Global Mobile Awards' Green Mobile Awards are for "mobile industry organisations that are focused on the reduction of environmental impacts through eco-friendly, innovative policies, products, programmes or initiatives, as well as organisations outside of the industry that utilise the mobile platform to communicate, innovate or drive eco-friendly programmes, services and initiatives." Past winners include

Iceland appeared on our Green ICT radar last year when Verne Global cited the "Icelandic Advantage" for its its data center there. Another local company, Greenqloud, is now promoting Iceland's advantages as the basis for a more sustainable cloud computing service.

While much of the green computer focus worldwide is on laptops, UK companies are doing interesting things with desktops.

Aleutia offers low-power units that "are designed to easily connect to solar power and work in remote places." Case studies include Africa and Central Asia.

VeryPC's new Broadleaf is advertised as "super energy efficient…PVC Free, BFR Free, Halogen Free…Low Mileage, Low Carbon End-to-End Design…Fully Ethically Carbon Offset [for] embedded, transportation and 5 years of operation..."

The Green Electronics Council launched an international EPEAT purchasing registry which "enables the world’s leading electronics manufacturers to list ‘green’ computers and monitors in over 41 countries across the globe." The registry is revealing about the distribution of EPEAT product availability.

Follow the global e-waste trail on Greenpeace's interactive map.

Our e-devices contain all sorts of exotic materials, many of which, like tungsten, tantalum, and tin, are refined from ores that originate in central Africa. Called "conflict minerals", they fund warfare in the Congo and neighboring countries.

Unsettling images of third world e-waste processing are powerful reminders to tend to the life-cycles of our own gear. I've featured the work of Edward Burtynsky and National Geographic; now I continue to learn about new bodies of work.

The 20 most populous countries comprise about half of the world's population. Yet 18 of these lie outside of what is generally perceived as the North American/Western Europe Green ICT nexus. These nations aspire to rapidly build out their ICT infrastructures. Nigeria, for example, already has GSM networks connecting ~50 million phones; over 130 radio and television broadcasters; domestic communications networks utilizing satellites, coastal submarine cable, land fiber, and microwave relays; and international connectivity via satellites and submarine cable.

These countries' ICT build-outs will have a significant future impact on global energy, carbon, and e-waste. Yet we hear very little about GreenICT challenges or progress in these countries. Go to our Global Green page to see what we've learned and to contribute by posting information about these countries.

The 18 countries, listed left-to-right in order of descending population, are:

Vertatique includes GreenICT progress and issues from outside the United States. Here are some updates from this region. Click here for more GreenICT news and analysis from this and all the regions around the world.

SustainableIT is "South Africa’s first ‘Green’ IT company"

Widespread computer use in developing countries runs right into power consumption and resource issues, so Vertatique follows developments in this area with keen interest. UK organization Computer Aid recently completed testing of low-power computers with ZDNet-UK and three African Universities.