10 steps to green IT
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There are numerous reasons why we should all be concerned about our carbon output. Climate change is no longer a theory, it's a reality, and reducing waste and carbon output is the responsibility of everyone including new and established businesses. Green isn't a dirty word The good news is that reducing energy use and becoming greener needn't cost a fortune; indeed small changes to the way your business operates can actually save you money as well as save the environment. As green issues become more important to the buying public, those companies that have embraced green issues will stand ahead of the competition. As well as saving money, becoming green can therefore also be a significant USP for small businesses. 1 - Use Recycled stationery Using recycled paper supports sustainable industry, helps cut deforestation, reduces landfill and saves energy and carbon. Using recycled paper sends a very clear message to the market that green issues are important creating a further drive to improve local recycling schemes. 2 - Recycle office waste Just as buying recycled paper is important, so is recycling the waste paper produced by your business. It costs £30 a tonne to dispose of waste paper but recycling paper is both cheaper and more environmentally friendly. In the UK we dispose of 90% of our paper in landfill sites but this doesn't have to be the case. Countries such as Switzerland and Sweden actually recycle 80% of their paper which shows what can be done when government, business and the public work together. Recycling in the office can be as simple as providing two or more (preferably cardboard) bins for staff to fill with unused paper waste. Whilst one bin is better than non at all, two bins allows you to sort white and coloured papers which makes the waste far more valuable to recyclers and enables them to recover the cost of collecting the waste from your site. 3 - Move towards a paperless office Implementing a paperless office or at least working towards a lower reliance on paper has never been easier. Of the paper used in an office, 25% is completely unwanted and is thrown away instantly and 90% is eventually thrown away after it's used. E-mail systems, company Intranets, online document archives and collaboration systems all reduce paper usage and have numerous other benefits which more than offset their implementation costs. 4 - Switch off unused equipment Office equipment currently accounts for around 20% of all business energy use in the UK and represents one of the easiest ways for businesses to cut energy costs and reduce carbon emissions. Even in power saving mode PC equipment still uses 80% of its fully operational power so switching devices off rather than leaving them on standby can considerably lower energy usage. Many people don't realise that leaving certain devices, such as phone and laptop chargers, connected to the mains still uses power even if the device is not connected. This is wasted energy that can never be recovered so disconnecting these devices when not in use is paramount. There are some simple tricks that can make managing power usage easier. Timer units can be used to turn equipment off at night and weekends when it's not required and Intelligent mains panels such as the oneclick can also be used to turn off peripheral devices when the main PC is shut down. This can remove the need for staff to manually turn off printers, monitors and speakers and ensures that these devices are always turned off at the end of the working day. 5 - Choose low power PC's and energy-saving devices ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy which promotes the use of energy efficient products. By choosing energy-star devices you are ensuring that the products you buy have been tested to be as efficient as possible.
The choices you make regarding the types of products you buy also has an large effect on your overall energy consumption. LCD displays use considerably less power than the old CRT devices for instance. If your interested in reducing energy usage its well worth speaking to your IT department or IT partner to help you choose the most appropriate devices. 6 - Use energy saver bulbs It's so simple and yet many companies still fail to install energy saving bulbs in their offices. Energy efficient bulbs use 80% less power and last up to 12 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs. Changing your entire office to bulbs of this type can shed hundreds off your annual energy bill and help to reduce carbon emissions at the same time. 7 - Educate your staff about energy usage Making green issues a priority in the workplace can ensure that the practices you put in place are adhered too and can also have the knock on effect of encouraging green issues in the home. Green needn't be a chore; these issues are central to our society and can actually install a greater sense of company pride in your staff. 8 - Encourage home working One of the greatest causes of pollution and carbon dioxide emissions in the UK is the widespread use of cars to commute to and from work. Encouraging staff to work from home can help cut the global output of Co2 dramatically and reduce the pressure on the already overburdened road network. Modern IT enables people to keep in touch with the office wherever they are in the world and home working needn't mean a loss in productivity. In fact research has suggested that allowing staff to work from home a few days a week can actually improve productivity greatly. 9 - Dispose of old hardware responsibly Electrical and electronic equipment is the fastest-growing category of waste across the European Union, with an estimated 17kg to 20kg per person produced every year. Computer equipment can't simply be disposed of in landfill and therefore recycling and re-use of computer equipment is paramount. Ensure that when you buy PC equipment you have a policy in place for its disposal at the end of its working life and try to re-use hardware where possible rather than throw it away. 10 - Offset your carbon footprint Even with all these energy saving
measures its impossible to reduce your carbon output to zero.
When we talk about carbon emissions we talk about your carbon
footprint. A Carbon Footprint is made up of the sum of two
parts, the direct / primary footprint and the indirect /
secondary footprint. Many companies are working towards becoming carbon neutral. By that they mean that they will measure their total carbon footprint after all the energy saving measures are in place and then offset that footprint by giving money to support carbon reduction projects. There are many ways that carbon can be offset and there are several organisations who can help you calculate and offset your footprint. |
