Oct. 29, 2007 Forrester Research has released new guidance on creating a green IT action plan. Easier said than done, but here are the five basic steps. (via Sustainable IT)

1. Identify and prioritize your investment. Are you looking to cut energy use? Make better use of IT equipment? Reduce your carbon footprint?
2. Assess your current performance. The metrics you use depend on your priorities, but one popular measurement is power usage effectiveness (PUE) total facility power use divided by IT equipment power use. Revise processes and metrics regularly.
3. Focus on the low-hanging fruit. Begin by looking for easy, relatively low-cost ways to minimize waste, such as improving datacenter cooling and powering down PCs and monitors at the end of the day.
4. Specify IT's role relative to other organizational functions such as HR, legal, and marketing.
5. Craft an IT strategy based on these four key components: "revising processes and metrics; optimizing efficiency of existing IT assets; revamping architecture and infrastructure; and [and] positioning IT to enable green business practices."