In addition to that other big news that came out of the White House last week, there was another big story that didn't get nearly as much media play, nor did it ruffle feathers the way other announcements did.

When President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 last week, he greatly expanded the federal government's commitment to green IT. But there's more; by bringing the roughly 1.8 million federal employees into the loop on energy efficient -- and low-carbon -- office practices, the order will throw the doors wide to grow the market for technologies like virtual meetings software and hardware, virtualization platforms, and thin clients.

Another world-spanning piece of news this week is a list coming from Tishman Technologies highlighting the best countries and cities around the globe for siting your company's next data center. While Ronald Bowman's original list doesn't focus entirely on green, green IT certainly factors into his choices. You can read my take on where in the world is green IT here: What's the Greenest Country for Your Next Data Center?

These online tools have been developed by The Green Grid to help data center and facilities managers easily determine how much free cooling and free evaporative cooling is available for individual data centers in Europe, North America and Japan.

This book systematically identifies the right improvements you can make to your IT infrastructure, and shows how to implement them, maximize savings, and accurately calculate business value.

How can companies ensure that their messages comply with legal requirements, customer expectations, and effective marketing strategies? Join a conversation among a panel of experts moderated by GreenBiz.com executive editor Joel Makower, including Stephen Wenc, president of UL Environment, and Suzanne Shelton, president of the Shelton Group, and Brooks Beard, a partner at Morrison & Foerster, about the ins and outs of green marketing effectively and legally in today's marketplace.