That along with a high-efficiency cooling system resulted in a 34% energy savings compared to a typical building.

FORBES: GE Opens One Of World's Greenest Data Centers

Implement best practices to enhance efficiency and lower cooling costs.

ECONOMIST: Computers and the environment

We know how to improve the efficiency of your existing heating and cooling systems.

FORBES: John Berger

And advances in power and cooling technologies help next-generation data centers maximize efficiency.

FORBES: Are You Singing the Praises of Efficient IT? If Not, You Should Be

According to Bob Bauer, group vice president of Emerson Electric and head of its Liebert business, which makes cooling devices for data centers, the key to efficiency is focusing on the whole system rather than a single component.

FORBES: Magazine Article

But the authors are persuasive that some things can be done just as well with less fuel or material: drip irrigation, for example, superwindows, innovative cooling and ventilation systems, integrated fish management, and economic incentives that reward efficiency rather than waste.

ECONOMIST: Green plus red-tape makes brown