environment

For State Street Corp., environmental sustainability is embedded in pretty much anything the global investment services provider does. Its companywide Environment Management System operates on the principles of embracing green thinking in its corporate culture, technology choices and standard operating procedures, says Madge Meyer, executive vice president and head of global infrastructure services.

IT departments that practice asset management are learning to master the art of retiring hardware at the right time. But making the decision to retire IT gear is just the beginning; tech managers also need to figure out what to do with the systems that are past their prime.

It's been several years since 'green IT' became a tech buzzword, and now the concept could advance to the next level with a combination of technology improvements and changes in corporate behavior.

New environmental regulations coming into favor in the United States, Europe and soon in Canada as well will require many companies to be able to measure the environmental impact and carbon emissions contributed by their business and their product. That will require technology, and SAP sees opportunity for the IT industry and the channel around measuring sustainability.

The EPA's Energy Star server certification program will help the environmentally conscious but isn't likely to change major buying patterns anytime soon.

Regen Energy, one of many exhibitors at the Greening Greater Toronto Marketplace, a showcase of green technology vendors, is using swarm theory as the basis for its devices that collectively and intelligently regulate energy requirements of a building.

What is the smart grid, when will it get here, and what difference will it make?

There are a lot of places online that can make it easier to sell, recycle or give away old monitors, computers and phones.

Technology vendors and data center suppliers were also invited to participate in Computerworld's search for the Top Green-IT Organizations. These companies completed the same survey as the end-user organizations and were judged on the same criteria -- most notably, on their IT departments' efforts to reduce energy consumption in their IT equipment, and to use technology to conserve energy and lower carbon emissions. Here are the top 12, in ranked order:

Like it or not, energy is the yardstick by which data centers are now measured -- and many are coming up short.

Enterprises are discovering that making an IT department socially responsible can be good for both business and the world.