This is not a sustainability article. This story is bigger: it’s about cost, speed, community, and the future of data centers, all inclusive.

Right now, the industry is at an inflection point whereby demand is surging, capital is flowing, and expectations for innovation are higher than ever. All the while, data center developers, owners, and operators manage international portfolios with varying sustainability requirements, market drivers, and power availability.

There is an opportunity within this struggle, which lies in leveraging the exploration and adoption of new materials, tools, and methods – and proving them in ways that are scalable across the entire sector.

Together, Green Building Initiative (GBI) and Compass Datacenters aim to highlight considerations for developing and implementing cohesive sustainability strategies across a global data center portfolio.

Single data center versus the world

There is a big difference between managing a single building, a cluster of buildings on one campus, and a portfolio of facilities spread across the globe.

Planning for a single building – or even a single campus – can feel operationally convenient, cost-effective, and enticingly straightforward in the short term. But taking a broader, long-term perspective often leads to far more impactful outcomes.

Compass, a data center owner and developer, takes a manufacturing-inspired approach to building, whereby every campus begins with a prototypical blueprint that can flex to meet regional standards.

This standardized foundation allows Compass to replicate success across its portfolio, creating long-lived, efficient campuses that deliver both customer value and community benefit. It also enables GBI’s certification programs to scale more effectively, supporting measurable, portfolio-wide sustainability outcomes.

Through its education, credentialing, and certification programs, GBI helps translate these practices into lasting performance improvements across the built environment.

Megan Baker, vice president of engagement at GBI, emphasizes that sustainability and efficiency create a synergistic cycle: they not only reduce costs but also accelerate speed and strengthen partnerships.

“The key is making thoughtful decisions early on, with the whole team thinking big picture. When you do that, these considerations don’t get value-engineered out or lost – they are built in,” says Baker.

“Looking at data centers as part of larger portfolios, rather than isolated projects, allows for Compass to scale efficiently while integrating, replicating, and propagating sustainable building practices to deliver the resilient data centers the world’s largest hyperscale and cloud computing companies demand,” said Amy Marks, senior vice president of innovation at Compass Datacenters.

“Compass builds 100-year campuses. The most sustainable thing we can do is deliver buildings that last. That long-term view allows for decisions that aren’t just useful for one project or situation but instead promote the long-term health, sustainability, and impact of the whole system of campuses.”

Forest Halualani, Compass’s sustainability program lead, adds that planning across campus portfolios also highlights the limitations of traditional building methods and the benefits of integrating sustainability from the start:

“For a long time, the norm in the built environment was to construct buildings using standard, stick-built construction practices – without much consideration for the community or broader sustainability impacts. Data centers are changing that. The industry is approaching construction with sustainability built in from the start, flipping old-school practices on their head.”

Standardization as a strategy for scale

Building sustainably and for longevity shouldn’t have to be a daunting task. For some, it can still be a challenge or a constant reminder in the back of the mind. GBI and Compass aim to challenge that reality, making sustainability a core principle of data center operations – something innate rather than an afterthought.

That said, it helps to have a clear starting point. Drawing on their combined experience, GBI and Compass outline some best practices for sustainable building – principles intended to grow and become second nature over time, while offering a practical foundation for getting started.

1. Sustainability as a result, not a separate program

Integrate sustainability into core business decisions instead of treating it as a standalone initiative. Don’t chase sustainability just to check a box – let it guide decisions that also make sense for the business.

“First and foremost, focus on making great business decisions – prioritizing readiness and efficiency, but with a long-term lens. It’s like designing a home you plan to live in, not flip for profit. When you think beyond the immediate, you naturally make decisions that are smarter, more resilient, and ultimately more sustainable,” says Marks.

Using the example of buying a higher-quality product once rather than multiple cheaper replacements, Marks contextualizes how smarter choices reduce purchases, waste, and environmental impact while also making better economic sense:

“We’re not doing it just to keep things out of the landfill. We’re doing it because it’s simply a smarter business decision that also happens to have a positive impact on sustainability.”

2. Strong supply chain partnerships

Build long-term, trust-based partnerships with a select group of suppliers and industry peers, rather than rebidding projects repeatedly.

These relationships focus on co-developing better products with less waste, less packaging, and more standardization. The result is innovation and efficiency that also reduces the carbon footprint. Marks explains:

“We spend less time on wasteful transactions – like bidding out to the lowest-cost provider – and more time innovating better products that naturally lead to improved sustainability. By focusing on higher-quality, standardized products with less waste and packaging, these close partnerships result in more profit for our partners and a lower carbon footprint.”

3. Culture of incremental improvement

Foster a mindset of continuous, incremental improvement rather than chasing occasional big wins. Encourage every employee, supply chain partner, and consultant to look for small improvements every day. This philosophy of questioning, refining, and innovating leads to cumulative positive impacts.

“Every person here focuses on incremental improvements every day, creating a series of small gains that add up over time. We also train our supply chain partners and consultants to embrace the same culture of continuous innovation,” says Marks.

Accessing regional nuances within a global context

While Compass operates on a global, corporate level, it maintains the importance of thinking regionally and locally. Tools or frameworks like GBI’s Green Globes and Ascent certifications support tailored approaches for different regions, ensuring better adaptation to local environments, municipalities, and authorities.

