Some of the biggest energy suckers on the planet are big corporations with rooms upon rooms filled with servers and other tech equipment that stays on 24-7. Every year, IDG’s Computerworld recognizes the top Green IT companies, and a somewhat surprising pick this year was Monsanto, which came in at number 11 for its work in creating energy-efficient data centers and other green tech efforts.

In the fall of 2007, Monsanto completed a new, state-of-the-art data center that saves more than 25 percent of building energy compared to a conventionally designed data center. The $21 million, 40,000-square-foot facility was designed with a 17-foot floor-to-ceiling span to promote airflow and eliminate the need for power or cooling units on the data center's floor. A glass screen covering the front of the building can withstand the wind force of an F3 tornado and screens 60 percent of the sun’s rays, saving the cooling systems substantial work.

The the St. Louis-based agricultural giant also has a strong focus on server consolidation and virtualization, has committed to purchase ten percent of total energy consumption at its headquarters from renewable sources such as wind power, and has a concerted effort to work in an efficient and effective telecommuting model.

The work of IT companies to conserve energy is also the focus at the Green Grid consortium, which develop standards, measurement tools, and new technologies that help its member companies green up their computing centers. While some of the techniques and tools they develop are state-of-the-art systems, others are simple concepts like consolidating file servers to reduce power and cooling consumption.

As for the rest of us, a good start would be shutting down your laptop or desktop each night. And you spammers out there – just cut it out already, or be prepared to face the green karmic kickback.