Plenty of people have debated for plenty of hours about the quickest and easiest way to green IT. Should virtualization be the first step? How about the use of blade servers? Where does energy-savings software fit in? How important are measurements such as Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)?

  In one of my blog posts this week, I look at a potentially even simpler step: Use open source software, such as Linux. As I note in "Why Linux Can Be the Key to Green IT," the nature of open source software may make it greener than commercial software. As a general rule, for example, you can use it on older, less power-hungry computers. That's not to say it's a silver bullet -- or is that green bullet? But as I write in my blog, it may be a very important first step.  

Also this week, we have a discussion between George Ahn, president and chief executive officer of TRIRIGA, and Bonnie Nixon, director of environmental sustainability at Hewlett-Packard. They were winners of AMR Research's Sustainable Leadership Awards this year, and in IT's Critical Role in a Low-Carbon Economy they offer hands-on advice as well as crystal-ball gazing about the future of Green IT. It's well worth the read, and some of the best free advice you'll ever get.

This Canada-based calculator addresses energy savings from virtualization projects, and offers carbon emission reductions and cost savings as well.

This paper presents the top 10 best business practices for environmentally sustainable data centers, submitted by senior members of Microsoft’s Global Foundation Services' Infrastructure Services team.

Amazing things happen when people connect with like-minded peers in their
communities.: Software Companies, Entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists, Software
Developers, Marketers and Business Strategists, Engineers, Sustainability
Professionals, and More ...