Environmental Stewardship in IT

Did you know that the production of one ton of printer or copier paper requires two to three tons of trees?  Have you ever really thought about that?  Here are some recent thoughts on how you can become a better steward of the environment in your day-to-day activities.

'Green' Printing Tips

1. Publish, share, and store files electronically. 
2. Avoid printing e-mails, forms, and other documents unless absolutely necessary.
3. When you must print, make only as many copies as you need. At meetings, it is okay to share!
4. Print only the portion of the document needed. Select only the pages or page range you need from the document to print.
5. If printing from the Internet, highlight only the text that you need, right click and select print.
6. Use double-sided printing and copying.
7. In applications like PowerPoint, print multiple pages per sheet.
8. Minimize errors and re-prints by utilizing spell check and print preview before printing any document.
9. Use recycled paper as much as possible.

Other 'Green' Business Ideas

1. Purchase e-books instead of print copies.
2. Use Energy Efficient Light Bulbs.  Use LED lighting solutions where possible.  You can save 40%-80% on energy and no worries of a CFL breaking in your home or business.

How are you helping the environment when it comes to information technology?