We've always taken a broad view of the definition of an ICT facility. More than just data centers, ICT facilities include everything from broadcast studios to telecom network operating centers. Hospitals' network closets, an instance of decentralized ICT, are the focus of an informative white paper from Emerson Power Networks.

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.

EU regulators continue to exempt medical devices from sustainable technology standards like RoHS and WEEE. 2012 now looks like the earliest the exemption will be lifted. But pressure on device manufacturers to address these issues is mounting through specific focus by associations like

One sign that it is still early days for green computing can be seen in the intersection, or lack thereof, of two UK initiatives . . .

Vertatique welcomes visitors from the Wisconsin Biotechnology and Medical Device Association's 2007 Annual Conference "Enhancing Life Sciences".We have pulled together a number of posts illustrating practices, technologies, and regulations impacting biomedical enterprises seeking to be sustainable global citizens: click here to view. A copy of the Vertatique presentation can be downloaded from the WBMDA link above.

Europe's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive holds manufacturers "responsible for taking back and recycling electrical and electronic equipment.". While biomed device manufactures may have some short-term exemptions, the handwriting is on the wall . . .

The pressure for suppliers of healthcare IT and medical devices to "go green" is not limited to European initiatives like RoHS and WEEE. Here are some U.S. initiatives having an impact:

The line between "devices" and "IT" is quickly fading as these two categories merge. Hospitals are a good example. A decade ago, many hospitals had two technology departments: "biomed" and "computers". As biomedical devices have becoming increasingly digital and networked, and as IT moves onto mobile devices, many hospitals have consolidated these operations into a single technology organization.