Adams: I agree that the current LEED standards are far from perfect when it comes to developing or operating data centers. That being said, there are several threads that can be pulled from the criteria that make sense:

Install equipment that uses energy efficiently and incorporates equipment that provides a payback in a two- to four-year time frame: These facilities are typically operated for 30 years, so the lifecycle payback is more than acceptable. Optimizing the IT equipment and HVAC layout to provide flexibility to the user while providing the necessary cooling where needed is also a good approach.

Design the building shell to limit heat gain and manage impact of the elements: This lowers overall operating cost. Citi will be installing our first green roof on a data center in Europe. The expectation is that the roof will last 40 years. When compared to the 20-25 year life expectancy of other roofing systems, we believe that this is the right lifecycle decision. And, it makes sense to incorporate trees in the landscaping to provide a visual shield of the building while also benefiting the environment.

Minimize water consumption, recycle construction waste, and purchase from vendors who are within a 500-mile radius to limit transportation expense and reduce gases caused by vehicles.

Our experience is that if you start early in the design process, you can incorporate many of these features and benefits without exceeding budgets. This was the case with our data center in Europe. We’ve met our budget requirements, and our data center is designed to the LEED Gold standard. We would also be interested in working with the United States and World Green Building Council to see if they would be willing to create standards for data centers, similar to the U.S. Green Building Councils accommodation of the retail community by creating a separate LEED retail standard.

We have a real commitment to energy optimization at Citi. Sustainability is one of my major platforms as CIO. I also believe these issues of social and environmental responsibility are emerging from every corner, not just IT. Citigroup recently announced that it is investing $50 billion to address global climate change. It is part of Citi’s pledge to reduce our environmental footprint by bringing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions down 10 percent by 2011. The range of the investment is diverse, including everything from financing clean energy to encouraging clients to sign up for paperless statements. So there’s a lot of movement around these issues, and I think there is a real opportunity for IT to take the lead.