Really Greenbang is a bit bored of green data centres.

“Woo, we’ve got a green data centre that uses less electricty than usual.”

Well surely that’s something you should be doing in the first place? It’s like saying, “Yeah it’s really good, we don’t leave 50 hairdryers running while we go shopping.”

And the pictures are hardly awe inspiring, are they? What a pile of arse.

But if it is your bag, then check out the info on the data centre in Eagan, Minnesota.

According to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), studies show that buildings produce 48% of dangerous greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change, and that they consume 71% of electricity produced at U.S. power plants. Unisys wanted to address these environmental issues and created sustainability features to emphasize and enhance the local environment and surrounding community. These include:

Inside the data center:
Recycled more than 150,000 pounds of building materials during renovations in a local facility.
Built a 30-inch raised floor to increase air flow around servers and to cooling efficiency on the floor.
Added an energy-efficient glycol air conditioning system that improves cooling efficiency by 44% over the levels normally found in data centers.
Outside the data center:
Removed buckthorn, a non-native plant species that overwhelms and kills native plant life.
Partnered with the City of Eagan to convert 19 acres adjacent to the Eagan facility to natural prairie containing wild grasses and flowers.

Reallocated maintenance costs to plant 12 two inch trees on an annual basis over the next 10 years, helping to offset the carbon footprint of the facility.

YAWN…

• Green certified homes sell faster, higher price