'Unfriend Coal' Campaign Moves Facebook to Go Greener

Green Technology (Oct 27 2011)

1. Following a 20-month crusade by Greenpeace urging users to give Facebook (News - Alert) the “cold shoulder” because of its fossil-fueled data centers, the social networking giant will open its first international server farm in Luleå, Sweden —and will rely on the frigid arctic air and 100 percent renewable energy sources to keep its operations running smoothly. Amsterdam-based Greenpeace International — the largest independent direct-action environmental organization in the world — inspired 700,000 users to ask Facebook to go greener through an “Unfriend Coal” campaign. The initiative was prompted by a February 2010 announcement that Facebook would build a massive data center in Oregon and operate it on coal-generated electricity. “This is a great step forward for Facebook, but we would like more details on how much renewable energy will power its data center in Luleå,” said Casey Harrell, Greenpeace IT analyst. “With the IT sector one of the fastest growing ... (Read Full Article)

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