How the Technologically-Savvy Can Go Green

Recycle. Turn off the lights. Carpool. Concern about the environment has been integrated into our lives. We read about the environment on our iPhones and Blackberrys, we blog about green living on our iPads, we email our friends easy recycling tips from our desktop computers. And then we plug in to recharge—and consume. So, are the tech savvy destined to be at odds with the green agenda? Not necessarily. Here are the top things a technology user can do to lighten the environmental load.

• Consider a hybrid or personal green computer—and broach the idea with your office. One way to find green computing gear is to consult the nonprofit Green Electronics Council's ratings, which give high marks to computers and monitors that can be easily recycled and contain fewer hazardous substances. Although these hybrid or green computers can be pricey, have limited functionality, and noisy fans, they are also smaller than a regular desktop, emit less greenhouse gases, and are energy efficient.
• Use AC power on your laptop as opposed to battery power. When your laptop is plugged in, remove the battery for a greener experience. A recent report prepared by the Natural Resources Defense Council estimated that running a laptop from AC power is about 20 percent more energy-efficient than battery power.  This practice also boosts battery lifespan, thus keeping batteries out of landfills. Keep in mind that although this practice conserves batteries, running your laptop on AC power still uses more electricity.
• Turn off monitors at night. In an article written by Barbara DePompa in a recent issue of Washington Technology, employees that turn off their PCs at night can save their organizations up to 60% of their IT energy consumption costs. However, turning off your PC at night will often be against company policy since that is when most IT departments run antivirus, antispyware, and perform necessary patching activities. According to an Energy Star report, monitors can use up to 70% of PC energy. So, enable sleep or power saving settings on your monitor—or turn it completely off—and greatly reduce your energy consumption.
• Sleep or hibernate. During the day, switch your computer to sleep or hibernate mode. According to an article from the National Resources Defense Council about energy consumption reduction, allowing your laptop to hibernate saves energy and is more efficient than shutting your computer down and starting from scratch. In addition, putting your desktop in standby or sleep mode also saves a substantial amount of energy.
• Print green. Try to cut down on printing in the home and workplace.  However, if you must print, make sure to avoid printing unnecessary and/or blank pages. There are software programs that detect unnecessary pages and don’t print them so that you do not use excess energy. (GreenPrint is one of these programs.) In addition, keep printers and fax machines turned off when not in use. Energy Star, the government agency that tracks power consumption for electronic devices, rates fax machines and printers among the most energy-intensive machines.
• It’s greener in the cloud. Because the cloud computing model (public, private, hosted, or hybrid) incorporates shared infrastructure and benefits of scale, it is green. Cloud computing models inherently reduce hardware needs which means a savings in energy and a decrease in the unnecessary carbon emissions used to power and cool these complex hardware components. Note, though, that switching your current computing model to the cloud is not an easy undertaking. Optimal can help guide you through the cloud computing model selection and implementation process.
• Be sure with Energy Star. Investing in Energy Star technology ensures that your computers will meet strict energy-efficiency requirements from the EPA. Energy Star computers use between 30 and 60 percent less electricity than standard computers; Energy Star monitors consume 25-60% less electricity.
• Unplug when you can. When something is plugged in—often even if it is turned off—it is consuming power. In fact, according to the Department of Energy, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off. The unplugged version is always better.
• Reduce travel, become virtual. Instead of wasting energy and fuel on travel, consider a virtual meeting. Online avenues such as Cisco Telepresence, Google Video, and Polycom Telepresence are just some of the options that allow for us to be face-to-face with colleagues around the world, virtually eliminating the need for business travel. In addition, there are upcoming business-level solutions that will be cost effective for the small-to-mid-sized business and environmentally friendly, so stay tuned!

Last Word

Professionals are working longer hours from increasingly remote locations in today’s globalized world. Organizational efficiency and productivity often depend on augmented technology usage. The impact that our evolving workplace will have on our environment remains to be seen. However, creating green technology policies in your organization can further prove that technology is not an environmental enemy.

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