The Green Machine

I remember my initiation into the idea of green living through, ironically, cars—one of those inventions that contribute significantly to pollution (though I must admit I drive one to work everyday like hundreds of millions).

The cars I'm talking about, however, didn't look like your regular street machines but something straight off the pages of a sci-fi thriller. These “concept cars” invariably looked very curvy, used lots of sheet glass and were often accompanied by smiling beauties (not sure if the girls were there to turn your attention away from the fact that such solar or non-fossil fuel powered cars were not going to be a reality for the next 10-20 years).

After more than two decades since those memories, it's heartening that electric and hybrid cars are gradually being introduced in the market.

The click-click world of computing is in a similar situation right now, though things here seem to have moved relatively faster than for automobiles.

Most of those in IT would identify the green-colored “Energy Star” logo that appeared while the computer booted up. It is believed that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was one of the first to launch efforts to recognize energy-efficiency in tech equipment when it announced the Star as a voluntary labeling program in 1992.

Today, there are thousands of such programs and efforts worldwide to cut down on energy use by ICT equipment—most notably in large data centers that have become massive guzzlers of electricity.

The rising energy prices, coupled with a growing environmental consciousness, have resulted in a multi-billion-dollar “green equipment” market. Even in India, which is always considered price-sensitive and therefore reluctant to shell out 15-20% more for the green tag, many CIOs and other decision makers have begun to “talk green,” if not “buy green.”

But they should look beyond the initial cost and think of RoI from green IT in the longer term. Fortunately, several businesses are in an expansion or migratory stage and can thus take help from the independent data centers that have come up recently in India and which tout great green credentials. Or they can tweak their purchasing processes to include some  green elements as well.

I know it's easier said than done. But it has to be said—and, eventually, it will be done more than we thought possible. Policies and laws on e-waste and energy use will catch up in India, but there's no reason why the avant-garde businesses should wait to go green.

The green run, after all, is going to be a marathon.

Nano? Na, No!

More than 2 lakh bookings and counting: Tata Motors’ cheapest car, Nano, which will ‘hit’ Indian roads in July, is being awaited alarmingly eagerly by an ever-increasing and impatient breed of wannabe motorists. As an owner and driver of a Santro car, why should I get worked up?

Simply because, my dear fellow-motorist, with more and more cars fighting for scarcer and scarcer road space, I’ll get to wait longer in my car as I drive around the city (Tip for carmakers: instead of offering free fuel or service, give a few kilometers of unclogged road space to each new buyer). And as I wait longer inside the car, I’ll consume more fuel, cooling myself and warming the planet in the bargain.

But then, it’s better to be inside an AC car than venture outside in this heat. The other day I happened to pass by a largish car and got a shock from the heated fumes emanating from its body. No wonder I cursed under my breath and vowed to return to the cool confines of my own fuel-guzzler!

Sitting inside, I peer out at the fellow car-toons trying to honk their cars ahead in a sea of automobiles (looking at their faces, you can tell how desperately they want their honks to yield an extra inch of road space ahead – especially at toll gates and busy intersections). Some of them frown at me for not sharing their honking traits or urgency tactics.

My thoughts invariably turn to the Metro rail network. When fully operational, will it reduce the number of cars on the road at any time? I doubt it. Rather, it might add more commuters in Delhi – with thousands and thousands more flooding the trains from within the city as well as the neighboring regions. What Metro might do is mitigate the impact of more Nanos on the road – even if only to a nano extent!

As I pointed out in an earlier post, I’m eager to either get rid of my car or use it less frequently (that’s why Nano-like developments get me in knots). But in addition to the Metro, Delhiites would also need a better bus and taxi network to fill the gaps not served by train. The government has already made a mess of BRT (bus rapid transport, in which buses ply in demarcated lanes). With Commonwealth Games fast approaching and the election process in the country over, one can only hope that better sense will prevail – both among the government and the car-owning public.