From the use of solar panels, daylighting and other green building techniques to a high-density, high-efficiency computing infrastructure, the company is putting its green IT expertise to work on the 35,000 square foot facility. When Emerson Network Power's new global data center opens next summer, its owners plan to have it showcase the latest innovations both inside and out. The 35,000 square foot facility, which is being designed by Fox Architects, is aimed at earning LEED Silver-level certification for its green building techniques, and will use 17 percent less energy than a traditional data center of the same size. Once its doors have opened, Emerson plans to use the facility to consolidate its 100 currently existing data centers around the globe into just four. The company is responding to challenges facing the entire IT industry: as demand for networking, storage and computing capacity skyrocket, companies within and outside of traditionally IT-intensive fields are realizing that tech demands are leading to skyrocketing electricity bills, and that those same demands outstrip the energy supply available to them. "We hope this showcase data center will help other companies meet this challenge," said Victor Lee, Emerson's CTO. "Operating efficient data centers is in the best interest of the companies that own them, as well as everyone who shares our planet." Among the green features of the building is a 100-kilowatt solar power array on the facility's roof, enough to meet 14 percent of the data center's initial power needs. Fox Architects also designed the building with special daylighting features to further cut down on electricity needs.

According to research firms and reports from OEMs, the country -- long a market for IT of all types -- has begun addressing excessive energy use and its environmental footprint

Dell, HP, IBM, Intechra and Redemtech yesterday became the first companies to receive the G.R.A.D.E. certification from IDC, evaluating their performance in handling 34 key areas of IT asset disposal.

As the two-day conference wound down, designers take the stage to look the state of the art and discuss what's yet to come.

Real-world innovations, 'green gurus' and tools and strategies to expand design's benefits were among the offerings at the Greener by Design yesterday.

Startups and Industry leaders came together at the Friday morning sessions at Greener by Design to share how they brought sustainable business goals to bear on their operations either from the outset or after decades of 'business as usual.'

At Greener World Media's Greener by Design Conference in Alexandria, Va., this week, the opening sessions focused on just what makes a brand green, and how companies can harness the power of innovation.