This white paper from Emerson Network Power offers a step-by-step roadmap to help data center and IT managers prioritize their approach to reducing energy consumption. The tool shows how to apply the "cascade effect" to optimize energy use and minimize critical resource constraints (such as power, cooling and space) without compromising availability or flexibility. It also quantifies savings and provides an estimated time to return on investment of each recommended action. Download now...

This free guide from communications-technology firm WebEx offers green pointers on using electronics at work. Written with help from tech vendors Cisco, Vodafone and Fujitsu-Siemens, the guide focuses on five key areas: communications, employees, mobile devices, desktop hardware, and data storage. Tips range from practical, short-term steps that can be implemented immediately to longer-term solutions that require more planning and support. Relevant for businesses of all sizes and sectors. Download now...

Created by power and cooling services company APC, the Efficiency Quotient aims to help IT professionals determine the efficiency levels of their datacenter. Fill out the 18-question survey (all multiple choice!) and the tool will rates your datacenters current efficiency levels and recommend next steps for improvement. Results are given in three categories, including the data center infrastructure efficiency (0 , 100%), the IT efficiency effectiveness on a relative scale of 0-5, and the data centers efficiency maturity level also on a relative scale of 0-5.

Through best practices in data center design and hardware consolidation, Sun was able to cut its its utility bill by over 60% and earn over $1 million in rebates. See just how Sun did it in this interactive tour of the Santa Clara, Calif., facility. Read more...

Noting that businesses of all sizes and sectors can save energy and boost profits through green IT, Dell offers smaller enterprises these five tips for maximizing efficiency. (via ComputerWeekly)

The U.S. Department of Defense super computing center located at the Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is in the middle of a two-year effort to totally overhaul its data center support infrastructure. ERDC IT manager John West offers these six ideas road-tested by his experiences during the past decade and informed by ERDC's ongoing infrastructure modernization to help you jumpstart y our own green IT overhaul, whether you're designing a new data center or retrofitting an old one. (CIO Magazine) Read more...

Cooling accounts for 35% of data center energy consumption. Discover strategies that can reduce cooling energy costs by as much as 40%, including simple steps you can take to get more from your existing cooling system and emerging technologies that can increase cooling capacity and data center density. (free registration required) Download now...

Thinking of going green in your data center? Click here for a slide show outlining ten simple steps to going green by the editors of CIOInsight. (eWeek)

BusinessGreen offers this fool-proof guide on how to comply with the new Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE). Read more...

This software tool, developed by the University of Tennessee, estimates the environmental and economic benefits of purchasing EPEAT-registered products, in addition to improvements in equipment operation and end-of-life management practices. Calculate energy efficiency, air and water emissions, toxics reduction, and cost savings, among other criteria. Download now...

Energy costs may soon eat up as much as 50% of your tech budget. Here's BusinessWeek's guide to conserving some of that juice. Read more...

Industry-led green-computing group The Green Grid provides this framework for improving the efficiency of both new and existing data centers. Discover best practices that can significantly improve your operational efficiencies. Download now...

EPEAT is a procurement tool created by the Green Electronics Council to help institutional purchasers evaluate and select desktop computers, notebooks, and monitors based on their greenness. The program outlines a stringent set of performance criteria for the design of products. All EPEAT products must meet 23 required environmental criteria, including U.S. Energy Star and European RoHS requirements. Read more...