Redbridge Online

Category: Environmental

  • Green Data Centers: Environmental Stewards Within the Tech Industry

    Green Data Centers: Environmental Stewards Within the Tech Industry

    Once upon a time, there were flip phones that allowed you to exchange tiny pictures with a few people. Data wasn’t an issue back then. But today we have a multitude of devices that take high resolution videos and pics and we share our lives with each other via uploads of data, streaming across the world wide web (don’t stop by the way – I love your updates). The result? Data is compiling at unprecedented rates. And that means power consumption. At unprecedented rates.

    In 2013 alone, data centers consumed an estimated 91 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. By 2020, that number is expected to grow to 140 billion kilowatt-hours annually. At a time when nations around the world have reached a collaborative agreement to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change, energy consumption and sources are key.

    Data centers operators around the world are taking the lead to keep up with the demand for energy in ways that not only meet demand, but are efficient and environmentally-friendly by greening the data center from the inside out.

    1. Design and Construction: It’s not just about finding a building and turning it into a data center. For new and existing buildings, companies are incorporating measures that address how to utilize the space to get the most use for the least consumption of resources. The first data center to achieve LEED certification did so in 2005. Since then, more and more builders are incorporating methods like improved cooling efficiency, clean backup power, green construction, and intelligent design to build and recommission sustainable data centers from start to finish.
    2. Renewable Energy: Around the world data centers are harnessing the power of natural resources. From purchasing renewable energy credits to on-site installations. Salesforce contracted for 40 MW of wind power in West Virginia. Google just agreed to buy 842 MW of wind and solar globally to offset energy consumption at its 14 campuses. Switch SUPERNAP data centers has committed to run its data centers by 100% renewable energy. And LinkedIn searched the planet before it chose Infomart’s West Coast data center for it’s environmental sound reliability.
    3. Improved Efficiency: But it doesn’t stop at construction and energy sources. Green data center operators are implementing efficient practices across their infrastructure to reduce energy use. For instance, using ENERGY STAR qualified servers paired with server consolidation improve performance and consume less energy. Even server arrangement is being addressed to ensure that heat flow is efficient and reduces energy use caused by simultaneous heating and cooling.

    Imagine if every business everywhere were as aware of their energy consumption and invested in energy efficiency and renewable energy implementation at the rate the data center industry. Data centers, while consuming unprecedented amounts of energy are also blazing the path for renewable energy adoption and efficiency practices. They’re changing the world, right now.

  • What’s Fueling the Tech Revolution?

    What’s Fueling the Tech Revolution?

    “An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator… these are NOT three separate devices! And we are calling it iPhone! Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone. And here it is.”
    – Steve Jobs

    In 2007, we were introduced to the first iPhone. It’s campaign slogan was, “This is only the beginning.” You remember that, right? It was like yesterday and it was WHOA at first site and created a tech revolution that changed the world as we knew it.

    Today, our lives are digital and analog, and new and better ways to connect to each other and the world around us are everywhere. The expansion potential continues to be huge. Yesterday, we came together over in awe over a new phone. Today, revolutionary tech is just waiting to bring the world together to replace current technology with a new generation of amazing.

    So, what’s fueling the revolution? Everything. Every facet of our worlds has reached the right time and place to create the perfect storm for advancement.

    More devices, more data.

    Wearables, homes, mobile, and cars are coming online faster than ever. Connected devices are the new life hack – they count the steps we take, map the way, dim the lights, organize our thoughts, and provide a billion ways to digitally share our lives with each other.

    The information collected, in turn, is providing valuable insights that will drive future development and help to create snapshots of society and user behaviors as a whole.

    Drones are here.

    They’re taking selfie stick and RC helicopters to Heisenberg levels. They’re also being utilized for government and commercial use. 2015 ended with mandatory drone registration and has sparked the rise of a whole new set of regulations and data tracking industry.

    More data is streaming.

    Every picture, post, video, live game, everything. It’s all 1’s and 0’s, transferred and output as meaningful information to the end-user. And the technology driving data transfer is only improving. Processors are faster. Camera and video resolutions are better than they’ve ever been. Gaming consoles and VR are integrating better graphics and experience capabilities with every iteration.

