Saving Green by Going Green by Tate Cantrell

Views and Opinions on Green IT (Jun 11 2009) Carbon Footprint , Geothermal , Hydro , Servers

1. 

   It’s no secret that companies today are facing mounting pressure from government agencies, media and the concerned public to take major steps in reducing the environmental impact of their traditionally power-hungry data centers.  Their efforts range from implementing basic energy assessment programs and enacting green design initiatives to using more eco-friendly materials and seeking out new power sources.  In today’s tough economy though, it can’t be just about going green for goodness sake. 

   Smart companies are seeking out opportunities for environmental projects that also work to whittle away at the corporate bottom line.  Search for an area of rising cost where a reduction has an overall environmental benefit to a company’s green portfolio.  Energy is the most obvious example.  As such, power consumption has become a popular target area for greening a data center, but as companies are finding out, it’s not sufficient on its own. Truly benefitting from a green initiative requires decreasing energy usage, reducing emissions, and lowering cooling costs while developing an overall focus on increased profitability.  These visions aren’t mutually exclusive and that’s where the truly green companies advance.

   This idea has been the staple of our company since we chose Iceland as the location for our data center campus for its naturally cool environmental benefits for data centers and infinite supply of zero-emissions renewable energy.  We’re not just out to make Al Gore happy; our vision of Iceland saves customers a ton of money on expensive chillers or carbon offsets on carbon exchanges.  Many companies are coming around to this idea of an all-around green program with a better understanding of how it can have a positive effect on business.  With the popularity and possible revenue savings in truly green technology, it will be interesting to see how many companies decide to go all out and take their carbon footprint to a toeprint.  

    

   
   

   Bookmark or Share this article

Login to comment.

Related Articles