This St. Patty's Day, some companies are wearing more green than others. Who'd have thought that green was possible in a data center? Beyond more efficient hardware, what's there to be environmentally conscious about? Plenty, it seems. In the case of two companies, proper use (and often, ingenious use) of resources has the data storage industry buzzing. Fannie Mae and Highmark have met the standards of the US Green building code Council, the only two companies with data centers to be given that honor. Both have ben awarded the Leadership in Energy and Evironmental Design certification.

At Highmark, toilets use rainwater from the roof. Rainwater also serves as a backup source for cooling. Parking spaces have outlets for hybrid cars. Even the buildings themselves are green, having been constructed with recycled construction materials. Fannie Mae has made good use of natural light in 75 percent of its space, and also provides hybrid-car battery chargers in parking spaces. Hybrid car drivers also get priority parking spaces, the company's way of encouraging more environmental practices.