Six systems for celebrating Earth day

Global warming? I’m still not convinced. Biofuels? Pure marketing hype. Organic foods? Healthy, especially for the companies who make money selling them.

Don't get me wrong. I care deeply about the environment and I believe that we should do more — a lot more — to make it better. But, sometimes, I think people would rather embrace fashionable solutions than do the right thing. Like consume less.

But, hey, enough of my skepticism. It’s Earth day, so let’s celebrate! To get things going, let me tell you about some QNX-based systems that are making the world a little bit greener:

• Building automation system helps Boeing conserve electricity — This system, designed by Tridium, allows a large Boeing plant (over 1 million square feet) to slash power consumption by 20% during peak periods. More.



• Automated sensor system prevents soil pollution — This system monitors the insulating foil in a waste landfill site, ensuring that dangerous substances don’t seep into the surrounding soil. More.



• Traffic control system optimizes traffic flow — This system from Delcan minimizes traffic jams and shortens waits at intersections. Which means less gas is wasted going nowhere. More.



• Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) monitor underwater pollution — Pollution monitoring is just one of the talents of these Russian-designed AUVs. More.



• High-speed simulation system speeds fuel-cell research — Fuel-cell hybrid vehicles (FCHV) hold the promise of cleaner air. This system speeds up the simulation of FCHVs based on proton exchange membranes. More.



• Monitoring system helps factories reduce emissions — This system, designed by Bailey Controls, dates back to the early 1990s. You won’t find much about it on the Web, but if you have old copies of QNXnews lying around, look for Volume 6, Number 2 (1992) and turn page 5.

How about you? Have you or your company designed a system that uses electricity or fuel efficiently? That minimizes pollution? That prevents environmental disasters? I’d love to hear about it!

Green shift

For as long as I can remember, the QNX corporate color has been blue — RGB 0,51,102, to be exact. Lately, however, things at QNX have been looking a bit greener.

No, Spring isn’t coming early to Ottawa. Rather, QNX has been working hard to shrink its environmental footprint.

We started with small things, like getting rid of coffee stir sticks and styrofoam cups. Next, we placed more recycling bins at strategic locations throughout QNX headquarters. Then, we replaced older fluorescent lighting with ballasts and bulbs that consume significantly less energy. We’ve even installed motion sensors in meeting rooms and washrooms so that lights turn themselves off when not in use.


QNX HQ: Now with less styrofoam.

We’re discovering that, over time, even small changes can reap big benefits. Case in point: Raising the office temperature slightly during summer and lowering it slightly during winter not only reduces energy consumption, but also cuts down on our electricity bills.

We’re also looking more closely at the goods we consume. For instance, we realized that the paper for our photocopiers and fax machines contained no recycled fibers. So we switched to paper that does.

Mind you, initiatives like this work only if everyone gets involved. So the folks in charge of our environmental efforts have been encouraging employee feedback and implementing it where feasible. As for myself, I took a cue from other QNX employees and started biking to work — though admittedly, I’ve had to stop temporarily as a result of record snowfalls in Ottawa. (Sometimes, even nature can get in the way of a green initiative!)

What about you? What measures have you or your company implemented to pollute less and recycle more? Are there any difficult challenges you had to surmount? Any techniques or ideas you’d like to share?