As hospitals and other organizations look for ways to cope with the economic downturn, experts are predicting that Green IT will grow because it's seen as a way to cut costs in addition to protecting the environment. With expansion of electronic medical systems and other technologies, IT efficiency is a key issue for health care executives.

The term "Green IT" can cover a wide range of strategies, but it typically refers to efforts to reduce energy consumption in data centers and on desktops by replacing systems with new, more energy-efficient computing. However, a variety of sources call into question the effectiveness of this narrow approach in terms of both cost reduction and environmental impact.

A recent IDC white paper, Beyond Power: IT's Roadmap to Sustainable Computing, found that mainstream Green IT approaches can backfire and increase both environmental impact and IT costs for new capital equipment. The white paper recommends a comprehensive approach that includes extending equipment lifecycles through redeployment, remarketing or charitable donation, ensuring responsible recycling, and more.

Mainstream Green IT requires substantial capital outlay compared with extending lifecycles of existing systems. For every $1,000 in original cost, moving from a 3-year to a 4-year lifecycle generates savings of approximately $325. When lifecycles are extended to 4.5 years, the savings increase to nearly $500; at 5 years savings go to $650.

According to Gartner, more than 75 percent of PCs replaced are 4 or fewer years old, yet only 42 percent are re-used. A recent Gartner report also notes that replacing assets to reduce energy consumption could result in a net increase in the energy consumed if manufacture, transport and disposal are included.

From an environmental standpoint, manufacturing new PCs is an energy- and resource-intensive process. According to United Nations University, it takes 1.8 tons of raw materials and approximately 240 kilograms of fossil fuel to manufacture a PC - which is about 81 percent of the energy the computer will use. According to the U.S EPA's Environmental Benefits Calculator, reusing 1,000 desktop computer systems creates a carbon offset equivalent to the energy required to power 681 homes for a year and the greenhouse gasses produced by 481 cars in a year.

In addition, recent government and media reports have revealed that many recyclers violate federal regulations by shipping e-waste -- about 80 percent of equipment collected for "recycling" -- to developing countries where it contributes to devastating environmental and human health problems. These reports show that companies can not simply accept a recycler's certificate of destruction as assurance their e-waste has been properly handled.

A Case for Sustainable Computing
Compared with the narrow focus of "Green IT," sustainability suggests a host of things we can measure and manage, including natural resources, energy and capital.

Managing assets for sustainability is a complex, multi-player game with numerous scenarios running simultaneously. To work effectively, policy must be strategic, operational practices must be harmonized across the entire enterprise, and governance must ensure accountable, consistent conformance with policy. Disparate stakeholder interests must be served, including those in IT, security/privacy, asset management, finance, procurement,  environmental health and safety, and legal/risk, not to mention the lines of business themselves.

Given the high stakes, it's critical to challenge conventional wisdom and ensure your Green IT strategy is really on target to deliver the desired results for the environment -- and your health care organization's bottom line.

Robert Houghton is president of Redemtech, a leading provider of technology change management and IT asset disposition services. He can be reached at bhoughto@redemtech.com.