[TechFlash] Can Windows 7 make PCs green?
Microsoft's environmental impact isn’t limited to its massive data centers or its commuting employees. With hundreds of millions of PCs draining batteries and tapping into power outlets around the world, even a small tweak in Microsoft Windows can influence global energy consumption.
Which explains why the next version of the program, Windows 7, is such a big focus for Rob Bernard, the company’s chief environmental strategist. Bernard and his team have been working with Windows developers and managers to help incorporate new energy-saving approaches into the operating system — and to figure out how to get companies and consumers to use them.
In addition, the company has started a pilot program to designate “sustainability captains” who will pay attention to environmental issues and alert managers to problems and possible solutions in the company’s operations.