Congratulations to Susan Labandibar for the excellent coverage in today's Boston Globe.

Hub firm rises to challenge of green computing

Prodded by fears of global warming and surging electric bills, corporate computer users are demanding more energy-efficient machines, and the federal government is preparing to issue tough new standards for greener machines. Tech Networks of South Boston is ready.

Susan Labandibar gave up a career in environmental activism in 1994 to launch Tech Networks of Boston, which supplies computer networks to small businesses and non profits. But Labandibar never abandoned her ideals, and she was always troubled that the electricity needs of the powerful computers she sold were flooding the air with greenhouse gases.

"We didn't have a product that was particularly ecological in any way shape or form," said Labandibar. "There were so many negatives about the computers we were making that I didn't think there was any hope for it."

But last year, Labandibar unveiled a new line of computers that could help combine her concern for the environment with commercial success. The company's new Earth-PC and Earth-Server machines use at least 25 percent less power than standard computers, and could save businesses with many computers thousands of dollars a year.

Hopefully, my server can handle the additional traffic to the Energy Calculator from curious readers.