Mainstreaming our green technology coverage

Almost six years ago, ZDNet's editorial team granted me a unique opportunity to write about a topic close to my heart: how technology - and, in particular, information technology - could help green the world around us. 

At the time, the Green Grid barely was getting off the ground. It's now an influential organization with more than 175 members dedicated to greening their infrastructure practices. The EPEAT green technology rating system was just in its infancy, starting with monitors, desktops and client devices. Now, it has moved into other areas, including imaging peripherals, and most government agencies use it to guide their procurement decisions.

Energy efficiency and clean energy sources are, of course, one of the biggest concerns for cloud services providers: Google has made it a rallying cry, so far investing almost $1 billion in various renewable energy technologies. Apple will use solar-generated electricity to power its North Carolina data center, while eBay considers smart electricity sourcing decisions core to its overall business model.

So, as much as you love visiting this pulpit to read about why LED lighting is one of the quickest ways to improve energy efficiency or how businesses are using on-site renewable energy installations to reduce their grid dependence, you'll now find those issues covered in ZDNet's core columns and news sections.

After all, green has really become mainstream, which is why our coverage is heading that way, too.  

The good news for me is that I'll be continuing my coverage of corporate sustainability efforts through technology and other green business measures over at GreenBiz.com, where I'm now a Senior Writer. And many of these issues are explored every day at our sister site, SmartPlanet, which has a core mission to explore how innovation is transforming the world around us.

I'm sticking around the ZDNet network with the Small Business Matters blog, focused on technology for small and midsize businesses (as opposed to the traditional enterprise buyers that ZDNet has served for many years).

I'm also starting a brand-new here column on March 1, Next-Gen Partner, which is dedicated to coverage of services and integration companies that specialize in deploying public, private and hybrid cloud infrastructure. This crowd includes both legacy integration and IT services companies, such as Dimension Data or CDW, as well as a whole new brand of consulting partner, characterized by the likes of Cloud Sherpas.

Thanks for reading. If you want to pitch green technology stories to me personally, you can send a note to me via my Google+ profile.