NetworkWorld writes about Disney and Verizon making green data center announcements.

Disney, Verizon go green in the data center

Disney, Verizon lay out IT energy efficiency plans at Green Grid event

By Jon Brodkin , Network World , 10/06/2009

Energy efficiency in the data center is a top priority for Disney and Verizon, technology executives from the companies said last week. But the industry is still in the early stages of understanding how best to measure effectiveness, they said.

Disney has a companywide goal to reduce electricity consumption by 10% between 2006 and 2013, and the data center has to play a big role in achieving that objective, says Denis Weber, director of IT critical facilities infrastructure for the Walt Disney Co.

Five tools to prevent energy waste in the data center

For Disney, energy efficiency is being achieved through a series of small improvements, Weber said in an interview with Network World.

"Some of it just comes down to cleaning the facility up," Weber says. "And I don't mean with a dust pail and so on and a broom, but cleaning the data center up from obstructions and ensuring that every one of our floor tiles is sealed properly for air flow. Blanking panels -- not only that we have them but that they're in the right spot. Variable speed fans and motors on our CRAC units, increasing temperature settings across the board. These are all things that are not unique to Disney. But we have done it and that's where we've started to make progress."

The green grid was able to leverage their NYSE closing bell ringing to pull Disney and Verizon.

Disney and Verizon officials discussed their energy efficiency programs at the New York Stock Exchange last week during an event hosted by the Green Grid industry consortium.