DALLAS, TX - July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today announced its affiliate AT&T Services Inc. has joined The Green Grid, the global consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems. AT&T also announced it will supply data center performance information to assist the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in developing a new ENERGY STAR rating for data center infrastructure.

Membership in The Green Grid and participation in the ENERGY STAR data center initiative underscore AT&T's commitment to minimize the environmental impact of its operations and to work collaboratively with industry organizations and suppliers to identify optimal solutions and best practices.

"Managing the energy we use in an efficient way is crucial to staying competitive -- a commitment that begins in our corporate headquarters and extends throughout our global operations," said Chris Rice, executive vice president for Shared Services at AT&T. "Joining The Green Grid and collaborating with the EPA reflects this commitment, and we look forward to collaborating with our industry peers to promote more sustainable IT energy efficiency practices."

The Green Grid works to provide industrywide recommendations and best practices on metrics and technologies that will improve energy efficiency in data centers around the world. As a Contributor Member of The Green Grid, AT&T is taking an important role in cooperating with other leading companies to reduce energy consumption and related data center costs.

"The Green Grid is proud to welcome AT&T as a Contributor Member of the consortium," said Mark Monroe, a director of The Green Grid. "AT&T brings a breadth of knowledge and experience in the field of communications. The Green Grid is looking forward to collaborating with AT&T and leveraging its expertise to help further the organization's mission."

In an effort to further improve energy efficiency in the data center industry, the EPA is developing an ENERGY STAR Data Center Infrastructure Rating. This new rating will help data center operators assess the energy performance of their buildings' infrastructure and identify buildings with the greatest opportunity for improvement, allowing them to capture the financial and environmental benefits of improved energy efficiency in their facilities. The initiative will ultimately enable data center facilities to earn ENERGY STAR certification for superior energy efficiency. To assist in the development of this rating, AT&T has committed to monitoring select company data centers and submit energy data to the EPA during the next 12 months.

"EPA is very pleased to have AT&T's support for the development of the ENERGY STAR rating for data center infrastructure," said Mike Zatz, manager of EPA's ENERGY STAR Commercial Buildings Program. "It is only with the active involvement of industry leaders like AT&T that EPA will be able to provide the data center industry with the information it needs to most effectively improve the energy efficiency of these critical facilities."

AT&T continually strives to improve its own data center operations through five strategies, with industry collaboration being one important area:

-- Consolidation: Understanding that data centers have very clear scale economies, AT&T works to close smaller and less efficient data centers.

-- Optimization: AT&T works to improve the use and efficiency of resources in its data centers, including cooling, power, space, processors and storage.

-- Application rationalization: AT&T works to unify business applications and eliminate redundant solutions whenever practical.

-- Supplier/partner integration: AT&T works to integrate its suppliers and partners into the company's energy conservation initiative process.

-- Industry/government collaboration: AT&T participates in forums, committees and commissions to further identify, understand and promote the adoption of best practices and innovation.

"Data center electricity use has been growing rapidly in recent years, roughly doubling from 2000 to 2005," said Jonathan Koomey, Ph.D., staff scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories and consulting professor, Stanford University. "There's significant potential for improving energy efficiency in those facilities, and many large companies are starting to make the institutional and technological changes needed to capture that efficiency. In this case, businesses can save money and reduce pollution at the same time."

Through its participation in The Green Grid and the ENERGY STAR data center initiative, AT&T is expanding the company's active involvement in working with the industry to find solutions for improved energy efficiency. Rice currently serves as chairman of the board of the Alliance for Telecommunication Industry Solutions (ATIS), a technical planning and standards development organization that works to develop and promote technical and operations standards for the communications and related information technologies industries worldwide. As a chair of the ATIS Network Interface, Power and Protection-Telecommunications Energy Efficiency (NIPP-TEE) subcommittee, AT&T is helping develop industry standards for measuring and stating energy efficiency of telecommunications network equipment.

"AT&T works with industry bodies, such as ATIS, so that both the suppliers and users of telecommunications equipment can coalesce around a widely accepted approach to measuring and improving energy efficiency," Rice said. "In the end, this approach can deliver lower-cost solutions and broader benefits for all key stakeholders across our entire industry."

AT&T works to enhance energy performance and minimize energy consumption in company buildings, IT systems and networks, and the company is evaluating alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power. The company conserves natural resources through waste reduction and recovery and recycling efforts, helping its customers do the same. AT&T also helps customers further manage their own environmental impact through intelligent use of AT&T products and services, such as teleconferencing, video conferencing and other broadband applications.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's World's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list and No. 1 on America's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

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About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 12,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. Last year alone, Americans with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $16 billion on their energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent to those of 27 million cars. For more information, visit http://www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

About ATIS

ATIS is a technical planning and standards development organization that is committed to rapidly developing and promoting technical and operations standards for the communications and related information technologies industry worldwide using a pragmatic, flexible and open approach. Participants from more than 300 communications companies are active in ATIS' 22 industry committees and Incubator Solutions Programs. For more information, please visit: http://www.atis.org.

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