TechSoup Blog - GreenTech

Online Used IT Equipment Buy-back Websites

Jim Lynch — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:30:12 -0400

As is often stated, reusing discarded goods of any type is the highest and best form of recycling them. This is especially true for electronics. Reuse is the highest form of recycling in that it retains the intended function and materials of electronic equipment with very little wasted, while end-of-life electronics recycling recovers just a portion of the metals, plastics, and glass that go into the manufacture of electronic devices. Shredding and smelting computers, for instance, loses 10% to 30% of the materials and energy in any given item.

Free Software Tool Cuts PC Energy Use

Jim Lynch — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:06:45 -0400

If you’re looking for a very easy way to cut your computer energy use and save money, Verdiem Software and the Climate Savers Computing Initiative have released a free energy-saving software application called Edison.

The simple to use software tool works with Windows XP and Windows Vista machines and you dictate which hours you use your computer most, choose the level of energy savings you want to achieve (using a sliding scale), and then it calculates your estimated savings based on the setting you choose. You can find and download the 28 megabyte application at their Web site.

Softchoice EcoTech: Commercial Green IT

Jim Lynch — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:53:17 -0400

As a nonprofit manager looking for good places to buy IT equipment that meets our ever-greening needs, Softchoice is one of the best commercial green IT sites I've seen. What is Softchoice? They're an online computer hardware and software vendor, but one with particularly good green IT content and products in the EcoTech portion of their Web site.

US Consumers Score Low on Environment

Jim Lynch — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:10:34 -0400

National Geographic's Greendex is a study measuring and monitoring consumer progress toward environmentally sustainable consumption in 14 countries around the world. Consumption as measured by the Greendex is determined both by the choices consumers actively make—such as repairing rather than replacing items, using cold water to wash laundry, choosing green products rather than environmentally unfriendly ones—and choices that are controlled more by their circumstances, such as the climate they live in or the availability of green products or public transport.

Request 'Green IT' for TreeHugger's Green Index

Jim Lynch — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:26:37 -0400

TreeHugger is one of the top environmental information portals on the internet and is a great resource for individuals and organizations working to go greener at home and at the office. Its particular mission is drive sustainability mainstream. It is designed to be a one-stop-shop for green news and product information so it covers many areas like transportation, science, technology, design, architecture, culture, travel, food, business, politics, fashion etc etc.

GreenNonprofits.org Profile

Jim Lynch — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:25:01 -0400

GreenNonprofit.org is a cool organization whose sole mission is to create and support the global movement that educates, assists, and certifies Nonprofits/NGOs in becoming environmentally friendly. So, if your organization is looking to (or has become) greener, this could be a great resource to help encourage buy-in, as well as a convenient way to get certification as a Green Nonprofit.

San Francisco Forum on Green Technology: Global Opportunities and Challenges

Robert Weiner — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:26:38 -0400

For those of you interested in learning more about greening the technology at your organization, there will be an interesting forum on the topic in San Francisco next Thursday.

What:
The World Affairs Council Presents Green Technology: Global Opportunities and Challenges

When:
Thursday July 17, 2008 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Where:
World Affairs Council Auditorium
312 Sutter Street, Second Floor
San Francisco, California 94108

Cost:
Member: Free
Non-member: $15.00

read more

Energy Efficient Refrigerators

Jim Lynch — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:48:05 -0400

Most people don’t think of them as office equipment, but almost certainly the one of the most expensive pieces of equipment in your office is your refrigerator.

According to the US Department of Energy, refrigerators are one of the most expensive home or office appliances to operate. The average refrigerator uses 1,000 to 1,500 kilowatt hours per year at a cost of over $100 per year.

What to do with old CDs and DVDs?

Jim Lynch — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:09:14 -0400

It’s not your imagination. It’s hard to find places to recycle CD and DVDs. Every month approximately 100,000 pounds of CDs are discarded each month and almost 30 billion disks per year are produced. They’re largely nontoxic, but the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition recommends that they not be thrown away (landfilled) or burned. They’re mainly made of plastic, and they take many years to degrade in the environment. With that in mind, here are some things you or your organization do with them that's a little better for the world.

How to Save Energy with Windows Vista

Jim Lynch — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:53:59 -0400

Microsoft has teamed up with the energy-conservation gurus at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California to create an eight-page white paper on how Microsoft's Vista operating system can help save energy.