Quick Facts
- U-M has over 80,000 computers on campus
- U-M spends $4.8 million on electricity to power computers and other office equipment each year
- Desktop PCs waste about 50% of the power drawn from a power outlet
- Servers waste 20-30% of the power they require
- US college students could save the CO2 equivalent of 350,000 cars by enabling power saving features on their computers
- The US would save $4 billion worth of electricity if all office computers were set to sleep when not being used
Why We Care
We care because what we do today will affect generations tomorrow.
Natural resources are a limited quantity. Sustainability and preservation of resources is crucial. A sustainable lifestyle helps us maintain the resources we currently have.
The University of Michigan has a unique role in the global sustainable-computing effort. We have over 80,000 computers on campus. This is a drop in the bucket when one considers there are nearly two billion computers in the world today. The difference is that our students, staff and faculty have a greater likelihood of sharing our knowledge around the globe. People look to us as leaders and best. Even the smallest efforts on our part can have global implications. How we maintain our drop is very important.
Whether we are considering computing sites, printing stations or power settings, it is our responsibility to be sustainable with our technology. Our desire is to live green, to reduce our carbon footprint and to save for the future—
one computer at a time.
We live on Planet Blue.
We care because it is the right thing to do.