The air in Pittsburgh is a lot cleaner now than it was in the days of Big Steel, but it's still far from healthy.

Edward Quinn is IBM senior state executive for Pennsylvania (quinne@us.ibm.com).

Pittsburgh emits approximately 70 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from residential, commercial, industrial and waste sources each year, not only making it hard to breathe, but also contributing to climate change. The American Lung Association ranks Allegheny County as one of the top municipalities in the nation for smog. Pennsylvania ranks third among all states in global warming emissions, producing 1 percent of the entire planet's global warming pollution.

Although Pittsburgh's Green Government Task Force recently created an inventory of the city's energy demands and made the commitment to reducing energy costs and lowering greenhouse-gas emissions, Pennsylvania businesses must do their part to reduce energy use and lower greenhouse-gas emissions.

Today, eco-friendly companies are moving far beyond purchasing recycled paper and using new energy-efficient light bulbs. Many are learning from others that are researching and developing intelligent energy strategies. Such strategies streamline productivity while meeting the needs of a growing power-hungry world by reducing the use of energy derived from burning fossil fuels.

An intelligent energy strategy is one that manages business through interconnected networks, real-time monitoring and alternative energy sources, such as wind, biomass, fuel cells, solar and tar sands. Making our energy systems "smart" through analytics holds the key to fueling our global economy and to protecting our planet.

Company chief information officers also are finding new ways to cut energy consumption. The need for power to run their computer servers is rising 15 percent annually. Information-technology departments are now spending more on power and cooling than hardware itself; however, the latest hardware and software innovations are improving power utilization and reducing energy costs.

New software can measure power usage and allow businesses to use their available power more efficiently. For instance, thanks to power management software, the latest mainframe computers use only 20 percent of the electricity needed by a typical competitive server doing the same work.

The IT industry continues to look for ways to develop new energy-efficient technologies. My company and 10 other major IT companies, including Microsoft and Intel, have formed the "Green Grid" to work together to determine how data centers can continue to improve power utilization and reduce energy costs.

Going green is possible through collaboration by industry, government, researchers and consumers to develop, produce and use new innovations that reduce energy consumption and protect the environment. No company, government body or individual can do this alone.

By adopting new technologies and new methods for reducing energy use, Pittsburgh businesses can make a significant difference in addressing our energy and environmental challenges, and may even lower their own business costs in the process. As a result, we'd all be able to breathe easier.