    Right now, real time transfer is such that Formula One racing group monitors everything from tire pressure and temperature to aerodynamic effect issues and makes adjustments trackside, and apps like Periscope and SnapChat make sharing videos to large audiences so simple that they’re exposing a world of content sharing opportunities at a crazy fast pace.

    High performance data centering is becoming standard.

    There was a time in the energy industry when investing in efficiency and high-performance products made more business sense than building new power plants. The datacenter industry has reached that phase. Providers are being sought out by educated buyers that want green power and efficient design, not necessarily for sustainability purposes, but because of the long term effectiveness.

    We’re seeing unprecedented levels of user adoption of connectivity. The global population consumes 3.9 exabytes of data per month right now. By 2019, that number will be 24.3 exabytes. It’s not enough to have some racks in a datacenter. You need to be in a datacenter that will be able to support your needs when 24.3 exabytes are being streamed across the world wide web.

    Artificial Intelligence is killin it!

    Devices are streaming data real-time.. and getting smarter. Tesla shocked the world with an autonomous driving system that allows Model S drivers to take their hands off the wheel and allow the car to essentially do the driving for them. And then they added the Summon feature, where the car “learns” to start itself, and drive out of your garage and around the corner to pick you up, sans driver. They’re not alone in their AI investments. Last year more than $2 billion was invested in companies focused on developing AI-like technology.

    The integration of artificial intelligence and cloud computing has given rise to “fleet learning” across connected devices, meaning that where the human brain has to be taught one brain at a time, what one AI device “learns” can be immediately transferred to all devices. This means, machine learning that transcends human learning capacity is being created all around us right now. Existing compute power limits potential to a degree, but is there a time when this generation of faster thinking and learning intelligence expands that? Even Stephen Hawking has concerns.

    The energy storage investment is paying off.

    With more people coming online than ever, power use continues to rise. Experts predict that total energy demand will increase 21% by 2030. 2015 saw renewables record nearly $330 billion in investment around the world. New wind and solar alone accounted for 121 GW of new power installations.

    With energy use on the rise and frequent changes in demand peaks by season and time of day, the market for energy storage is also growing. We’ve seen innovative energy storage solutions from a number of capabilities including; air energy storage, batteries, conservation, efficiency, and more. The market is expected to reach 10.8 billion by 2018.

    Technology will continue to change all of our tomorrows, at rates faster than any change in history. Advancements in tech are already beginning to automate many of the jobs we see in the market today. In fact, 65% of children starting primary school today will work in jobs that haven’t even been thought of yet.

    We’ve come a long way, Baby. And, if you’re thinking this is just the beginning, you’re right.

     

  • Sustainable Marketing in 3 Steps

    Sustainable Marketing in 3 Steps

    I may have mentioned a time or two, I pretty much love Earth…leaves, butterflies, oxygen…love…all of it. So, yes, I’m pretty passionate when it comes to sustainable marketing practices.

    Before I became the CEO for @redbridge, I was a marketer of energy-efficiency programs. I called what I did, saving the world one kwh at a time. Anyway, when you promote energy-efficient products and choices you need to lead by example or people get skeptical. Nobody wants that.

    My 10+ years of sustainable marketing practices can be boiled down into 3 simple steps. Here they are:

    1. Think “green” brainstormy thoughts!
    2. Design to make green “the new black”.
    3. Buy green. It’s just nice. :)

    Have I wowed you with my brilliance yet? Well…I hope NOT because I can talk about this ALL DAY! So, here I go, the 3 secrets revealed in 5…4…3…2…1…:

    1. Think “green” brainstormy thoughts!

    In my perfect world, a marketing plan serves as a road map for upcoming marketing activities. You’ve planned out as far as a year in advance. Relaxed brainstorm sessions happen in the quarter prior to the deliverable’s deadline allowing you to glance out further in the timeline to see if there are other materials forecasted that can be combined. I also have a pet unicorn in that world.

