- Recently concluded DataWorld conference effectively replaced Green IT with Energy Efficiency. All about cost savings!

- Green Grid – companies are working to develop metric to measure datacenter efficiency. Green Grid developed two metrics – One for facilities (the PuE – Power usage effectiveness – and DCiE -datacentr infrastructure efficiency) and the other for the IT. This is DCP – data center productivity. (The Green Grid is a global consortium of companies dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and computing ecosystems)

- Forrestor online tool for energy efficiency modeling. Also new tool for calculating online energy savings – NightWatchman

- IDC Directions Conference relegates Green IT to the corner and favors new favorites – Cloud Computing and Virtualization.

This year’s survey had companies scoring higher and more competitively than last year. We found that fewer products on the market contain PVC plastic and that fewer hazardous chemicals are being used in products in general. LED displays, which save energy and avoid the use of mercury in backlights, can be found in more products today and manufacturers are using more post-consumer recycled plastic in TVs and monitors. Most companies have established better voluntary take-back and recycling programs and adapted quickly to the new requirements of Energy Star. But not everyone was happy to have their products evaluated. Companies that were asked but declined to submit products were: Apple, Asus, Microsoft, Nintendo, Palm and Philips.

The Lenovo L2440x wide computer monitor scored highest with 6.9 points (on a 10-point scale) and is far ahead of the competition in the monitor category. Other product category leaders include the Sharp LC-52GX5 television (5.92), the Samsung F268 mobile phone (5.45), the Nokia 6210 Smart phone (5.2) the Toshiba Portege R600 Notebook (5.57) and the Lenovo ThinkCentre M58 Desktop (5.88).

However no product scored high enough across all areas to deserve the accolade of a truly ‘green product’. Unfortunately, if you are in the market for a new electronics product it’s still a choice between a product that is green in one area but not in another. To show we is possible right now if all current green innovations were combined we took the top scores of each product category to make a composite score for the industry. These ‘best practice’ scores, ranging as high as 8.6, demonstrate that there is environmental know-how available now to produce electronics that are significantly greener than anything on the shelves today.

There were few notable absentees from this research. Apple, always an attractive target for green champions, refused to participate in this survey.

Industry needs to be consistent in ensuring that there is a uniform green strategy for all product lines. Current model of optimizing in one product line and changing composition mix in another for cost reasons will not buy them many converts.

Green Electronics Survey – Free Legal Forms

“Apple is… guilty of using ‘green’ as a marketing ploy, rather than making green a core part of their business practices,” said Stephen Stokes, vice president of business and climate change at AMR Research Inc.

Determining Apple’s “green-ness” is difficult because much of the information reported to authorities, like the Environmental Protection Agency, is provided voluntarily. Both Apple and its detractors have ample data to make their cases. However, Apple’s recent decision to highlight its environmental efforts leaves the company’s eco-track record open to scrutiny and criticism at a time when green issues are coming to the fore.

Success in promoting its record could help Apple lure more consumers, who are increasingly considering the environmental impact of their choices, to the company’s products. That could help Apple spur sales and its slumping share price, which has fallen 57% so far this year, far worse than Morgan Stanley Technology Index’s 47% drop.

Apple declined to comment for this story, but Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in an October report on Apple’s Web site that his company was committed to developing green practices.

We checked Apple website and found lot of new content targeted to explain environmental impact of all products. You can check Apple and the Environment to read environmental impact of your favorite product.

Here is a sample environmental attributes for Cinema HD Display, 30” flat panel M9179.