Fall 2010, ENVB 0388: This course was offered as part of the Columbia Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC) Certificate program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.
During Fall 2010 this class met 6-8pm, Wed 10/13, 10/20, 10/27, 11/3 and 11/10, Room 1015 Schermerhorn Extension.
The growth in the use of computing and information technology (IT) in society demands more resources and energy, yet also allows us to understand and solve environmental problems. Curiously, ten of the top twenty Newsweek 2009 rankings of the greenest big companies in America are related to computing and IT. This course discusses the institutional environmental policies behind these rankings, and other metrics and measurements that link the growth of IT with environmental impacts and sustainability. The course concentrates on the topic of data centers: Google, Amazon, and Walmart are all representative of businesses that depend heavily on large data centers. Other businesses and institutions, including universities and research facilities, are also increasingly dependent on data centers, and the course describes current projects for green data centers and the metrics involved in those projects.
The course wiki, accesible to students only, was available at this link: http://envbn0388-001-2010-3.wikispaces.columbia.edu/
Part 1: Introduction: Context for the green information technology (IT) paradox--US energy consumption figures; the growth in computer use, and manufacture and disposal; the role of scientific computing.
Part 2: Discussion of Newsweek 2009 green rankings and critique of metrics for this and similar rankings
The role of data centers in today's society and economy; predictions of future data center energy use, and the growing community around "green data centers". Data center energy efficiency metrics.
See Executive Summary (pages 4-16) of EPA Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency, 2 Aug 2007
Columbia University green data center measurements; Syracuse University green data center approach. Spring 2009 Google efficient data centers summit: Data center water use.
Course recap. Informal presentations TBD. Revisit scientific computing.