May 22, 2008

WaMu Targets IT ‘Energy Hogs’

Data centers are electricity hogs, and when you add to that the PCs, copiers, printers and phones, “…the smarter you get about specifying and determining your standards around energy consumption, the more progress you can make for the company,” Washington Mutual’s Chief Information Officer Deborah Horvath tells Computerworld.

Since taking on the chairmanship of the brand-new environmental council in 2007, Horvath says that with the help of various technologies, the company has cut its PC-related greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent, saved millions of dollars on IT-related electricity costs for its PC fleet, and reduced the legal department’s paper consumption by 15 percent.

One technology the company has successfully implemented is a highly customizable energy-saving power-management software that powers down 44,000 WaMu PCs when they’re not in use. This measure alone has cut WaMu’s CO2 emissions from 24.5 metric tons to 8.6 metric tons this year alone.

WaMu’s conservation efforts go beyond data centers. Through its year-long “Make A Statement, Plant A Tree” campaign, WaMu raised $1 million for the The National Arbor Day Foundation.

EBAY'S WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM PAYS FOR ITSELF

eBay saves water and energy with a program that'll achieve ROI within 18 months. How much could you save? Go to calculator>>

CLEAN ENERGY DOESN'T GET ANY COOLER THAN THIS

Hybrid Cooling Solutions from Ice Energy. There's no cooler way to improve your bottom line. Discover the power of Ice. >>

CUT ENERGY COSTS WITH VMWARE VIRTUALIZATION

Eliminate server sprawl, reduce costs and save energy with VMware Virtualization >>

FINALLY! NEXT-GENERATION CARBON MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR BUSINESSES

Clear Standards environmental intelligence software helps businesses measure, analyze, and reduce their carbon footprint. No more spreadsheets! >>