Credit: Bombardier

China Grows High-Speed Rail

Continuing its bid to become the worldwide leader in high-speed rail, China announced this week that it has inked a deal to buy 80 “very high speed” trains (we’re talking top speeds of 236 m.p.h.!) from Bombardier Sifang.

“China has a clear vision of the critical role high speed rail must play in a sustainable transportation system, and is making the strategic investments necessary to ensure that vision is realized,” said Jianwei Zhang, President and Chief Country Representative Bombardier China in a press release. “This country is selecting the most advanced technologies to build the most advanced rail network in the world.”

According to TreeHugger, the order includes 20 eight-car trainsets and 60 sixteen-car trainsets, totaling 1,120 cars. We are officially jealous of our all our friends and FH colleagues in China. If you recall, FH Innovation recently took a look at the United States’ efforts in high-speed rail.

Windows Goes Green

Microsoft is working hard on its rollout of Windows 7, the newest version of its operating system. While operating systems and computer software have always been touted as faster and more useful and secure, this time Microsoft is also touting its green cred. New options allow energy saving from screen brightness to powering down unused hardware ports. While one analyst said the changes are likely to be modest for individual computers, “every little bit helps,” especially when multiplied across the millions of computers in use around the world.

Alternative Energies: What’s Taking So Long?

As President Obama and other U.S. government, business and sustainability leaders focus on the importance of transitioning to alternative energy, the Washington, D.C. chapter of PRSA is asking: What’s taking so long? Next week the public relations association will host a discussion with alternative energy expert Truman Semans, Jr., the former Director for Markets and Business Strategy at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. The talk starts at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at the American Institute of Architects Headquarters on New York Avenue. Drop us a comment if you’re attending, too – we’d love to say hello. And we’ll have a full report here for our readers elsewhere in the world.

Contrary to iconic images of smokestacks and sooty factories, the world’s complex computer infrastructure is fast becoming one of the greatest carbon emitters. By 2020, global IT will reach about 3 percent of carbon emissions, accounting for “1.54 metric gigatons, or twice what the United Kingdom produces today,” according McKinsey & Co.

Where is this intense energy consumption and carbon emission coming from? Look to everything from your home computer and cell phone to the vast telecommunications networks and data centers that make the Internet work.

In the coming years, technology will work its way into more parts of our lives, making the possibility of turning back our insatiable demand unlikely. Fortunately, with this demand are great economic opportunities—by optimizing our use of technology, we can find efficiencies, cutting as much as 7.8 metric gigatons a year, McKinsey reported.

Companies like AT&T, a Fleishman-Hillard client, are looking forward and creating partnerships with energy providers to begin roll out of smart grids, where energy usage can be efficiently monitored and delivered.

Other tech innovators like Microsoft and Google are bringing energy savings to the world of cloud computing—creating remote systems that can grow and shrink computing power depending on need, conserving energy.

While innovative small and large companies will help lead us into a more efficient and sustainable future, regular users of technology can do their part. Check out this great podcast from Northwestern University for tips on how you can green your tech experience.