Power IT Down Day Aims to Save Energy, Raise Money for Veterans
- Jul 19, 2010 11:56 PM EST
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It's still more than a month away, but Power IT Down Day is coming up on August 27. According to the press release, "On Power IT Down Day, individuals in government and military, as well as the industry that serves them both, will pledge to turn off their computers and peripherals at the end of the day."
In 2009, 5,600 people made the pledge, saving 72,000 kilowatt hours overnight. This year, August 27 falls on a Friday, so they're calculating they can save 335,000 kilowatt hours over three nights. In turn, this suggests that they're aiming for 8.685 pledges. (As of writing, they had 41--although granted the site had only just launched.)
The limited scope of the day seems puzzling, since if they're planning on doing a press campaign they might as well aim for a more universal audience--since, after all, powering down IT at the end of the day should be a universal practice.
The main advantage of the day is that its sponsors--Citrix, HP, Intel, and GTSI--will donate to the Wounded Warrior Project; last year they gave $45,000, which seems like a strikingly high pledge-to-cash ratio. The pledge is here.