The House of Representatives recently passed a bill requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to research energy-efficient servers for use in data centers worldwide. There are very practical reasons for doing such a thing, not the least of which is increasing the overall efficiency of servers themselves and possibly decreasing the overhead needed to create a dedicated data center. Since most servers tend to run constantly, it’s fairly hard to tweak their power performance – however, this is reasonably easy with most home machines (which H.R. 5646 doesn’t reference). Easy, simple ways of doing so include:

• Turn off your computer and associated machinery when not in use. This is particularly doable in home environments, though offices may find this a little troublesome depending on maintenance schedules. Turning off your modem and other accessories when not in use or when leaving home for a long period of time can help decrease your energy bill.
• Adjust your power settings. Most operating systems allow the user to allow the display or hard drive to shut off after a certain length of time. This is useful whether using a desktop or a laptop.
• Don’t buy a computer that doesn’t fit your needs. Some specialty systems (such as those for gaming) are created with faster components, which can frequently require more energy to run. Choose a machine that’s right for the tasks you intend to use it for. You typically can use a slower computer for just word processing than you can for graphics design, for instance.

Washington just passed a new electronics recycling law that came into effect July 1st, requiring manufacturers to offer free recycling options for certain types of electronics, so this is an interesting time to look at different state web sites for recycling in general.  Take a look at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Municipal Solid Waste links. I found it interesting that some states (New Hampshire, for instance) have no centralized recycling program.

The Electronic Industries Alliance also has a site geared specifically towards finding electronics recycling information.

There is something about the topic of energy and the continuity of our way of life in the United States that politicians turn a blind eye to. However, this is a bigger problem than simple political myopia. The problem’s scope extends not only to United States political figures, but to the very citizenry. I believe that education is key, but is not enough. To convince, you must live as you want others to live. It is not enough to tell; you must do.

Of course, you can read rhetoric and diatribes about the state of our environment without ever taking a single step. You can even write such rhetoric yourself without ever taking a single step, particularly if you are a well-trained and well-practiced writer. I will admit my bias as a recent graduate of The Evergreen State College, which some find synonymous with the environmental movement. I learned about sustainability as a freshman and haven’t quite been able to let the topic go. It is simply too important at this time in our lives, at the beginning of a new century where “being wired” is the only way to be considered socially correct. We are beginning to see a new generation of children who grew up with technology, who have far better grasp of it than our parents and grandparents (and perhaps even we) ever will.

How do we address this? What does it take to make environmental awareness and stewardship a reality? Where is the current energy policy of the United States lacking, and how do we change it for the better? There are many questions, and the only way to find answers that will satisfy all of us is to collaborate. My aim by writing here is to facilitate and empower that collaboration, though I know this is not enough on its own. Of course, I will not claim to be unbiased; rather, I simply claim to be observant. Through my observations here, I hope to start something. What that is, I don’t yet know.