Category: Going Green

How to go Green with your technology use

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computer tips energy efficiency Going Green

Power Saving Tips

Here are some general power saving tips (many that you may already know)

  • Unplug USB Devices when not using them (make sure to eject/remove properly if it stores data)
  • Unplug charges and other devices when turned off and not being used from electric outlet.
    • Have your monitor turn off automatically when computer is not in use.
    • Have your computer go to sleep.
    • Automatically have your computer turn off and on at a certain time if the computer is not used during certain hours.
      • These settings are in the control panel in windows usually under power options
      • These settings are in the system preferences in Mac OS X under energy saver
  • Usually when people ask if they should power their computer off, I say they can but only at night or the time they are not using it. The computer should only be powered on once per day at the most. It is OK to do a soft restart to clear the memory and run start up scripts. Remember to shut down properly if possible. Sometimes people will leave their computer on at night or off hours to do anti-virus/anti-malware scans, updates, backups, and run other utilities.
  • Hopefully you aren’t printing all the time unless printing is necessary part of your business. Unless you print all the time printers are usually a good thing to leave off, or turn off during off hours if there are no printing jobs. Or eliminate having a printer all together.
  • Use energy efficient equipment.
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Going Green

What to do with Shredded paper

Do you shred old papers?
Here are some uses I have seen for it:
Recyclable Packing Material
Recyclable Confetti
Rabbit Bedding
or just recycle shredded paper in paper recycling.
Have you seen another use? add your comment.

Categories
computer tips Going Green

Recommended Monitor Type

I recommend LED back-lit LCDs for monitor types.
They are free of mercury and lead. They are slim and power efficient. They have good coloring and are easier on the eyes than florescent or CRTs.
OLEDs are also an upcoming type of monitors to look into, however they may have more of a limited lifespan.
Should I through out my old monitor (CRT or florescent)?
No. If you want to get rid of it you need to recycle it.
Pros of replacing it – save power, less heat, more room, better for eyes
Pros of keeping it – save money on buying a new one and hauling old one out, less waste

Categories
computer tips Going Green

Print these days?

Do you really need to buy a printer these days?
Many times we don’t send letters in the mail anymore, so there isn’t much need to print for that.
Email doesn’t need to be printed, since most of us have large storage for email. Just back things up if they are important.
Why print a web page? – book mark it or save it.
Do you really need to print a report, or can you email it or post it on a web page?
Photos we mostly keep and share on computers and digital photo frames. For those that we really want printed, we can have printed professionally, most the time cheaper than printing ourselves. I’ve used online photo stores such as dotPhoto.com, and Shutterfly to print and they have turned out very well. Targets photo prints usually turn out well. Walmarts prints are not as good.
You can hand write small notes and addresses on envelopes if only sending a few.
When you do need something printed you could pay to have it printed at a library or at a print shop.
I bought one from Samsung.
Color Laser printers are still a little bit bigger (sometimes really big) and more expensive to buy and maintain.
Inkjet printers are usually cheap to buy, but the ink cartridges are expensive since they don’t last long usually.
In my personal situation, I do have a laser printer. I usually only print a few times a month so I leave my printer turned off most of the time. Toner doesn’t dry up, since it is already dry.

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Going Green

LED Bulbs

I am slowly switching over from fluorescent to light emitting diode (LED).   My new notebook and monitor from Apple have LED back lit Displays.   These are bright screens (adjusts to make less bright) and with good color and quality.
As my compact florescent lights go out, I am recycling them and replacing them with LED replacement bulbs (with many LEDs inside). Some of these are not as bright as the compact florescent bulbs so you have to look at what you buy.
LEDs are very efficient.  They do not produce the heat that florescents do. LED Bulbs may run at less than 3 watts which is a lot less than flouresent. They last a long time, one I bought was estimated at 30,000 hours.  They also do not contain mercury.
LED  are slightly more expensive to buy, however there will be savings in electricity use.

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Going Green

What can I do with my used computer or other electronic that I don't want?

If it is working and usable:

  • You can donate it to an organization that accepts it.
  • You can sell it.   Craigslist.org and EBay.com are common places to list your item online.

If it is not working:

  • Recycle it properly. It’s the law.   Some manufacturers such as Apple allow you to recycle your old computer and monitor when you buy a new one.  Some stores will take used electronics for free or for a fee.   Cell phones, ink/toner cartridges, and rechargable batteries are recycled free many places.   Your local recycler, landfill, or garbage hauler may also accept electronics separate from your trash. You may want to call or check the provider’s web site or call the provider.
  • Crow WIng County Landfill
Categories
Going Green

Reducing Paper and Paper waste

  • Only print when necessary.
  • Print on both sides of the paper. Set computers to print duplex as the default option.  Collect single side printed paper and use as scratch pad.
  • Print Directly on envelopes instead of using mailing labels
  • Review Documents before printing. Make simple hand written corrections on printed documents instead of reprinting
  • Use smaller fonts and margins to fit more on a page.
  • Avoid printing cover sheets.
  • Do preventative maintenance on copiers and printers
  • Load paper correctly in printers and copiers.
  • Use recycled material in paper.
  • Have faxes go to email instead of having them printed.
  • Save emails in you inbox instead of printing them.
  • Share documents on networks or internet instead of printing to have someone review.
  • Use Online Billing, Online Statements for banks and insurance, and stop having bills and statements in the mail.
  • Subscribe to your newspapers and magazines online instead of getting them in paper form.
  • Unsubscribe from catalogs and other junk mail- some of which can be done online.   Many catalogs have unsubscribe information on the back.
  • Use the calendar/scheduler on your computer/phone/pda instead of a paper calendar.
  • Use a computerized address book on your computer/phone/pda instead of a paper address book.
  • Use computerized keeping of all records including medical records, financial records/bookkeeping, and other business records.
  • E-file your taxes. Find Services at Minnesota Department of Revenue US Internal Revenue Service
  • Register and sign up for events, classes, selective service, FAFSA , Social Security , Changing Address and holding mail with USPS , and other things online instead of mailing a paper copy.
  • For photography, use a digital camera and View and share photos online instead of buying prints (or only print some of your best photos).
  • Besides reducing paper computerizing can make processes go faster, make things easier to find, and can reduce data loss if using proper backups.
  • More Info: California IWMB   HP
Content ©1999 - Nathan Steffenson, Nate's Computer Services - All rights reserved. - Be Green! save money and energy. Please do not print this web page.