November 23, 2007

Beyond the Recycle Bin: Saving Money and the Environment by Using "Clean" Technology

Many businesses have two "trash cans" in their office. Blue recycle bins for "white paper" and traditional trash cans for all other types of garbage. This is definitely a start.

However, being environmentally friendly can go way beyond a blue recycle bin - it can also be affected by your technology purchasing decisions.

Take a look at just two key pieces of hardware - your desktop computer and monitor.

Maybe your big CRT monitors, which are getting dusty and heating up your office during the Summer is one place to start. Consider replacing them with flat panel LCD monitors. It will do four things:

• Is easier on the eyes


• Uses less energy


• Is easier to move around due to being much lighter than CRT monitors
• 
  
• Gives you more desktop space

Let's take look at your desktop computer. If you've purchased a traditional desktop computer it's not only relatively heavy, but also noisy. Several vendors have launched initiatives to make computers that use less energy and operate quieter.

IBM recently released a survey of 1,400 small businesses which showed that businesses are indeed focused on energy saving issues. Some measures small businesses can take to be more energy efficient:

• Make energy efficiency a priority when purchasing new IT systems.


• Consolidate IT systems. Virtualization technology enables you to have a smaller IT footprint by pooling resources from multiple systems, enabling you to get more computing from fewer systems.


• Have a plan for how to dispose of IT equipment in a secure and sustainable manner. Certified recycling services will ensure data is wiped clean and the systems are reused, resold or recycled, keeping harmful materials out of landfills.

The next time you buy a computer system, make sure its a "green" computer - plenty of RAM, a big hard disk and friendly to the environment.

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