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Acknowledgments

ike most endeavors in life, a book always starts out as just an idea. It’s where everything
begins. So we’d like to acknowledge our friend, Darren Boeck, who planted a kernel
Lof an idea that grew into the topic for this book. “I have a good idea, but I don’t know
how to write a book,” Darren said. What else Darren didn’t know is that not only did he have
a good idea for a book, he had a great idea for a book.
These days, it seems like everybody wants to “go green.” But it’s not just a fad; there are
many great reasons why it is in our collective best interests to conserve, to be kinder to Mother
Earth, and to make the most of what this amazing universe provides us. It’s become quite clear
that all we create and all we consume can deeply affect our lives, now and into the future.
This even affects how we use our computers and related technologies. They consume
energy and are sometimes made with cutting-edge materials that might not be so healthy for
the environment. So learning how we can lessen our organization’s impact on the environment,
via tweaks to technology, is a very big deal.
We also want to thank the following people:
Larry Aszman, CTO at Compellent Technologies in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He
generously shared information about the green attributes of next-generation storage area
networks (SANs) and the initiatives that his company is spearheading, as well as how client
companies are using them.
Kelly Cain, professor of plant and earth science, from the University of Wisconsin–River
Falls. He turned out to be a wealth of information. Although he was able to talk to us about
green efforts in the college’s IT system, he really shared a lot of compelling information
about the overall system of communities going green and the ability of individuals to live
“off the grid.”
John Engates, the CTO of Rackspace in Houston, Texas. He shared great information
about his company’s efforts to offer green technology. The company makes environmental
responsibility a high priority. For instance, the company offers a unique option when
customers want to buy a server—they can select a “green” option that is more energy
efficient. He also talked about how Rackspace integrated “Green Thinking” into the very
culture of the company, which has led to several key changes in how it does business.
Lastly, the three of us would like to acknowledge our respective wives for their steadfast
support through each and every book project. Thanks, Sandra, Anne Marie, and Janet!

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