The Green Grid expands global community

PORTLAND, OREGON - The Green Grid, a global consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems, announced several steps that are designed to expand the consortiumÂ’s community of industry, government and academic collaborators.

In order to provide end-user companies with a strong voice within the organization, The Green Grid announced the formation of an end-user focused Advisory Council, which will report directly to the consortiumÂ’s Board of Directors. The Advisory Council will provide feedback and help influence the consortiumÂ’s strategy for developing and promoting standards, measurement methods, processes and technologies to improve overall data center energy efficiency worldwide.

“As businesses increasingly look for ways to do more with less, a focused effort around data center energy consumption has the potential to help companies do business better while minimizing their environmental impact,” said Jeannie Diefenderfer, a member of The Green Grid’s Advisory Council. “The new Advisory Council will give end-users a unique opportunity to directly influence the research and development of industry standards and metrics designed to increase energy efficiency in data centers and related cost savings.”

The Advisory Council is comprised of nine end-user Contributor Members of The Green Grid, each appointed to a one-year term. Members of the Advisory Council consist of leading brands from around the world including Automatic Data Processing, Inc., AT&T, BT, eBay, Nationwide, STRATO Rechenzentrum AG, Tokyo Electric Power Company, Verizon Business and The Walt Disney Company.

“The Green Grid’s Advisory Council will significantly strengthen the consortium’s impact on the data center industry,” said Jim Pappas, a director of The Green Grid. “By helping guide the consortium’s strategies and actively participating in the Technical Committee to shape processes and recommendations, the Advisory Council will allow The Green Grid to communicate in one unified voice to end-users and ensure the needs of this community are being addressed.”

Responding to a growing demand to participate in the influential work of The Green Grid, the consortium today also announced a new Associate Membership level designed specifically for government and academic organizations.

Government and academic organizations that join The Green Grid as Associate Members may attend and participate in general meetings of The Green Grid, provide feedback to The Green Grid Board of Directors and vote at general meetings on substantive issues, policy matters and official positions. Associate Members also receive technical support, documentation and materials for The Green Grid specifications, test suites and design guidelines.

“Joining The Green Grid as an Associate Member will allow companies to connect with many of the key stakeholders in the data center industry,” said Tony Pierce, a director of The Green Grid. “Over the past year, The Green Grid has emerged as the industry voice for energy efficient data centers and is setting the course for defining the strategies and methodologies for the future.”