Katy Hancock, VP of public relations and head of community impact at Compass Datacenters, leads efforts to make the company a responsible community partner. By first understanding local needs, Compass ensures its actions – from community investments to operational improvements – align with community needs and priorities.

“Compass is fortunate to enjoy really strong relationships in our campus communities, and we don’t take that for granted. Actions and words are one at Compass. Being a good neighbor isn’t just a thing we say, it’s what we do,” says Hancock.

It doesn’t have to cost the earth

There’s still a perception that AI, large language models, and other high-powered modern technologies are draining resources. While it’s true that these technologies require significant energy, they don’t have to overburden the grid – if deployed with careful planning, renewable integration, and efficiency measures factored in from the start.

Compass’s energy strategy focuses on building readiness and flexibility into its campuses from day one. Facilities are designed to accommodate future energy solutions, such as on-site generation or microgrids, as technologies and regional regulations evolve. In this way, resilience and adaptability are built in without overcommitting to technologies that are still in early development.

For example, traditional data centers often rely on evaporative cooling or cooling towers, which consume large amounts of water to prevent servers from overheating. Compass and others have moved away from those methods, adopting air-cooled or refrigerant-based systems that use no water at all. These designs rely on outside air, advanced chillers, or direct expansion systems to manage heat efficiently. Marks challenges the perception that data centers are inherently resource-intensive:

“There is a perception that data centers use a lot of resources. Evaporative cooling was popular in the early days of the data center industry, but it is seldom used now as we have better options. Since its founding in 2011, Compass has relied on air cooling with a water usage effectiveness of zero, meaning we use no water at all for IT loads in our data centers. Our newer hybrid cooling system uses liquid in an efficient, closed-loop system.”

By designing facilities to avoid dependence on local water resources, companies can operate responsibly in drought-prone regions while still meeting global portfolio requirements, service-level agreements, and operational needs.

To this point, Halualani highlights Compass’s forward-looking approach to energy resilience, focusing on collaboration and designing for the future of power, rather than betting on a single technology:

“One of the most exciting developments is the exploration of innovative ways to reduce pressure on local grids. Through what we call a ‘co-serve’ model, our campuses are being designed to operate as responsible partners to the grid, capable of supporting stability during times of high demand, rather than simply drawing power.”

Baker adds context to the broader industry perspective, emphasizing the work being done behind the scenes:

“The focus needs to be on the positive developments, which often don’t make it into the public conversation. Yes, data centers use a lot of power, but incredibly smart people are working right now to solve these complex challenges, and I have complete confidence they’ll get it done. We’re in the middle of a Fifth Industrial Revolution. Like any big transition, there’s a learning curve – and a few years from now the landscape will look completely different.”

Measuring success across the portfolio

When setting standards for building decisions, some locations naturally demand higher sustainability benchmarks and greater efficiency in resource use. To maintain consistency across its portfolio, Compass designs and builds to the strictest standards and applies them throughout.

“When we talk about our prototype data center design, it means they are built to the highest standards of the most stringent location where we might put a data center. This approach future-proofs our buildings and makes them more fungible and customizable because we start from a position of the highest-quality standards across the portfolio,” says Marks.

In an industry where facilities often follow a one-of-a-kind approach, Compass’s prototype model sets it apart. Rather than reinventing each site from scratch, Compass builds from a proven standard – applying lessons learned, efficiencies, and sustainability enhancements across its portfolio to amplify impact instead of starting over.

The campus approach, combined with third-party certification through GBI’s Green Globes and Ascent programs, provides data center owners with a solid foundation while remaining flexible enough to adapt to the needs of different municipalities or regions, each with unique challenges. Lessons learned from previous campuses can be quickly applied to new projects, even in locations where operators have never built before.

Baker adds perspective on the efficiency and scalability of the approach:

“Our certification approach recognizes that what works for one data center may not work for another, and our framework allows multiple, industry-recognized pathways for achieving credit. Rather than certifying individual buildings one by one, we can look at the campus as a whole, which is not only politically helpful but also allows us to replicate processes across multiple buildings, saving time and resources. We’re now applying the same methodology to our global program, Ascent certification.”

This campus-level approach also reduces repetitive, project-by-project tasks, like duplicating documentation, freeing up time for higher-level goals, creative improvements, and more sustainable outcomes.

Constantly evolving, learning from projects, certifying them, and adapting requirements accordingly reflects thoughtful, measured success.

No longer an insurmountable mountain

The big picture is clear: doing things right from the start is far more effective than trying to fix problems after they’ve already taken root. Metaphorically, getting your ducks in a row from the beginning sets the stage for smooth, coordinated progress – much easier than chasing them after they’ve scattered across different ponds.

“The way we would say it is that sustainability is an outcome of all of our choices. If you’re thinking about choices for the long-term health of your business, our business, and our neighbors, the option is always a more sustainable outcome,” says Marks. She adds:

“Once those choices are built in from the start and ingrained in the culture and program, they don’t get undone, because they’re better for everyone.”

Finally, Marks offers a call for courage:

“There’s a lot of valuable activity happening across the ecosystem. It’s too easy to dismiss sustainability by saying ‘nobody cares anymore,’ but that’s simply not true. There’s tremendous momentum. My advice: do your research, see what’s happening, always do the right thing, and don’t buy into the hype that this isn’t important anymore.”

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