Cloud Computing Helps Reduce E-Wastes Project Description

Personal Resources and Project Plan

Implementation Plan

Project Budget and Business Plan

The Vancouver City Council recently approved a policy requiring all new building rezoning to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard. This change is expected to be implemented from January 31, 2011 onwards, and is estimated to result in creating new green buildings annually, thus automatically creating new green job opportunities in the city. Hence, keeping the city council's plans in mind, this project is aimed towards creating Sustainable Community Development, Faculty of Environment. The topic chosen for the business plan is based on the concept of Cloud Computing and how it helps in reducing emissions of electronic waste (E-wastes). The entire project is based upon installing of an integrated cloud computing system to a 36 level high-rise condo Burnaby, BC.

Upon approval, this project will not only be beneficial to my real estate company, but also prove to be a great asset for the Canadian Government along with other well-known bodies such as Environment Canada (EC) and Waste Reduction and Management Division (WRMD) Moreover, I expect complete support from these environmental bodies as they have been involved in the Basel Convention Law, an international treaty which aims to reduce the amount of e-waste being transported to developing countries. However, on the contrary the Electronics Stewardship Association of British Columbia (ESABC) and Western Canada Computer Industry Association (WCCIA), these two organizations may not be quite happy for my project, because they receive a monthly fee from the computer producers based on the number of item sold.

General Project Overview

Project Overview

To install an integrated cloud computing system to a 36 level high-rise condo named Centre Strada near Metrotown, Burnaby, BC. This project will be in line with Vancouver City Council's policies towards building establishments that meets the Leed Gold Standards.

Mission and Vision

Vision: To be the pioneers in providing cost efficient standard of living.

Mission: To reduce the emission of E-Wastes and raise the living standards of clients towards a 21st century high-end technology

Strengths and Core Competencies

A reduction in demand for purchasing new electronic devices.

A reduction in the emission of e-wastes thus protecting the global environment.

Owner's own commitment and dedication towards the project.

Lower costs in comparison to competitors

Challenges

As Cloud Computing is a relatively new technology and still in its testing phase, thus it has to deal with pressure from competitors within the existing field. Nevertheless, the project will be strongly supported by the Vancouver Government and the BC Government.

Project Description

Introduction

"Cloud Computing" is one of the recently growing niches gaining popularity around the world. It is a type of a technology that permits users to access certain applications on any of the computers. These applications however need not be installed on their computers, instead the users can easily avail them at their disposal through the Internet.

Electronic waste, or more commonly referred to as e-waste, is electronic equipment that no longer serves a useful purpose and is thus discarded. Many e-wastes contain lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury and brominate flame retardants, which are all not only significantly dangerous to recycle workers, communities but are also deadly toxic to the entire global environment. According to the United Nations Environment Program estimates more than 20 to 50 million tones of electronic waste are generated each year worldwide, as North America and Europe are known to be the largest exporters of e-waste to the developing countries.

Additionally, cloud computing allows researchers to handle challenges in genome research and environmental modeling etc. It also enables researchers to access multidisciplinary research needed to better understand ecosystems, global climate change, ocean currents, and other complex phenomena. (Nelson, Michael. 2009)

Cloud Computing is the newest trend in reducing e-waste, it would be a mistake to think of cloud computing as just a fad that will come and go, and therefore be obsolete in just a few years' time. Instead, cloud computing is poised to revolutionize the architectural world, much as the Internet itself did not all that long ago. At its most basic, cloud computing uses a network of servers, located globally, to store and process information for both consumers and businesses. It's an alternative to maintaining cumbersome and expensive servers or mainframes on-premises, and can therefore be accessed from any location using only a Web browser. Enterprise cloud computing can offer customer relationship management and sales force automation applications, which automate and streamline...

(Nelson, Michael. 2009)
Thus, as a result, cloud computing allows you to send almost all of your computing tasks away from your computer, making it clutter-free and at the same time sending you back the results that you desire. (Gozzi 2010)

Proposed Project

The city of Burnaby is spread over 98.60 sq km, residing in the heart of the Great Vancouver Regional District. Being the third most populated urban centre in British Columbia, with an estimated population of 202,799, it occupies almost 4% of the land area of the Vancouver Regional District and accounted for approximately 10% of the Region's population in 2006. Burnaby is a maturing, increasingly integrated community that is centrally located within a rapidly growing metropolitan area. Burnaby's characteristic has shifted from rural to suburban to largely urban. The City features high density residential areas, major commercial town centers, rapid transit, high technology research and business parks, comprehensive industrial estates and major post-secondary institutions.

Moreover, under the insightful guidance of Mayor Derek Corrigan, the city of Burnaby, BC has now started taking active steps in developing a Social Sustainability Strategy in order to ensure that Burnaby will continue to be a great place to live, work and learn.

Keeping in mind, the lucrative range of benefits availed through "cloud computing," the proposed project is aimed at installing an integrated cloud computing system in a 36 level high-rise condo building called Centre Strada, which is located near Metrotown, Burnaby, BC. This building has gem room, and six levels of underground parking lot. Additionally, the key purpose of this entire project is to reduce the emission of E-wastes and at the same time simultaneously raising the clients' standard of living towards a 21st century high-end technology.

Moreover, upon approval, this project will not only be beneficial to my real estate company, but also prove to be a great asset for the Canadian Government along with other well-known bodies such as Environment Canada (EC) and Waste Reduction and Management Division (WRMD) Moreover, I expect complete support from these environmental bodies as they have been involved in the Basel Convention Law, an international treaty which aims to reduce the amount of e-waste being transported to developing countries. However, on the contrary the Electronics Stewardship Association of British Columbia (ESABC) and Western Canada Computer Industry Association (WCCIA), these two organizations may not be quite happy for my project, because they receive a monthly fee from the computer producers based on the number of item sold.

Benefits and Features

There is an old saying in China, "The first person to eat crab is a hero." This means every new thing needs to have a starter, and usually the starter will gain the most benefits. We believe, applying the cloud computing system to resident community can lead towards creating an enormous revolution in the information technology market. From the sustainable environmental aspects, adopting cloud computing system can successfully reduce the demand of purchasing new electronic devices. That will effectively reduce the emission of e-wastes, in order to protect the global environment. Due to the efficient use of the mainframe, there will also be huge amount of electricity saved. Thus, this project is intended towards power saving, space saving, e-wastes reducing and modern highly technological revolution. Apart from this some of the other prominent benefits and features of this project include: (Nelson, Michael. 2009)

Flexibility to use millions of software and databases for a variety of purposes.

Increased security where users will not have to worry about their hard drives crashing or getting stolen.

Enhanced collaborations

The ability to access the data and tools they need anywhere by easily connecting to the Internet.

Use of simpler devices as both the data and the software being used are in the clouds.

Why people need this service?

Keeping in mind the general increase in the level of prices in Canada, Vancouver, this project will now only help in cutting costs, but also open a whole new futuristic means of living for the people hence providing them with an ideal standard of living. (Appendix A)

The initial implementation plan is to set a room in the building to hold all the servers, multiple CPUs and storage devices as a Local Area Network. The hardware might be expanded to increase the performance of the entire system and satisfy terminal clients' requirements. Terminal clients only hold a simple terminal monitor with touch screen or other simple input/output devices. Thus, clients will send all requirements to the center database to process their requirement and then the processed information will be sent back to the clients' terminal. Any terminal client may purchase the necessary resources, such as functions and storage space, according to their needs. Applying the integrated cloud computing system may…