Digital Realty has announced that it earned Nareit's 2017 data center "Leader in the Light" award, recognizing the company's sustainability and energy-efficiency achievements.  

The award, given at the annual REITworld convention in Dallas, honors Nareit member companies that have produced superior, measurable results from the implementation of sustainable business practices. Digital Realty has also been recognized by the U.S. EPA for its sustainability leadership, ranking sixth on its 2017 list of the top 30 green power users in the technology and telecom industries. 

Digital Realty procures approximately 400,000 megawatt-hours of wind power annually, which offsets 100% of its U.S. colocation and interconnection energy usage, reducing the company's carbon footprint by approximately 275,000 metric tons per year.  The environmental benefits from this agreement will have an impact comparable to taking 58,000 cars off the road each year, or offsetting the carbon emissions from 29,000 U.S. homes per year. 

"We are grateful to be recognized by our industry's preeminent trade group for our sustainability achievements," said A. William Stein, chief executive officer, Digital Realty. "As leaders in an energy-intensive industry, we view it as our duty to prioritize and champion environmental stewardship and responsible business practices." 

"As a hub of the modern digital economy, the quality of our data centers plays a crucial role in determining the overall energy efficiency of our customers' businesses.  We are honored to provide our customers a responsible solution to their data center needs that significantly reduces the environmental impact of their operations," said Aaron Binkley, director of sustainability, Digital Realty.