems do meet Energy Star 4.0. It also would be cool if you could see how adding, changing, or removing components to a configuration affects a system's energy consumption.

Posted by Ted Samson on June 1, 2007 01:41 PM

May 31, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Dell vague on Vista-friendliness of its Energy Star 4.0 PCs

Dell offers OptiPlex variants that meet the new standard and run Vista -- but which ones and how well?

Ever since HP announced its Energy Star 4.0 PCs earlier this year, I've wondered if any hardware vendor out there would be able to produce a business-worthy ES 4.0-compliant system not just simply capable of running Windows Vista -- but running it well.

Currently, HP's ES 4.0-configured systems just ship with XP -- even though the company "recommends Vista" all over the PC-sales areas of its Web site. When I spoke to the company about that last March, they basically told me that they hadn't devised a way to design a system that good meet Vista's system requirements and user needs while still meeting the wattage limits to bear the Energy Star 4.0 distinction. (Higher-end components such as processors and cards boost a system's energy consumption, even when it's in sleep mode.)

Now Dell announced this week a set of PCs that are Energy Star 4.0-compliant, the OptiPlex 740 and 745. The company touts the systems' included 80-percent-efficient power supplies, as well as their pre-installed Dell Energy Smart Power Management Settings. "Configured with flat panel monitors, these systems can help customers save up to 77 percent in power consumption compared to previous generation systems when combined with Energy Smart power settings," the company says.

Moreover, Dell notes that the system's chassis is "designed specifically for thermal effectiveness, maximizing the OptiPlex's internal fan's performance."

OK, that's great, right? (Right.) But suppose you head over to the OptiPlex page of Dell's Web site in the hopes of ordering one of these lean, green machines. You'll see that, lo, you have the option of ordering a system installed with either XP or Vista. But right below that bit of information, it says that "Select configurations meet Energy Star 4.0 requirements."

Well, good luck in figuring out which configurations that includes. Suppose you have your heart set on Vista. Once you click the "Customize with Windows Vista" button, you're taken to a screen where you can pick and choose your OS (one of three flavors of Vista: Home, Business, and Ultimate); processor; memory; optical device; video card; and so forth.

But after tinkering with a couple of configurations, choosing both the lowest-end option that would meet the bare-bones Vista requirements (more on that in a moment) as well as a higher-end configuration that would certainly run Vista and Aero, it wasn't clear whether or not I'd ended up with a system compliant with ES 4.0.

Now surely that low-end configuration could technically run Vista, but would it run well enough to be of any use? According to Microsoft, all you need for reaping "good" Vista performance is 512MB of RAM, an "integrated or discrete graphics memory," and at least 15GB of free hard drive space. But with that, you can't run Aero, and the company says that OS configuration is "great for booting the operating system -- without running applications or games." I’d wager most companies would prefer an OS that does more than just boot up.

The next level is of Vista performance is "better," which in Vista parlance means you can run basic applications, and Aero is enabled by default. The minimum requirements there: at least a 1GHZ processor, a 128MB graphics card, 1GB of RAM, and a 40GB hard drive -- but with that setup, Microsoft says that Aero performance will suffer if you open too many apps or run your system in dual-monitor mode.

Now, as I said, HP hasn't found a way to meet these Vista requirements in an ES 4.0 configuration -- at least one that it wants to offer business and consumers. And I sure would love to know whether Dell has managed the feat. I suspect people and companies that want or actually are required to purchase Energy Star 4.0-compliant systems would like to know what their options truly are.

But alas, I've been asking the company since yesterday morning for a chance to talk to someone and to get more information, yet no one at Dell seems available to speak with me, for some reason. Maybe I've been blacklisted because I wasn't sufficiently impressed with the company's "Plant a Tree for Me" program?

Posted by Ted Samson on May 31, 2007 04:04 PM

May 23, 2007 | Comments: (0)

HP gives WWF $2 million in tech, cash for climate-change research

Partnership another example of big-name IT companies like Microsoft, Dell, and Yahoo investing in environmental causes

HP gives WWF $2 million in tech, cash for climate-change research "Technology is part of the problem, but it's also part of the solution." That, paraphrased, is one of the comments that Dave Douglas, Sun's VP of eco-responsibility, shared with me earlier this month.

The problem he was alluding to was the environmental challenges the planet faces due to global climate change. (When, and why, did the term "global climate change" replace "global warming"?) The IT industry indeed contributes to the phenomenon as its operations and wares churn out greenhouse gas in the form of carbon dioxide.

But a growing number of tech companies are owning up to the responsibility and becoming increasingly better environmental stewards, not only by boosting the energy-efficiency of their products, reducing waste, and finding ways to shrink their carbon footprints; they're also teaming up with environmental groups, donating not only money but technology and resources toward solving the problems.

Among them is HP, which today is announcing a partnership with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to allocate more than $2 million in cash and equipment to the non-profit for establishing three projects aimed at addressing the causes and consequences of global climate change. (HP and the WWF aren't strangers to working with one another.)

The projects, which focus on analysis, research and data collection, include:

-- The Epicenter for Climate Conservation – Focused on advancing climate adaptation and resiliency strategies and projects worldwide, the Epicenter for Climate Conservation will be driven by HP technology and led by Dr. Lara Hansen, chief climate scientist of WWF.

-- Information and Communication Technology Innovation as a Driver of Climate Change Solutions – This program will work to identify 1 billion tons of carbon reductions through the use of information and communication technology.

