If you're looking to save money and be more
efficient, it's time to consider what the ever-present "green" movement means
for your small business. At its core, it's the basic operating principle of
managing resources and costs — swathed in an earthy robe.
Going green means operating in a way that uses the least amount of resources for
the greatest gain; it's about introducing practices that focus on conservation,
reuse and the reduction of a company's
carbon footprint.
For small companies, achieving the latter goal could be as simple as creating
telecommuting policies so that more employees can work at home instead of
driving and, thereby, contributing to the brown cloud.
What's positive about all this green hype (which indeed, is not just a passing
trend but the global economic reality of dwindling resources) is that typically,
changes that you make in your business for the environment also generally save
money and/or provide other business benefits. |
Key Terms To
Understanding Green IT:
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Energy Star, a
program funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help small
businesses become more energy-efficient, reports that most small businesses can
cut their energy costs by 30 percent — the same as a large company.
Technologically, getting started on green
computing practices takes zero or little financial investment. In this article
we'll talk about some ways to quickly ramp up on
green IT practices.
Five Simple Ways to Get Started with Green
IT
1. Buy Green.
Perhaps the easiest way to get started is to buy energy-efficient
electronics when it's time to upgrade or purchase new equipment. Energy
Star-rated computers, printers and other technology products use as much as
60 percent less electricity than standard equipment, according to the Energy
Star Web site.
Over the next five years, Energy Star claims
that these products will save Americans more than $5 billion dollars.
Softchoice, a Toronto-based business-to-business reseller of IT products has
designed a new site where you can compare and buy
EPEAT products
(EPEAT.net
is a rating service for electronics that collaborates with Energy Star). The
site includes a calculator to determine your energy savings from purchasing
the energy-efficient products.
2. Manage Your Power
Take a look at your control panel on your desktop, and it's likely you'll
see everything you need in a few simple clicks to manage power better on
your PC.
To maximize power savings, the EPA recommends setting computers to enter
system standby or hibernate after 30 to 60 minutes of inactivity.
To save even more, set monitors to enter sleep mode after five to 20 minutes
of inactivity. If your equipment does not have power management features,
you can download the free Energy Star Power Management Software.
3. Get a Professional Energy Audit and Track Energy Use.
Yes, this will cost you money — anywhere from a few hundred to a few
thousand dollars, according to Jerry Lawson, national manager of Energy
Star. However, if your business is going to be around for a long time,
hiring an auditor might be a wise investment. If an audit's simply not possible
due to finances or lack of professional auditors in your local area, Lawson
recommends reviewing The Energy Star "Sure Energy Savers" guidelines to help
you start a program.
To monitor your ongoing energy use, download
the free Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool. (An ENERGY STAR private sector
contractor maintains and updates the software for accuracy, and your
information is password-protected for privacy).
4. Just Say 'No' to Paper
How many times have you printed out a 30-page document when you could have
read it and made edits and comments to it through online tracking just as
easily? It's a habit, yes — but a bad one that we all need to quit.
Tips:
- Use double-sided printing and copying
- Distribute documents electronically
- Create a portal site for sharing content
- Recycle what you must print
- Invest in digital signature technology
and software that monitors paper usage by departments
5. Recycle and Disposal of E-waste
Most people in the technology world know not to throw batteries into
the garbage can — same for used printer cartridges, discarded cell phones,
memory sticks, old or damaged laptops, and so on. Most electronics
that people currently own contain high levels of lead and other toxic
materials that need to be handled appropriately so they don.t end up in a
landfill and leach poisons into the soil and ultimately, our drinking water.
Check to make sure that your local e-recycler
is qualified under the ISO 14001 environmental systems standard to ensure
safe disposal and can provide you with a certificate saying that your data
has been destroyed. Green-Tech Assets and Technology Recycling Group are two
organizations that provide or help locate recycling and disposal services.
You can also check with your local office supply store to see what they will
recycle — sometimes this can mean cash rebates, which over time can really
add up.
When it comes to old-but-still-usable
equipment such as PCs and printers, consider donating to a charity such as
the local elementary school or a nonprofit. You may also receive a tax
benefit from the donation.
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DID YOU KNOW...
A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide emissions
created by a person or industry. A 2007
study by
Gartner indicated that two percent of worldwide carbon
emissions comes from the global information and communications
technology (ICT) industry. |
