Green Machines

By David Pickrell Do you wonder how our growing reliance on technology is impacting the environment? Personal computers in our homes have added to our daily personal consumption of paper, electricity and chemicals. Here are tips for reducing technology's contribution to global warming, or maybe just reducing your power bill. Reduce your power consumption While your power bill shows the impact of technology on your wallet, what you can't see is the environmental impact of producing that power. Screen savers were designed as a moving image to prevent a still picture from being "burned into" a monitor, after being displayed for too long. Instead, consider setting your computer to turn off your monitor after a period of inactivity. Some technology components can be set to "sleep" or "standby" when they are not actively being used. Standby modes still consume some power however, so physically turn your computer off at the wall at night when you leave the office, if possible. If your computers run processes like backups after you've left, schedule them to shut down automatically later in the evening. Consider setting up your power boards so devices that can be powered off overnight are on one circuit. Energy efficient devices When purchasing technology, check out the device's power consumption ratings and power saving modes. If available, choose a device with an "Energy Star" label. This was introduced in the United States to indicate an appliance had met certain energy efficiency standards, and has been licensed for use in other countries including Japan, Australia and the European Union. LCD monitors have been shown to require approximately half the power of traditional old CRT style monitors. Now you have a great reason to upgrade to a flat screen, apart from the fact that they look great. Re-use the technology If your computer's performance has slowed, consider these options before buying new. A software tune-up may help improve your computer's performance by removing temporary files and fine-tuning settings to make it run more efficiently. Or you may be able to upgrade some individual internal components instead of purchasing a new, complete system. Extra memory (RAM) or a faster processor may make a significant difference and be cheaper on your wallet. Reduce Paper Consumption Consider generating electronic invoices and emailing them to your customers. Use a printer with a double-sided (or "duplex") feature, to halve your paper consumption by printing on both sides of the sheet. Use the "editing" or "mark-up" functions in your word processor to highlight and comment within documents on your screen and then e-mail them back to the writer. Finally, train yourself to read as much as possible on your computer screen. Our natural inclination is to print a large document to read it, as we revert back to a paper-based world. Recycle What's Left Consider uses for your waste paper other than the rubbish bin. Shredded paper makes great packing material for items being posted or transported in an office move or house move. Local pet shops can't get enough shredded paper to ensure a nice, clean stay for their animals. If your printer can only print on one side, use the reverse, blank side of any unneeded documents to write your grocery list or provide drawing paper for your children. Cut a sheet up into quarters and use them for note paper or shopping lists. One Person's Trash Who can use your old technology? If you replace your hardware with the latest version of your business software, the old unit may be suitable for a student or a senior who wants to write documents and browse the internet. See if there are any groups in your area who clean up old computers and redistribute them to people who need them. Or, before it becomes destined for land fill, see if anyone in your area offers recycling or safe disposal of computer parts. Goodwill Industries, for example, will accept your old computers, printers, terminals and printers for a nominal fee. Call your local chapter for details.