The wasteful excesses of the trade shows from the dot-com days are blissfully behind us, good news both for the planet and company coffers. (Yes, I have actually worn those ridiculous logo-emblazoned t-shirts handed out at every table back in the day -- but only for sleeping or painting.) The wasteful excesses of the trade shows from the dot-com days are blissfully behind us, good news both for the planet and company coffers. (Yes, I have actually worn those ridiculous logo-emblazoned T-shirts handed out at every table back in the day — but only for sleeping or painting.)These days, organizers and participants are taking a kinder, greener approach to shows. Not everything is clean, pristine, and carbon-free — but from CES to Macworld to the forthcoming CeBIT show, sustainability is on display. Greener Apple I wrote previously about some of the greenness seen at CES this month. Meanwhile, Dan Frake and Dan Moren have discovered flickers of green on the Macworld floor. “Of course, Steve Jobs noted the environmentally-friendly construction of the new MacBook Air,” they note, which makes the laptop that much cooler. (If you haven’t seen InfoWorld Chief Technology Office and Apple Enthusiast Tom Yager’s take on the MacBook Air announcement, check it out.)As for the machine’s eco-friendliness, Macworld reports that the machine “has a fully recyclable aluminum case, and is ‘the first’ to have a mercury-free display with arsenic-free glass. All the circuit boards are BFR-free and PVC-free, and the retail packaging uses 56 percent less material than the MacBook packaging.” (I’d like to know how much power it consumes compared to rivals.) Sascha Segan over at PCMag.com offers a particularly interesting take on what he deems Apple’s subtlely “radical new environmental vision.” The short of it: He says Apple is focusing on new apps and software upgrades, which in effect extends the life of hardware: “By focusing on the excitement of software upgrades, Steve Jobs is pointing us towards a world that’s better for consumers and that’s better for the Earth. Software is generally less expensive than hardware … and it generates no landfills, no heavy-metal poisoning, and no toxic clouds.” Bit o’ green at CeBIT Meanwhile, this year’s CeBIT show, to be held March 4 through 9 in Hannover, Germany, will enjoy an injection of green. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative will be contributing content and participating in a variety of Green IT-related activities at the show. (Climate Savers is a consortium of manufacturers, businesses, organizations, and individuals working to significantly increase the energy efficiency of computers and servers.) The show will feature a Green IT Village in which Climate Savers and individual exhibitors will present their solutions for more energy-efficient computing. A Green IT Guide will provide answers to green-tech questions. Green IT will also feature prominently in the congress program that accompanies CeBIT 2008, according to the announcement. Related links: CES grows greener Apple shocks boneheaded bloggers Tech companies unite to tackle desktop energy waste Ted Samson is a senior analyst at InfoWorld and author of the Sustainable IT blog. Subscribe to his free weekly Green Tech newsletter. Technology Industry