Green IT: EMC in talks with Bangalore Metropolitan Transport System for bus pooling

Sandeep-Kejriwal_EMC

Green IT: EMC in talks with Bangalore Metropolitan Transport System for bus pooling


EMC Center of Excellence facilities across Asia Pacific
follow green standards. As the next step, we are working towards measuring
carbon foot print across offices and region wise for the data to be readily
available with the Global Sustainability Office. We are also devising carbon
emission targets and are widening the engagement with more number of business leaders
to be involved in driving COE’s sustainable efforts. SandeepKejriwal, chief
financial officer, India Center of Excellence, EMC, says that EMC observes
car-pooling initiatives and plans to initiate bus pooling soon and are in
discussions with Bangalore Metropolitan Transport System (BMTC) for the same.
Excerpts of the interview:

What are your green initiatives in India?

We at EMC India Center of Excellence (COE) recognize that
we’re part of an interconnected world system.  Our ability to prosper in
the long run will depend on the existence of a healthy physical environment as
well as an educated, inclusive and economically-vital society.  That’s why
we strive to operate our business in a sustainable way – a commitment we sum up
with the phrase: People, Planet and Prosperity.

EMC India COE has a GREEN Facility, which is a PLATINUM
LEED Certified building with focus on energy conservation, water management and
waste management.  Some of the key initiatives undertaken by EMC India COE
in the direction of environmental sustainability are:

eWaste Management License: India COE received the eWaste
Management License from Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. India COE is
now authorized to store, handle, and dispose eWaste. This will help dispose offapprox
14 tons of eWaste annually.

LEED Certified Building:  India COE is housed in a
facility that is LEED certified (Platinum level). Highly efficient light
fixtures, daylight sensors and movement sensors installed at the building have
contributed to a total power cost reduction of 20 percent. We use green
laminates for walls instead of gypsum and this has reduced the maintenance cost
of the interior fittings by 40 percent. We also invite vendors to come and
exhibit true eco-friendly products within our premises to build awareness among
the employees.  As part of our commitment towards the environment we also
focus on waste management and water conservation at EMC India COE. 

Water Conservation: The pressure of water inlets at the
facility has been reduced by 20-30 percent to cut down usage. We also currently
do not incur any additional cost for water used in rest rooms and in the garden
area. The tap water used in rest rooms is ground water and the water used to
flush is recycled water received through rainwater harvesting and recycling
through the sewage treatment plant. These initiatives have subsequently
resulted in decreasing water consumption.  The rest rooms and hand wash
areas have automated taps which ensure water usage at a minimum and prevent
water wastage. After adopting the water recycling process at EMC India COE we
are able to save approximately 60,000 liters of water everyday.

Weekend Shutdown Program: The R&D lab within the
facility spans about 25000 sq. ft and houses approximately 3000 servers. While
the lab is extremely efficient as it is, we continued to look at more ways of
saving energy. We were able to identify that not everyone works over the
weekend which means that not every server is utilized. Currently an automated
system identifies idle servers and shuts it down over the weekend. On an
average 20 percent of the servers are shutdown which results in 10-15 percent
power savings and translates to a $51K savings in utility bills. 

Paper Recycling: A paper recycling program was introduced
at India COE. All used cartons, packing material and paper is collected and
given to a vendor for recycling them into notepads and folders which are reused
by our employees.

Storage areas are ear marked for paper waste, Carton box
waste, packing material waste , wood waste etc.  Proper monitoring is
being done hence all the used papers / carton boxes etc., generated in the
office will not be disposed instead will be stored & recycled.Double sided
and secure printing is also followed which reduces consumption of paper.

As a business, what are the opportunities for green
technologies in India?

Changing climate and growing concern over carbon
emissions have led to immense focus on the development of Green/Clean
technologies and practice of sustainable initiatives within organizations. It
is well understood that these clean/green technologies and initiatives possess
the key for the future growth and developments.Green technologies like low
chemical or low radiation emitting equipments, low energy consuming products
and less hazardous technology have seen a surge in its demand in the IT /ITES
and various other sectors. Many companies are adopting green technologies for
their campuses. It has also become a standard norm for a new company that is
looking for office space. More over with the support of some of the new
regulations by the government on green and environment, we should see an
increase in the business potential of green technologies in India.

It is clear that companies that come up with new
sustainable green technologies will be better placed to exploit the market
opportunities created by the shift towards efficient technological processes.
Indian companies have recognized this phenomenon and have started developing
such technologies to tap the huge business potential. With a population of well
over one billion, green businesses in India could alter its economy as well as
its ecology.

There have been significant traction around initiatives
in Green IT and sustainability in India especially with Green building
initiatives and there are a few worthy companies developing environment
friendly products. IT companies have been vocal about optimizing their data
centers and making them more energy efficient. With cloud computing gaining
traction, energy efficiency of data centers is expected to see a further boost.

Green technologies / green initiatives are yet to find
major acceptance in India. What are the main reasons?

According to a Gartner report “Hype Cycle for Green IT
and Sustainability in India, 2011, Green IT and sustainability has found their
way into the IT organizations of many industries in India. Although still
buzzwords for many, they will soon emerge as top priorities for businesses,
investors and technology professionals across industries and policymakers in
India. While awareness of green IT and sustainability issues is very low in
Indian organizations, it’s also common to see lack of commitment from business
leaders to take extra efforts in driving green initiatives, reluctance
inbearing the cost of implementation etc. However the increasing global focus
on energy efficiency, energy security, green IT and sustainability issues is
now causing the executive leadership in the technology sector to track, report
and manage sustainable and resource-efficient business practices.

Is the industry waiting for government level pro-active
approach to promote green concepts?

Sustainability initiatives are a big priority and a
corporate requirement for many large Multinational and Indian companies.
However as the Government is a major decision maker for implementing a
sustainable initiative, its proactive involvement would drive organizations to
step up and promote green concepts. Incentive programs or tax reduction schemes
by the Government will also be a motivational factor for green industries.

At a nascent stage while adopting newer green
technologies, it gets difficult to map these efforts and show formidable results
immediately. Most corporates have voluntarily done formidable work in this
space right from “greening” the supply chain to revamping the workplace. While
this will be an ongoing process, however any Government mandate to reward these
efforts might be a bonus.

What are your main challenges in the market place to
deploy green concepts?

Absence of best practices which can be shared and
exchanged within this region, local availability of green technologies and
trained manpower are some of the constant challenges faced. At times
transporting technologies across regions can also be ineffective in terms of
cost.

 

By Baburajan Kizhakedath
[email protected]