For most organizations today, doing business in ecologically-responsible ways is a higher priority than ever. As governments enact strict new regulations and awareness grows of issues such as global warming and pollution, more and more businesses are taking aggressive action to lighten their environmental impact. Along the way, they’re discovering that operating sustainably can be good not just for the planet but for the bottom line as well.
However, for a variety of practical and financial reasons, many companies find achieving sustainability in their data centers challenging. The following explores the benefits of operating a sustainable data center and then discusses concrete strategies that IT and facilities managers can use to save water, energy and natural resources, reduce environmental harm and improve indoor air quality.
In an ecological context, sustainable practices are those that allow present generations to meet their needs without impairing the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Sustainable systems preserve and promote the long-term well-being of our planet’s environment, inhabitants and natural resources by avoiding waste and limiting production of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants.
A sustainable data center is one that uses materials and processes aimed at minimizing the facility’s impact on both human and environmental health. This applies to all aspects of data center construction and operation, from design and site selection to hardware procurement and administration to power and cooling practices.
Furthermore, achieving true data center sustainability means using infrastructure products that are sustainable across their entire lifecycle. That is, from acquisition of raw materials to manufacturing, use and disposal, every component of every piece of hardware in the data center should do as little damage as possible to human health and the natural world.
Business benefits of a sustainable data center
Though sustainability is a worthwhile goal in its own right, building a sustainable data center also delivers tangible and significant business benefits, including these:
Financial savings: An environmentally-responsible enterprise is an efficient one as well. Sustainably-run data centers consume less energy, water and space, reducing both capital and operational expenses. In addition, many local utilities and national governments offer tax breaks and other financial incentives to organizations that use power and other resources efficiently.
Enhanced public reputation: To a steadily increasing degree, consumers and organizations today expect the companies they buy from to demonstrate environmental stewardship in their business practices. Data centers in particular have come under heightened public scrutiny in recent years due to the amount of power and water they use. Organizations that make visible efforts to reduce their consumption of natural resources are likely to win praise from customers and investors. Companies that don’t can expect to receive criticism that may damage their image and profitability.
Implementing Sustainable Data Center Practices
IT and facilities managers who wish to bring sustainability to the data center have access to a wide range of effective and affordable strategies. The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification process offers a useful framework for organizing those strategies. LEED is a standard for environmentally sustainable construction created by the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit organization that promotes energy-efficient architecture. To earn LEED certification, buildings must exhibit environmental responsibility in five areas:
• Sustainable sites
• Water efficiency
• Energy and atmosphere
• Materials and resources
• Indoor environmental quality
Conclusion
Most organizations today want to do business sustainably, but find achieving that goal in their data centers difficult. Fortunately, practicing sustainable site development, reducing water and energy consumption and using fewer harmful materials are all practical options for improving the environmental responsibility of your IT operations.
Some of these strategies are still experimental, require heavy upfront investments or come with significant potential drawbacks. Most, however, are proven, cost-effective and relatively simple. By investigating and adopting such practices today, companies can save money, enhance their corporate image and help keep the planet we all share clean and healthy for future generations.
