Green Data Centers and Space

Nation, like me and astronauts everywhere you will be immensely relieved that they have fixed the toilet on the space station. Now I'm a true believer in colonising space, after all what could be better than performing circus tricks in a small tubular room, experimenting with compounds that only a HS science student could understand and riding up there on a huge tank of nitrogen that blankets South Florida with exhaust. In fact, pretty soon those space monkeys aren't going to want to come back and that's why I was interested to hear from fellow traveller Karen Christensen who is co-chair of the first Green Data Centres Conference.

No, they aren't looking to abolish the space program (after all where would we put all those tubes of nitrogen), this conference is all about making computing more green and sustainable.

Karen tells me she is,

particularly passionate about green computing because of my work on community and sustainable business, and as a publisher increasingly involved in social media and online distribution. For years I've felt that the environmental impact of computing needed much more attention, and the conference will bring together experts from some of the world's major technology companies, as well as from banks and other international institutions.

The two day event is being held in London July 1-2 and if you travel there make sure you carbon offset. Karen is offering a 15% discount on the fee.

Here is some of the agenda and registration information is here:
http://www.blogger.com/www.greendatacentres.co.uk

Valley Conferences have brought together a stunning group of speakers from companies that are setting out to be leaders in sustainability. As someone who grew up in the Silicon Valley, I'm thrilled to chair the first day of the first Green Data Centres conference in the city where my publishing career began - this definitely feels like coming full circle." Karen Christensen, Conference Chairman and CEO of the Berkshire Publishing Group.

Day 1: Tuesday 1st July 2008
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION:
How Green Data Centres are Changing the Face of Business
Per Bahr, EMEA Business Development Manager Public Sector, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). Data Centres are going green, helping reduce costs and increase efficiency. This presentation will look at how new technologies such as virtualisation are changing the the face of business, and what other measures companies can put in place to meet today's European Green IT standards.
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION:
Case Study: Sun Microsystems: Green Data Centres, The Million Dollar Prize... Richard Barrington, Head of Public Policy, Sun Microsystems UK.
Sun Microsystems has received a Million Dollar 'Cashback' from PG&E in addition to on-going utility bill savings because of the energy efficiency demonstrated in the design and construction of its new Data Centre in Menlo Park, California. This presentation will explain and analyse how Sun's internal IT ops organisation has developed a blueprint for the successful creation of a modular 'eco-DC'.

What can I say, its Friday...