Melbourne's Environmental Policy

We're a pretty caring bunch of people. We are, and always have been, commited to reducing our impact on the environment, long before it became the hot topic it now is.

We are big believers in putting in place practical steps to make sure we minimise waste and power consumption. An interesting challenge when you're looking after over 2000 servers!

Our environmental policy (below) outlines the ways in which we're trying to do our bit. Make sure you follow our blog as we're always looking for, and implementing, improvements to reduce our impact on the environment.

A lot of server hosting companies are simply 'going carbon neutral', and proclaiming this as a panacea solution to the environmental challenges faced by datacentres. At Melbourne, we'd rather take pragmatic steps to actually reduce our energy consumption on a real basis.

We like efficiency as it's good for the world, but also, it saves money.

Environmental Policy

click here for a PDF version of this policy

Melbourne is committed to continually improving our environmental performance through a policy of constant review and improvement.

Environmentally friendly data centres

By far our most concerted effort into, and largest improvements to our environmental impact are through the enhancement of efficiency in our data centre facilities. We have conducted a large-scale program over the past 18 months to improve the efficiency in our data centres by:

• Installing cold aisle containment and blanking plates to contain cold air in cold
  aisles, and to prevent mixing with the hot air expelled from the rear of server
  cabinets. This has effected an approximately 25% reduction in like-for-like cooling
  requirement for the facilities.
• The use of highly efficient UPS systems which achieve approximately 95%
  efficiency, about 10% more efficient when compared with “traditional” UPS types.
• Switching in January 2008 to low-power servers for all our dedicated servers, which
  use approximately 25% less power than their predecessors. We are also phasing
  out our older generation servers by encouraging customers to switch to more
  modern, efficient hardware, at no extra cost to the customer.
• A program of continual design improvement feedback to datacentre layout and
  choice of air-conditioning equipment.

Saving energy as a company

We promote the efficient use of resources including water, electricity and raw materials,
contributing to sustainable development by:

• Using air conditioning / heating only during office hours.
• Switching all desktop machines to low-power consumption models.
• Turning off all non-essential desktop machines and monitors at the end of every
  day.
• Switching off all lights over night.

Encouraging recycling

We endeavour to recycle all suitable waste and help prevent climate change by:

• Working towards a 100% paperless office. Where possible printing of any documents is avoided; all invoices and other customer communications are sent electronically.
• Recycling waste paper.
• Re-using scrap paper.
• Purchasing recycled, recyclable or re-furbished products when possible.
• Re-furbishing all non faulty used server parts whenever possible.
• Ensuring the correct disposal of faulty/used server parts.

Future Actions

We are investigating funding the planting of natural woodland, and the preservation of the same, to prevent it from being developed and are continuing to develop our environmental actions by continually assessing our current and future actions.

Implementation, Policy Improvement and Feedback

Staff awareness of the environmental policy is ensured by providing internal training and communications. We operate a policy of feedback and continual improvement. If you would like further information, or have any comments on our environmental policy, please get in touch.

Policy Version 200801. Revised 24.06.08.