UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

COURSE: PROFESSIONAL COMPUTING

COURSE CODE: INF411

NAME: AFRIYIE, JOSEPH NIMOH

INDEX NO: PS/ITC/18/0064

ASSIGNMENT TWO (2)

GREEN COMPUTING

Green computing is the environmentally responsible and eco-friendly use of computers and their
resources. In broader terms, it is also defined as the study of designing, engineering,
manufacturing, using and disposing of computing devices in a way that reduces their
environmental impact.

In basic terms, Green Computing involves reducing the environmental impact of technology.
That means using less energy, reducing waste and promoting sustainability. Green computing
aims to reduce the carbon footprint generated by the Information Technology and Systems
business and related industries. Energy-efficiency and e-waste are two major techniques involved
in green computing. Energy efficiency involves implementation of energy-efficient central
processing units (CPUs), servers and peripherals as well as reduced resource consumption. And
e-waste is the proper disposal of electronic waste.

Green computing benefits the environment. Reduced energy usage from green techniques
translates into lower carbon dioxide emissions, stemming from a reduction in the fossil fuel used
in power plants and transportation. Conserving resources means less energy is required to
produce, use, and dispose of products. Put simply, saving energy and resources saves money.

Green Computing has become a contemporary issue because;

• It reduces the harmful health effects from the risks that exist in the laptops, such as chemicals
known to help cause cancer and other immune reactions in humans.

• It lessens the usage of energy for producing, using, and disposing of products, which translates
into lower carbon dioxide emissions.

• Saving energy and resources saves money as a result of more efficient computing and running
software.

• Enhancing and sophisticating the government policy to encourage recycling and use eco-
friendly sources of energy.

Benefits of green computing includes:

a. Less Pollution
Through conventional computing, lots of pollution issues take place in the environment. For an
example, if not properly recycled all the electronic wastes from the computer may end up
circulating on land. Thus, leading to soil as well as water pollution. By using green computing,
the users can minimize the impact created by pollution at least to some extent.
b. Recycling Process
Green computing encourages recycling process by reusing and recycling electronic wastes. Most
parts of the computer are constructed using eco-friendly materials instead of plastic so that it can
have less environmental impacts. This makes all the electronic wastes to get separated
efficiently. Hence by implementing green computing strategies, companies overall can improve
their recycling process.

c. Cost Savings
Green computing is highly cost effective that helps people save money. Since lots of energies are
saved when using a green computing solution, it also substantially leads to financial gains. Even
though green computing is with high upfront costs, still it is cost effective in the long run.

d. Green processing includes changing government arrangement to empower reusing by people

and organizations and to lessen vitality utilization.

Pitfalls associated with green computing

a. Implementation Cost

Although green computing is cost effective in the long term, still many companies refrain from
switching to green computing due to its high upfront cost. When implementing a green
computing system, it takes lots of time and research, all that costs plenty of money. This makes
the technology more expensive than the average model.

b. security Leaks

When using a green computing system, there are some serious concerns regarding security. The
employee who work under companies that practice green computing regularly exchange their
workstations and other devices. This eventually opens up many security leaks such as hacking.
Therefore, the companies have to take necessary measures for avoiding such problems.

c. Maintenance

Besides implementation, the maintenance of a green computing system is considered to be highly

difficult that can be costly as well as time consuming. This is because the technology behind
green IT is entirely new and changing rapidly which makes the maintenance efforts eminent.
d. IT Knowledge

In order for using the green IT infrastructure, IT experts who has well knowledge about the
technology needs to be deployed. Those experts are rare to find, and if found they need to be
paid plenty of money. If not appointed, your systems could eventually experience downtimes and
other technical issues.

References

a. https://digitalthinkerhelp.com/what-is-green-computing-advantages-disadvantages-
examples/ .

b. https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/5003/green-computing-for-organizations-
and-
individuals#:~:text=Green%20computing%20benefits%20the%20environment,use%2C%20a
nd%20dispose%20of%20products.

c. https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/data-science-of-the-natural-environment/blogs/green-computing-
a-contribution-to-save-the-
environment#:~:text=Green%20computing%20is%20the%20environmentally,that%20reduce
s%20their%20environmental%20impact.

d. https://www.hitechwhizz.com/2020/12/7-advantages-and-disadvantages-drawbacks-benefits-
of-green-computing.html