Though I searched the WWW, I couldn't find neither a dedicated newsgroup nor a mailing list yet. Please let me know of such projects, otherwise I will create a list a FreeLists.org .
CE Linux Forum is a non profit consortium of embedded system makers (such as Sony, Panasonic, Philips...) which works to develop the suitability of Linux as an operating system for Consumer Electronics (CE) devices. Its Wiki is full of useful resources for embedded system makers to reduce size, power consumption, and to increase speed. You may find lots of interesting ideas and resources there. Free Electrons has a overview presentation summarizing these ideas and resources.
"The Electronic Green Journal, published by the University of Idaho Library, is a professional, refereed publication devoted to disseminating information concerning sources on international environmental topics including: assessment, conservation, development, disposal, education, hazards, pollution, resources, technology, and treatment. We are academically sponsored; our focus, however, is to publish articles, bibliographies, reviews, and announcements for the educated generalist as well as the specialist. We welcome original contributions from authors on any of the above topics." . You may also find a survey about Environmental Resources on the World Wide Web there.
BAN is a global network of toxics and development activist organizations that share a vision of international environmental justice. We seek to prevent all forms of "toxic trade" -- in toxic wastes, toxic products and toxic technologies. BAN members will work nationally, regionally and globally to accomplish the following mission: The Basel Action Network (BAN) works to prevent the globalization of the toxic chemical crisis. In particular, we seek to ensure that the Basel Convention and its ban (Decisions II/12 and III/1) on the export of hazardous wastes from OECD to non-OECD countries will not be weakened, but rather ratified and implemented at the earliest possible date. We also seek to ensure that the Basel Convention and other instruments and efforts, serve to prevent the trade and growth of the world's most hazardous, and often obsolete industries, particularly with respect to developing or newly industrializing countries.
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) is a diverse grassroots coalition that for almost twenty years has engaged in research, advocacy, and organizing associated with environmental and human health problems caused by the rapid growth of the high-tech electronics industry. Our goal in addressing these problems is to advance environmental sustainability and clean production in the industry and to improve health, promote justice, and ensure democratic decision-making for communities and workers affected by the high-tech revolution in Silicon Valley and other high-tech areas of the US and the world.
Non-profit Free Geek turns old PCs and laptops into Linux boxes and gives them to poor people. Any computer equipment, working or not, can be donated to Free Geek. They will repair and reuse what computers they can. Non-functioning computers and scrap will be recycled responsibly.
VuNet "The Linux Foundation has formed a Green Linux initiative to focus on reducing the open source operating system's power consumption..."
Whitepaper: Linux: Lean, clean, and green - How GNU/Linux is becoming more eco-friendly: "Green IT is one of the hottest of today's technology trends, and the GNU/Linux community has risen to the challenge. Along with several corporate partners, the GNU/Linux operating system provides solutions for dealing with power consumption, carbon emissions, and e-waste."
Whitepaper: Reduce your Linux memory footprint - A few tweaks can boost performance: "In this article, learn how to accurately measure the amount of memory your Linux system uses. You also get practical advice on reducing your memory requirements using an Ubuntu system as an example..."
Whitepaper: Reduce Power Consumption Through Smart Activity Monitors: "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) and the power configuration systems built into moderncomputers provide a wide range of options for reducingoverall power consumption. Linux and its associateduser space programs have many of the tools necessary tomaster your PC power consumption in a variety of contexts."
Whitepaper: Reduce Linux power consumption, Part 1: The CPUfreq subsystem "This three-part series is your starting point for tuning your system for power efficiency. In Part 1, get up to speed on the components and concepts you need to fine-tune a Linux-based System x server for power efficiency. Learn how to enable the Linux CPUfreq subsystem, get instruction on C and P states, and determine which of the five in-kernel governors you need to boost power efficiency on your system."
Whitepaper: Three ways to recycle commodity hardware with Linux - Creating Linux appliances with spare parts: "Outdated computer hardware may be too old to rely on, but it represents a value to your organizationwhether in an office or at home. Discover how you can realize that value by repurposing older machines with Linux."
Lightweight Linux, Part 1: Hardware is only as old as the software it runs: a modern operating system and up-to-date applications return an older system to productivity. This article provides best practices and step-by-step guidance on how to build a working Linux system on older hardware or on modern hardware with limited memory and storage.
Whitepaper: http://www.osor.eu/case_studies/airaware-managing-the-skies-of-bucharest-using-free-software: "In 2005 the Romanian National Meteorological Administration (NMA) received EU funding for its AirAware project. The project's objective was to improve the air quality monitoring system currently in place and to enhance the system with forecasting capabilities. For the management of all the information and the presentation thereof, the team at the NMA developed a portal that is entirely built on Free/Libre Open Source Software. In the future, the team is hoping to open the project to the public."
The German PRTR - Pollutant Release and Transfer Register provides data about environmental pollution. The data are stored with Open Source software and presented with OpenStreepMap.
Whitepaper: Buy IT fair - Leitfaden zur sozial-ökologischen Beschaffung von Computern: This German guide gives assistance for local governments when buying IT.