July/August 2008

How to be "greener" when you compute  

We remember mom telling us repeatedly to turn off the lights when we left a room. Now we know that mom was teaching us more than just economics, she was teaching us to be environmentally-friendly.  The same concept applies to saving energy with computers:

1. Turn off, sleep or hibernate your computer when not in use.  Choose the option that makes the most sense for you and the way you use your computer, but discipline yourself to conserve whenever you can.  For instance, you may not want to turn off your work computer if you require 24/7 remote access, but you can turn off the monitor each day when you leave.
2. Use LCD monitors instead of CRTs and not only will you get big energy savings, but you will reclaim lots of desk space.  In fact the savings can be so big, that you can afford to use two LCD monitors which can be a big productivity boost.  Many tasks that require cutting and pasting between windows or require multiple windows can be made easier and less error prone with two monitors. Save even more by using our coupon for a NEW LCD monitor.
3. Instead of a screen saver, put the monitor in standby using the shortest time setting.  So try to skip the cool screen savers (remember flying toasters) and go to standby.  Most monitors will give a yellow light to let you know it is in standby, then gently move the mouse to awaken. 
4. Reduce printing by using electronic documents when possible.  Even if you aren't ready to go paperless, try limiting your printing to only essential documents.  If you must print out an email or webpage, only print the page or information that you need.  Often emails and web pages have lots of extraneous information that just eats printer paper. Keep an eye on the paper going into trash cans and shredders to see if you can reduce the volume.

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