IBM issues 20th green-business strategy update

Tech giant IBM has issued its 20th (yes, 20th!) report on sustainability, which includes many illustrations of how the company is eating its own dogfood to cut electricity costs. I've written up some of that data over at my SmartPlanet blog but here's a highlevel view:

• Since 1990, IBM has saved 5.1 billion kilowatt-hours of energy through energy efficiency measures, or $370 million in actual energy costs. In 2009 alone, the company cut 5.4 percent of its total energy use. That was roughly $26.8 million in energy savings in the last 12 months alone. And, it comes even though IBM runs about 450 data centers around the world. Its new facility in Raleigh, N.C. as an example uses about half the power that is used to run comparable facilities of its size.

From the IT manager's standpoint, it's good to know that the four-processor and Unix-based POWER 750 Express and Power 755 server platforms were the first certified under the new-ish Energy Star for Servers specification.

Another development that you will appreciate: IBM's packaging for its server brands is now made out of 100 percent recycled thermoformed cushions. The cushions themselves are reusable (you can give them back to IBM and get them out of your facility!); in 2009, IBM saved about $1.9 million by reusing 91 metric tons of this material.