Reporter Volume 25, No.29 June 13, 1994

By MARK WALLACE
Reporter Staff
Getting people to change their computer habits and, over time, phasing
in new Energy Star computers that save electricity is the focus of
UB's new Green Computer campaign, says Walter Simpson, UB's Energy
Officer. The campaign is a joint project of the Conserve UB Energy
Conservation Program and UB's Environmental Task Force.
	It costs about $300,000 a year to power PC's at the University
at Buffalo, but that cost could be cut in half without affecting
productivity, Simpson says.
	"We're undertaking this campaign because, as any casual
observer can see, computers are running on campus far longer than
they're actually in use," Simpson says. "It's not uncommon for faculty
or staff to leave their computers on all day, when they're really only
using them about two or three hours."
	The high cost of electricity at UB mirrors a national trend in
which growing amounts of office equipment add to a computer-related
energy burden that has increased five-fold in the last 10 years,
Simpson says. There are now more than 8,000 computers at UB, he says.
	The Green Computer campaign has three basic components,
Simpson says.
	"First, we want to raise energy awareness on campus about
computers and urge people to modify their computer habits," Simpson
says. The campaign is seeking a 50 percent reduction in running time
for computers on campus, a reduction that will not affect
productivity, he says.
	Secondly, the campaign wants to encourage environmentally
friendly purchase practices for new computers at UB, Simpson says.
Specifically, the campaign will promote purchase of the Energy Star
computers that are now on the market. Such computers have a built-in
"sleep mode" that saves 60-70 percent of normal operating energy
requirements when the computer is not in use, he says. "These
computers are readily available, cost-competitive, and don't suffer
from any loss of performance," according to Simpson.
	Such computers can be identified by the Energy Star logo,
which can be put on any computer that is in compliance with U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency standards on what constitutes Energy
Star equipment. The energy-saving technology of such computers has
been available for portable computers for a long time, but is new for
desktop computers, Simpson says. "The federal government has
recognized office equipment as the fastest growing electrical load in
the country," he says. "There's no point in building new power plants
when energy conservation is easier and cleaner."
	The third component of the Green Computer campaign will be to
integrate waste reduction and recycling into computer use practices on
campus, Simpson says. Contrary to what one might expect, computer use
has greatly expanded paper waste on campus because of equipment like
E-mail and Fax machines, he says, and the campaign will encourage
people to waste less paper and use recycled paper in their computer
use.
	Through campus mail, the Green Computer campaign will be
distributing a poster, and a booklet, "UB Guide to Green Computing,"
which includes a variety of computer energy-saving techniques, Simpson
says. Both the poster and the booklet feature a cartoon by
award-winning political cartoonist Tom Toles. Additional copies of the
poster and booklet can be ordered, Simpson says.
	The booklet contains tips that show people how to save as much
as 50 percent of the energy that their computer currently uses,
Simpson says.
	"We want to debunk the idea that turning off a computer is bad
for the equipment," he says. "It's beneficial to turn a computer off
when it's not being usedQheat is a major factor in computer wear and
tear." Other tips in the booklet include turning on only that portion
of the computer that is currently in use. Keeping the printer turned
off when not in use, or the monitor, and relying less on power strips
that turn everything on and off together are just a few of the many
ideas included in the booklet.
	The Building Conservation Contacts Network, a group of
volunteers who have one contact for every office and department on
UB's North Campus, and soon will have the same on the South Campus,
will bring the campaign to the attention of people across UB and will
help make resources available, Simpson says.
	"To be effective, the booklet on computer tips needs to be
discussed, which could be done by setting aside 15 minutes of an
office or departmental meeting," he says. "Office staff could talk
about ways to save energy in the office, academic departments could
discuss how to get the message out to their faculty. We hope the BCC
Network will be instrumental in catalyzing that."

he Green Computer campaign is working with the offices of State Only
Purchasing and UB Micro Sales to make sure that purchase agents and
sales representatives are familiar with Energy Star computers and
encourage UB staff to purchase them, Simpson says. The campaign
intends to work with Computing and Information Technology to save
energy in campus computer labs, he says.
	There's also national interest in sharing what is happening at
UB with other campuses, Simpson says. The campaign is working with the
Campus Outreach Program of the National Wildlife Federation, and the
Union of Concerned Scientists, to distribute the poster, booklet, and
campaign ideas in order to stimulate similar activities at other
schools, he says. The campaign also is talking to Niagara Mohawk about
how to provide energy awareness to their larger customers, Simpson
says.