The Bay Area Green Business Programme verifies that businesses meet higher standards of environmental performance. It reviews company programmes that support energy conservation, "green" purchasing policies, recycling, pollution control and transportation alternatives, and it awards certification after an external audit by local government officials. The programme was developed by Bay Area local governments in collaboration with the US EPA, Cal EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control and the business community.

"Since the construction of the first Equinix IBX data centre in the Silicon Valley nearly ten years ago, we have been keenly aware of the efficiencies that can be achieved through innovative design, equipment and programmes", stated Margie Backaus, chief business officer of Equinix. "We are pleased to be the first data centre operator in Silicon Valley to be recognized by the Bay Area Green Business Programme."

"Santa Clara County is committed to helping our residents and businesses do everything possible to lessen their environmental impact", stated Supervisor Pete McHugh, Chair of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. "I thank Equinix for its leadership in this regard and commend Equinix for becoming the first data centre operator in our County to receive Green Business certification."

Equinix has joined The Green Grid as a general member to provide industry-wide recommendations on best practices, metrics and technologies that will improve overall data centre and business computing energy efficiencies. By joining The Green Grid, Equinix is helping influence both developers and end users of data centre technology.

Equinix is committed to operating the most efficient data centres in the industry. The company's efforts were recently recognized at the Data Centres Europe conference where Equinix won the "Data Centres Europe Green Award". Over the years, Equinix has adopted a variety of programmes that maximize efficiency of operations and reduce environmental impact, including:

• Implementing the most advanced data centre design that leverages the efficiencies of scale;
• Working with customers to develop equipment deployments and configurations that maximize efficiency and conservation, including hot-aisle, cold-aisle configurations;
• Harnessing external air temperature with the deployment of heat exchangers and air economizers that cool centres by bringing in outside air and air cooled water;
• Using green energy sources, such as Equinix's four centres in Switzerland which operate on 100% hydropower;