Dot-green describes the green computing movement – both hype and actual innovation. Like the dotcom boom about 2000, dot-green not only involves genuine attempts to be eco-friendly within the realm of online computing and associated technologies, it unfortunately also includes speculators attempting to cash in on concerns about the impact computing has on the environment.
Environmentally sound operating or manufacturing practices, sometimes called 'greenwashing', is a major issue for dot-green enthusiasts. Businesses and consumers alike may be described as dot-green as they address concerns over environmental issues. A dot-green business might take action to reduce their environmental impact opf their networking activities by moving their hosting to all-green servers (which use wind power or other similar eco-friendly energy sources like solar power). There are many implementations of different green policies among eco-concious businesses and organizations; not all are successful at actually reducing environmental impact but the technologies available are often relatively new concepts. A prominent online company who supports a green policy is Google who uses numerous green technologies including self-contained power sources such as solar and wind energy in the design of the many server farms they have constructed around the globe.The hype of dot-green is aptly depicted in a 2007 article in the Washington Post by Bruce Sterling. From Al Gore’s academy award and speculation about his winning a Nobel Prize (which came true) to air pollution in Mexico spreading to Chicago to "recycling every piece of junk we create" to speculation that “the dot-com boom would become a dot-green boom,” the article describes an environmentalist’s dream world.
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