-- Climate Witness – An online forum to raise global awareness of the tangible consequences of climate change, Climate Witness will gather the stories of individuals and communities affected by global warming and share them with the world.

This announcement comes less than a week after Microsoft's big announcement that it would be teaming with the Clinton Foundation to develop a suite of technology tools, both software and services. designed to enable cities to monitor, compare and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Assisting in developing these measurement tools by ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives)—Local Governments for Sustainability and the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Microsoft will build the software using the knowledge base that ICLEI has acquired in developing its Harmonized Emissions Analysis Tool (HEAT).

Additionally, Microsoft recently launched its "i'm" initiative, built around Windows Live Messenger. Users of the Microsoft instant-messaging client can register to have a portion of a Live Messenger session's ad revenue go to one of various non-profit organizations, including The Sierra Club and stopglobalwarming.org (not to be confused with stopglobalclimatechange.org).

The list of tech companies embarking on environmental causes (and other socially responsible ones) doesn't end there, and while I've been, well, a bit skeptical of some of the other efforts I've seen, the fact remains that these companies are making an effort and are certainly helping to raise awareness about environmental issues.

Dell, for examples, teamed up with with The Conservation Fund and the Carbonfund.org earlier this to launch "Plant a Tree for Me" -- a program through which Dell, er, lets people donate money to plant trees in order to "offset" the carbon emitted by their personal computers, laptops, and general lifestyles.

And Yahoo announced its "Greenest City in America" Challenge last week, which I'm still shaking my head over: Essentially, the city that wins is the one whose residents use Yahoo services the most for the next couple of weeks. And the prize is a fleet of hybrid taxis, or else $250,000, which can be used for a eco-friendly project of the winning city's choosing.

While the contest itself is, to me, simply ridiculous (they should have called it "The Yahoo-iest City in the U.S." Challenge), it, too, raises awareness, such as through the info on the company's new green portal -- plus Yahoo is giving out 150,000 energy-efficient CFL lightbulbs to people who participate.

Posted by Ted Samson on May 23, 2007 12:01 AM

April 25, 2007 | Comments: (0)

AMD seeds Dell's 'Plant a Tree for Me' program

AMD seeds Dell's 'Plant a Tree for Me' program Dell has found its first corporate partner for its "Plant a Tree for Me" program: cash-strapped AMD.

AMD, which just recently announced a $611 million first-quarter loss and could soon be facing long-term debt of up to $5.4 billion, has scraped together a $16,000 donation "on behalf of the company's 16,000 worldwide employees" for Dell's tree-planting program, intended to offset the carbon produced by the electronics it sells.

When launched in January, Dell presented its "Plant a Tree for Me" program as a way for its customers to offset the carbon impact of their notebook computer use for an extra $2 and desktop system use for an extra $6. Last month, Dell expanded the program to include an extended portfolio of IT products, plus U.S.-based consumers and businesses could donate to the program without making any product purchases. Dell even goes so far as to let you donate $99 to offset your own carbon usage.

I hate to say it (kind of), but I can't help but draw a rather cynical conclusion when looking at this announcement.

First, consider the sum AMD is pouring into the program. While $16,000 surely can buy plenty of saplings, it strikes me as a rather token donation coming from a Fortune 500 company. A dollar per employee doesn't come close to the $99 per-person carbon cost calculated by Dell.

Second, consider AMD's relationship with Dell. After years of being an Intel-only hardware maker, Dell finally opened its arms to AMD, releasing notebooks, desktops, and servers running AMD processors last year. Having buy-in from one of the world's top PC maker was a huge and significant win for AMD.

Third, consider Dell's "Plant a Tree for Me" program. Although it's a very well-meaning endeavor, there are probably better ways for companies to invest money toward reducing carbon emissions and conserving energy: making energy-efficient power supplies standard on PCs, or investing in alternative-energy research, or installing solar panels on the roof of your datacenter, or developing more sustainable, eco-friendly business practices. That's why carbon-offsetting programs like Dell's "Plant a Tree for Me" garner some criticism: they're viewed in some circles as a way of sidestepping the responsibility of reducing and cleaning up one's carbon footprint.

Also notable: A new study by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Carnegie Institution, and Université Montpellier II confirms that although planting more trees in tropical rainforests could help slow global warming, new forests in mid- to high-latitude locations could actually create a net warming. Thus, the benefits of reforesting are arguably inconclusive anyway.

Now, to Dell and AMD's credit, both companies do seem to have a firm commitment to sustainability. Dell, in fact, has become the green poster child among IT hardware makers for such initiatives as offering free product recycling worldwide, regardless of product purchase.

AMD, meanwhile, has worked to reduce energy consumption, make its wares more efficient, cut back on hazardous waste, and has taken plenty of other direct measures to boost its sustainability and reduce its eco-impact.

In other words, both companies have been taking on the challenge of cutting carbon emissions in very direct ways, but now Dell has come along with this offset program, the benefits of which aren't as concrete.

Yet when presented with the option to donate to the cause, what could AMD do but donate to Dell's green pet project? You'd likely do the same if your manager wandered into your cubicell and asked you to sponsor his son's walk-a-thon to fight diaper rash. Even if you'd already given money and volunteered time for more arguably worthy causes -- and you were a little strapped for money -- you'd still reach into your pocket and fork over a few bucks.

That's my admittedly cynical view. What do you think of Dell's "Plant a Tree for Me" program?

Posted by Ted Samson on April 25, 2007 10:31 AM

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