Sustainable IT

Begun in 2006, Sustainable Stanford is a university-wide campaign to reduce emissions, conserve resources, and minimize waste. Since computing makes up approximately 15% of Stanford's overall energy usage, the Sustainable IT program's task is to minimize energy consumption at every level, from the data center to the personal computer. Here are some ways you can help save energy on campus:

• Think before you print; use PDFs and electronic documents when possible.
• When you do need to print, print double-sided.
• Instead of letting the screensaver run for long periods, just turn your monitor off.
• Put your computer to sleep when possible.
• Power down your computer, printer, copier, etc. at the end of the day.
• Make use of the energy savings capabilities of your computer and other devices.

Smart Strips

The School of Medicine Office of Facilities Planning and Management has recently begun a campaign to lower office-related power consumption via the use of "Smart Strips." These power strips have a feature whereby there is a blue "control" outlet which switches all white "normal" outlets off whenever the device plugged in to the blue outlet is itself turned off. There are also red "constant hot" outlets which are not switchable.

Here are some tips for implementing the Smart Strip in your office:

If you DO NOT remotely access your computer (Remote Desktop Connection, etc.)

Most users probably fall into this category: you are the only user of your computer, and when you leave your work area, there's no need to leave your computer powered on. For this type of use-case, you should plug your computer's power cord into the blue "control" outlet of the Smart Strip, and plug your peripherals (display, speakers, external hard drive, printer, etc.) into the white "normal" outlets. Now, when your computer is shut down, all of those other devices will stop consuming any (even "stand-by") electricity. If you have a device in your office which should NOT be powered down when your computer is turned off (such as a fax machine), then plug that device into a red "constant hot" outlet.

If you DO remotely access your computer (Remote Desktop Connection, etc.)

Some users access their computer (or have others access their computer) remotely, so it's important to have the computer always be powered on. For this type of use-case, you should plug your display's power cord into the blue "control" outlet of the Smart Strip, your computer into a red "constant hot" outlet, and plug your non-essential peripherals (speakers, printer, etc.) into the white "normal" outlets. Therefore, when your display is shut down (which you could do whenever you leave your work area), your non-essential devices will stop consuming any (even "stand-by") electricity. If you have an additional device in your office which should NOT be powered down when your computer is turned off (such as a fax machine), you should also plug that device into a red "constant hot" outlet.