Green Computing Initiative
"Green Computing" is an effort to raise awareness on the subject of energy usage associated with information technology on the UC Berkeley campus and to collaborate on the reduction of energy usage.
According to the 2009 Climate Action Plan, electricity is one of the two largest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the campus and Information Technology (IT) is currently estimated to be responsible for approximately 10 percent of that electricity usage. IT has become a critical resource for the mission of the campus and usage of computing equipment continues to increase. At the same time, the campus is committed to reducing GHG emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2014. This situation presents quite a challenge.
Computing equipment is used in every department on the Berkeley campus. In order to achieve the mission of the campus without causing further harm to our environment and the community, we must be smarter about the technology tools we choose and how we use them. This requires that we all understand the potential negative impacts of the tools we use, that we understand how we can reduce or avoid those impacts, and, most important, that we take action. The success of the Green Computing initiative depends on the collaborative efforts of all in the campus community.
Green Computing website
The intent of the Green Computing website is to inform and educate the campus community about the IT-related energy-saving efforts taking place on the Berkeley campus. Please join us by sharing the green computing efforts going on in your department or unit. If you have suggestions on how the site can be made more useful for you and for the campus, we'd appreciate knowing that too.
We can be reached by email at
Green computing is an opportunity to …
- Reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible.
- Recycle e-waste and adopt earth-friendly buying habits wherever possible.
- Learn from environmental experts and adopt best practices.
- Make protecting the environment part of the daily lives of the campus community.
- Challenge and support the Berkeley community to develop and implement green work practices.
- Support environmental and social activities in our local communities.
