GOV. RITTER ANNOUNCES ENERGY EFFICIENCY PARTNERSHIP WITH CLIMATE SAVERS COMPUTING INITIATIVE

GOV. RITTER ANNOUNCES ENERGY EFFICIENCY PARTNERSHIP WITH CLIMATE SAVERS COMPUTING INITIATIVE

 

Gov. Bill Ritter announced today that Colorado will join the Climate Savers Computing Initiative to further spur the utilization of more energy-efficient computers and servers in state offices and agencies.  The Climate Savers Computing Initiative is a national effort created by Google and Intel to increase the development and use of highly energy efficient computer equipment.

 

"State government is in a unique position to lead by example," said Gov. Ritter.  "By joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, we are not only making a significant investment in more efficient government, we are showing what can be achieved when government and industry band together to address the issues facing our environment."

 

In April 2007, Gov. Ritter signed the Greening of State Government Executive Order, which challenged state departments, agencies, and offices to provide leadership in reducing energy consumption.  By joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative,Colorado is continuing that effort and will be committing to the following activities as part of the initiative:

 

·        Pledging to purchase high-efficiency computer equipment that meets or exceeds federal ENERGY STAR ratings;

 

·        Optimizing existing computer systems by educating employees about more efficient and effective computer power management strategies, such as better using hibernation and sleep modes; and

 

·        Ensuring that in the future companies produce and customers purchase computing equipment with increasing levels of efficiency.

 

"By participating in the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, the State of Colorado can leverage its purchasing power to achieve improvements in energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said John Burchett, State Policy Counsel, Google. "More importantly, the state is helping lead the way to a cleaner and more secure energy future by providing leadership forColorado residents and businesses looking to reduce their climate impact."

 

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative is a nonprofit group of eco-conscious consumers, businesses, and conservation organizations. Its goal is to promote the development, deployment and adoption of smart technologies that can improve the efficiency of a computer's power delivery and reduce the energy consumed when the computer is in an inactive state.  The goal of the program is a 50% reduction in power consumption by computers by 2010, netting $5.5 billion in global energy savings and an annual reduction of 54 million tons of CO2 emissions per year.

 

Since its launch in June 2007, more than 170 companies, organizations and states have joined the initiative, and thousands of individuals have pledged their support.