Someone Else Tours IBM’s Second-Life Green Data Center

By Liam Eagle, theWHIR.com blogs

I don’t have a Second Life account. I’ve never been completely clear on the merits of the program, though I wouldn’t argue necessarily that they don’t exist. For me, it wasn’t so much a question of whether it was a good virtual world as it was a question of whether I needed to experience a virtual world at all. I don’t, I think. Not just now, anyway.

So when IBM announced earlier this year that it was launching a virtual green data center in Second Life, it made for an interesting story, but didn’t immediately strike me as something to check out. As I said, I don’t have a Second Life account.

And I’ll admit that, not having the perspective of a user, the concept of a data center in Second Life puzzles me somewhat - it’s sort of the opposite of a data center in the sense that it actually takes up space in one.

Of course, I understand the demonstration aspect of the thing. And the fact that it’s showing off the company’s green technologies is cool. I just wasn’t going to go visit it. (more…)

Tags: data center, energy efficiency, IBM, Second Life

Digital Pacific Buys Carbon Credits

By Justin Lee, theWHIR.com

September 25, 2008 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Australian web hosting provider Digital Pacific (www.digitalpacific.com.au) announced on Thursday that it has launched a new green hosting program (www.digitalpacific.com.au/green-hosting) where it will routinely purchase carbon credits to match the estimated amount of energy it uses.

The web host says it is conducting quarterly reviews of its total carbon footprint to estimate the emissions generated for every aspect of its business including the daily operation and maintenance of hosting servers, routers and air conditioners.

After each review, Digital Pacific says it will purchase carbon credits to cover 100 percent of its estimated emissions, ensuring that the company takes the same amount of power it uses and feeds it back into the electricity grid from wind or solar power instead of non-sustainable methods. (more…)

Tags: carbon offsets, Digital Pacific

Verizon, GXS Make Green Efforts

By Justin Lee, theWHIR.com

September 18, 2008 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Telecommunications provider Verizon Business (www.verizonbusiness.com) and on-demand supply chain management provider GXS (www.gxs.com) announced on Thursday they are delivering business-to-business e-commerce solutions that contribute to ecological efforts.

GXS and Verizon Business say that their joint supply chain management offering enables businesses to securely and seamlessly convert manual, paper-based processes into automated electronic transactions among vendors, partners and customers, reducing the use of paper and making business transactions more efficient.

The companies will discuss this process of automating the supply chain to achieve green benefits on Thursday at the Computerworld Green IT Symposium (www.greenitsymposium.com) in National Harbor, Maryland. (more…)

Tags: energy efficiency, Green IT, GSX, Verizon Business

Eaton Releases Green UPS

By David Hamilton, theWHIR.com

September 12, 2008 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation (www.eaton.com) has announced its Powerware series of high-efficiency uninterruptible power supplies will help data center managers carry out “green” initiatives without sacrificing reliability.

According to the company’s announcement Friday, the Eaton 9130 UPS features more than 95 percent efficiency and delivers full power to equipment without compromising on reliability.

“The greening of power while ensuring reliability is a key concern in today’s IT environment,” Eaton distributed power vice president and general manager Hervé Tardy said in a statement. “Eaton’s 9130 has been specifically designed to meet the needs of our customers by delivering high power availability while using an exceptionally efficient design.” (more…)

Tags: Eaton Corporation, energy efficiency, UPS Systems

WireIE Offers IT Carbon Offsets

By David Hamilton, theWHIR.com

September 12, 2008 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Telecommunication solutions provider WireIE Holdings International (www.wireie.com) has partnered with carbon offset provider Carbonzero (www.carbonzero.ca) to help Canadian IT firms reduce carbon emissions by monitoring and selling carbon offsets.

According to Friday announcement by WireIE, which provides carbon-reduction education and solutions to the communications industry, will be partnering with Toronto-based Carbonzero to allow corporations to buy carbon offsets to neutralize unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions.

Investment in Carbonzero offsets contribute to projects that reduce carbon emissions, according to the company. These projects either replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources such as wind or solar, or otherwise reduce fossil fuel emissions altogether. (more…)

Tags: carbon offsets, Carbonzero, WireIE

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