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The greater level of visibility and accountability that this represents is one reason for the sustained level of interest in Green IT among the 1,000+ IT professionals surveyed for the 2009 Green IT Report.

Almost all respondents (97%) stated they were at least discussing a green IT strategy, while 45% have already implemented green IT initiatives, such as replacing old equipment with new energy efﬁcient devices (95%); monitoring power consumption (94%), server virtualisation (94%) and server consolidation (93%). More than half (57%) considered software-as-a-service offerings to be green. The key drivers for implementing green IT are to reduce electricity consumption (90%), lower cooling costs (87%) and meet corporate pressure to be ‘green’ (86%). Green IT budgets reﬂect this trend, with 73% of

respondents expecting to see a rise in the next 12 months, and 19% looking forward to an increase of more than 10%. The importance of reducing energy costs means that most IT executives are willing to pay a premium for energy efﬁcient products: two-thirds said they would pay at least 10% more, while 41% are willing to pay at least 20% more.

PC manufacturers HP, Dell and Lenovo are languishing near the bottom of the rankings in the July edition of Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics after being penalised for backtracking on a voluntary commitment to eliminate polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and brominated ﬂame retardants (BFRs) from computer products (excluding servers and printers) by the end of 2009.

Greenpeace claims that both materials are hazardous and create signiﬁcant health risks to workers who deal with e-waste.When burned, PVC can form dioxin, a known carcinogen, while BFRs can be released from products during use and are highly resistant to degradation in the environment causing them to accumulate in animals and humans. The campaigning organisation argues that there is no reason for manufacturers not to have PVC and BFR-free PCs. To support its case, it points to the example of Apple, which has completely eradicated BFRs and virtually eliminated PVC from its new computer lines. Dell and Lenovo are ranked higher than HP, because, although they have postponed the complete eradication of hazardous materials, they have launched models that are free, or at least signiﬁcantly reduced in their use, of PVC and BFRs.

Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics ranks consumer electronics companies according to their record in eliminating hazardous substances, the availability of take-back and recycling programmes and their efforts to reduce the climate impact of their operations and products.

The July 2009 ranking is topped by Nokia, followed in order by Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG Electronics, Toshiba, Motorola, Philips, Sharp, Acer, Panasonic, Apple, Sony, Dell, HP, Microsoft, Lenovo, Fujitsu and Nintendo.

Part of the marketing campaign for the new Toyota Prius hybrid car, these 18-foot high ‘solar ﬂowers’ provide seating for up to 10 people, freeWiFi access and power for mobile phones and notebooks, some of which is generated by solar panels on the ﬂowers’ petals and stems.

Toyota’s campaign also features bus shelters with solar-powered fans that circulate air within the space. These installations reﬂect one of the most talked about aspects of the new Prius, its optional Solar Powered Ventilation System. Solar modules on the car roof power a fan that draws in air to reduce cabin temperature when the car is parked in direct sunlight. Toyota’s Harmony Installations will be visiting US cities throughout the summer, including New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The new ﬂeet of 10 single-decker buses and 10 double-decker buses Stagecoach has ordered for the route are packed full of features to encourage people to get out of their cars, including leather seats, air chill or air conditioning and freeWiFi so that passengers can access email and the internet on the 16-mile route – the longest guided busway in the world.

The buses run on biofuel from recycled food waste, which is claimed to generate 80% fewer carbon emissions than standard diesel.

electronic waste from computers, mobile phones, games consoles etc. will peak at 73 million metric tons in 2015, and then gradually decline as government regulation like the EU’s WEEE Directive, electronics industry initiatives and greater consumer awareness take effect.