Fleishman-Hillard’s Sustainability blog publishes a roundup of compelling stories from traditional media and blogs that straddle the nexus of sustainability, energy policy, and corporate social responsibility. Inclusion of stories does not translate into endorsement of any particular opinion or technology over another.

High demand for rare earth metals may drive hybrid and EV prices way up (via Autoblog Green)

Several recent reports predict future shortages of rare earth materials will drive the prices of hybrid and electric vehicles up for consumers.

Walking, biking more popular than ever; now make up 11.9% of all travel tips (via Autoblog Green)

11.9 percent of all travel trips in the U.S. are now made by bicycling or walking, up from 7.9 percent in 1994.

Chief execs confirm commitment to low-carbon revolution (via BusinessGreen)

A global survey of 750 business chief executives shows 93 percent believe sustainability is critical to their company’s future success.

Chinese authorities launch crack-down on urban smog (via BusinessGreen)

The Chinese State Council has published a new plan to reduce smog levels through regional monitoring and new emissions rules.

The Green Gold Rush Over Iceland’s Data Centers (via Earth2Tech)

Iceland’s ability to power data centers with renewable energy and location between the U.S. and Europe is creating a gold rush for the country.

Russia prepares to spend billions on smart grid upgrades (via Greenbang)

Russia will spend $15 billion between now and 2012 to upgrade its utilities using smart grid and energy storage technology.

Study Affirms Consensus on Climate Change (via New York Times’ Green)

New research supports the idea that a vast majority of the world’s climate scientists believe global warming is happening and that human activities are its principal cause.

A booming enterprise: Recycling whole houses (via USA Today’s Green House)

Foreclosures, tax credits, and landfill costs are leading builders to recycle whole homes during the demolition and construction process.

COP15 has come and gone… leaving behind a bad taste for some and a grain of hope for the others.  But no matter which of those two groups you belong to, outside of your window the movement toward more sustainable world continues.

The Information Technology is only one area of industry that is in full focus right now in the US. Just recently, the government and private sectors announced a $115 million dollars investment into 14 IT projects that would work on improvement of energy efficiency in the following areas:

• IT equipment
• Software
• Power supply chain and cooling

IT equipment and software projects will focus on servers and networking devices and how they can be optimized in order to be more energy efficient. Power supply chain projects will look at how to “minimize power loss and heat generation that occurs in server-based IT systems.” The cooling projects will focus on improvement of cooling equipment in order to use less energy.

From $115 million claimed, $47 million is coming from the U.S. Department of Energy. The following is a breakdown of how the funds will be distributed among IT companies based on their areas of specialty:

Funding for IT equipment and software projects will go to:

• SeaMicro Inc. – $9.3 million
• IBM T.J. Watson Research Center - $1.6 million
• Alcatel-Lucent, Bell Labs – $300,000
• California Institute of Technology – $300,000

Funding for power supply chain projects will go to:

• Hewlett-Packard Company – $7.4 million
• Power Assure, Inc – $5 million
• Columbia University – $2.8 million
• Lineage Power Corporation – $2.4 million
• BAE Systems – $222,000

Funding for cooling projects will go to:

• Yahoo! Inc. – $9.9 million
• Edison Materials Technology Center – $2.8 million
• IBM T.J. Watson Research Center – $2.3 million
• Alcatel-Lucent – $1.8 million
• Federspiel Controls, Inc. – $584,000

So if you, like so many, feel that the Copenhagen summit took away our last hope for change – think again. The only reason we didn’t reach the new treaty is because the countries couldn’t agree on the financial and legislative commitment toward each other at this time. But, that doesn’t mean that the commitments don’t exist on the national level, as we can see with the US – they just need to be re-thought and re-engineered in order to fit into the international level, as well. Once countries are clear on what they can do inside their own borders, they will become clearer on what they can offer between international borders, as well.

So, let’s just keep going.

As an Information Technology (IT) professional, I would like to introduce myself by presenting some of my thoughts of why I think IT plays a key role in sustainability.  My intention is not to underestimate other players, but rather to talk about the one that makes the worst enemy and the best friend of the “green” world.

Let’s start with the bad part – IT is a problem.  According to Peter Siggins and Connor Murphy’s article Putting Green IT to Work for Corporate Sustainability, IT’s contribution to global carbon dioxide emission is ever-increasing. “To illustrate,” the article reads, “in the U.K., the IT and Communication sector has a carbon footprint equivalent to the aviation industry.” Then we have data centers that often house numerous servers, and according to Manfred Dworschak’s  Massive Computer Centers Bad for the Environment article, monthly electricity costs can raise up to $185,000. Needless to say – not very green (at least, not eco-green).

However, IT can also be a part of the solution. Several months ago I read a CNN article, which was forwarded to me by my Fleishman-Hillard ‘green’ teammate Randy Harris, on calculating the amount of carbon emission that is generated through Internet/online activity. I remember feeling very discouraged after reading the article, as it all suddenly seemed too overwhelming. What I didn’t take into a count at that time was that technology was behind that article – analyzing and identifying issues within itself.

There was technology behind the calculation that produced CNN’s “Twenty milligrams” opening sentence found in the above article. There is technology behind energy use tracking of data centers. There is technology behind general CO2 emission audits. The technology is already there (and has been for a while), researching and addressing sustainability issues.

Companies are already taking advantage of this new IT direction to cut costs and become more eco-friendly. For example, Ernst & Young, an FH client, published an interesting report for the IT industry looking at a range of options and opportunities in sustainability, from data centers to other emerging technologies.

Here are a few more real world examples:

• Allstate Insurance consolidated four data centers into two energy-efficient data centers. (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/335585/Allstate_Insurance_Co.)
• Office Depot centralized and virtualized servers, which resulted in 10.1% reduction of greenhouse gas emission and saved 66 million kWh of electricity. (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/335772/Office_Depot)
• Mohawk Fine Papers use sensors that collect data on energy use, which is transferred into a Web-based, real-time analysis system. (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/335618/Mohawk_Fine_Papers_Inc.)

Where there is investment, there is invention.

So while IT professionals, and the whole industry for that matter, might top environmentalists’ negative list due to findings, it was IT that gathered those findings for them. And if there is a way to discover, then there is a way to address. We just need to keep researching and investing.