    In my real world experience, you plan out as far ahead as possible and stay flexible. So the more you can think green thoughts on the fly, the better Earth is going to get. Whether your next item is well-planned, or a marketing emergency, consider what you’re trying to accomplish and how the end result can be created, greenly. For instance:

    • Email vs. Direct Mail: Get email addresses for your target audiences and send email campaigns versus direct mail. They have similar return rates, AND e-mail can be re-purposed easily for a follow-up emails. It’s also got analytics for capturing data and saves paper and ink.
    • Web ad vs. Print ad: Think about it…you can be more targeted, include animation and capture analytics. I’m giddy just thinking about the possibilities! Animate a .gif, or better yet, add flash or link to a video that shows your audience how much you love them. Expand your advertising dollars by linking your ad to an even more targeted page inside your website etc., etc. That’s…uh-mazing!
    • Web-based contest vs. Print: Printing can be both beautiful and expensive. Why not create a wildly exciting web-based contest solutions and encourage users to forward their invite to non-participants? Use Scvngr and create a web-based n hunt and get your participants interacting in all sorts of picture-taking, webby goodness. Or, maybe create a video contest. Here are some cool samples of how others like are doing it. Go @Zappos!Web based contests can increase activity without increasing budget. You could have a full-fledged viral contest without adding labor resources or printing dollars. Analytics provide direct return on investment results. And, by letting technology do the work, your resources are freed up to focus on the next great thing.
    • Online forms vs. Printed forms: This one should go without saying…direct input to database…genius and earth-friendly. And think of the paper you’ll save! You stand to benefit from real-time data and your customers will love that you’ve sped up rebate processing times. It’s a Win-Win. Even Steve Covey would love that!
    • Less deliverables vs. more: Why create a multiple pieces that serve the same purpose as one. Sustainable marketing encompasses more and lasts longer. Think “timeless content and multi-use materials” and watch your marketing dollars stretch.
    • Online events vs. In-Person events:Cloud computing has enabled conference hosts to stream live audio, video and collaboration of events.  Companies like Social 27 have created full-fledged ways to share valuable knowledge over the world wide web while saving attendees travel expenses. It’s the ultimate “green” conference.

    2. Design to make green “the new black”.

    You know black. It’s always in, always sexy, and always in demand. Well, let’s bring green’s sexy back, yes?

    There was a time when making green materials meant spendy and with some quality sacrifices. But great news…those days are history. There are so many cost-effective and beautiful marketing alternatives that are eco-friendly. And not just digital solutions, marketers have an opportunity to take green marketing to a whole new level. From concept through production, there are tons of things that can be considered.

    • Size to maximize paper usage. Yes, bigger is big, but take creativity to the next level. Instead of producing a single sheet 8.5×11, consider minimizing content at half the size. Work with your printer to find out what sheet size the project is printing on in order to get the most from one sheet. If you can get two by reducing the size by a 1/2″, why not? You’ll save materials and cost. :) Uh…yay!
    • Paper materials. Recycled paper stocks are available for all sorts of things. Eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean that your materials look like chipboard, even though chipboard can be pretty, too. @NewLeafPaper produces Reincarnation paper stocks that print beautifully, and feel like velvet…velvet. Recycled paper is available in cover and text weights. There are also biodegradabe substrait substitutes for Banner materials and event very beautifully done event displays – all earthy-goodness. Whoda thunk?
    • Design for long-life. As you’re developing your marketing plan, look at the current materials, but also see what you’ll be developing further out to see what you’ve got on the radar. Consider what materials could be combined into multi-use items.

    3. Buy green. It’s just nice. :)

    Everyone says buy green, right? And it means a LOT of things to different people. Here’s my interpretation…

    • Use recyclable materials. If you’ve got a short-term promotion, create marketing materials that can either be reused or will easily break down into the environment. Vendors usually have recycleable substrate options on hand or easily accessable, so ask for an environmentally friendly option.
    • Consider environmentally friendly promotional products. Think about what products can be both useful and and memorable to your end user and work with a vendor to see what sustainable products are available that fit your needs. Stress balls and those little flashlights are inexpensive and fun, but when we’re 100, there’s a pretty good chance, they’re still going to be in a landfill.
    • Give love to local. Local vendors mean a few things…support for local businesses and no shipping. And, look for FSC Certified vendors…that’s gold star worthy. Establish ways to dispose of used materials in sustainable ways. Include messaging on your materials to let users know where they can recycle.

     

    So there you go — 3 steps — planet…saved. Feel free to comment with additional ideas! And if you’re interested in greening up your marketing, let’s connect! Ooh…and if you want to know if I’m paid to promote the companies/products mentioned my answer is…Nope. I just love what they do and how they do it. Earth does too.