Data center veteran Mark Monroe has been named the new executive director of The Green Grid, the industry group focused on helping data center operators improve the energy efficiency of their IT infrastructure. Monroe worked for many years at Sun Microsystems, holding key leadership positions in the company's sustainable computing and cloud computing initiatives. Monroe's appointment comes as the Green Grid is is expanding its focus to address growing industry trends towards the sustainability and resource efficiency of information technology. Monroe will succeed Larry Vertal, who has stepped down as executive director. Vertal served as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors before taking on the role of executive director in 2009.
Monroe, a founding director of The Green Grid, brings 30 years of experience in the IT industry, including direct experience in data center design and operations, application and system design, and process design and analysis. He also serves on the board of the Center for ReSource Conservation in Boulder, Colo.and is a founding sponsor of the University of Colorado's Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI).
"The expanded focus of The Green Grid provides leadership opportunities for organizations of all sizes to contribute to a growing body of work that impacts the energy- and resource-efficiency of IT," said Monroe. "We welcome and encourage active participation and collaboration from interested members and affiliates across the global technology, sustainability, and government landscape.”
New Sustainability Metrics
Last month The Green Grid announced the creation of two new metrics to measure carbon and water use in data centers. The new metrics, Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE) and the upcoming Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE), are designed to build upon the momentum of The Green Grid’s widely-used Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metric.
The Green Grid’s upcoming Technical Forum and Members Meeting on March 1-2, 2011, in Santa Clara, CA, will provide more detail on how the organization helps data center operators more efficiently use resources such as energy, carbon, and water. Registration is open to members of The Green Grid on March 1, and then opens to the public and the media on March 2.
“The Green Grid Board of Directors wishes to thank Larry Vertal for his five years of commitment, enthusiasm and guidance while helping to build The Green Grid into a well-respected organization that will continue to roll-out world-class metrics, best-practices, technologies and programs that promote the effective use of energy and other resources in data centers and business computing ecosystems,” said Roger Tipley, board member from HP and vice president of The Green Grid.
