Thursday, May 26, 2011

Making Green Computing Changes in Big and Small Ways

Green computing is a rising trend that looks to establish itself as the preferred IT philosophy -- not because techies are tree-huggers, but because green solutions are affecting their bottom lines. Many businesses today are asking the questions: "What is it?" and "Why is it so important to society?''
What is Green Computing?
Today, the term embodies the entire life cycle of technologies, including research, manufacturing, use, and disposal. Green IT takes a much more holistic approach than it once did, especially as companies are brainstorming solutions to cut costs and increase revenue.
Why is Green Computing Important?
Green computing benefits the environment. Reduced energy usage from green techniques translates into lower carbon dioxide emissions, stemming from a reduction in the fossil fuel used in power plants and transportation. Conserving resources means less energy is required to produce, use, and dispose of products. Put simply, saving energy and resources saves money.
The advantages of green technology are realized on both large and small scales. Green technologies are available for an entire organization or for a single employee's workstation. Unfortunately, many companies and business owners are stalled by the initially larger investment in green technology, and fail to realize the long-term benefits and cost savings. As such, let's examine adjustments that can be made regarding green computing and IT support, big or small.
System-Wide Green Computing
When investigating green alternatives for your entire organization, consider technologies like cloud computing. Basically, cloud computing eliminates the need for hardware like servers. Also known as virtualization, cloud computing replaces hardware with "virtual" servers or servers in "the cloud." Essentially, cloud computing allows companies to reduce their need for big, bulky, energy-consuming servers by relocating them on the Internet. Cloud computing may also be used in areas like networking, data storage, software applications, and operating systems, again, potentially reducing the need for hardware. As a result, businesses stand to save a lot of time, money, and resources on maintenance and support by switching to cloud computing set-ups.
Individual Green Computing
There are many other techniques at the personal computer level. For instance, power management can be an easy and effective means of saving green while conserving energy. While many operating systems come with power-saving settings, there are also a variety of products that monitor and adjust energy levels to increase performance and reduce wasted energy. For instance, some surge protectors can sense when a master component (like a computer) is turned off, and respond by cutting off power to any peripheral machines, such as like printers and scanners.
System-Wide and Individual Green Computing
Finally, green computing initiatives can reap savings in both big and small ways. Technologies that save paper, like email, can have a huge impact on costs as well as the environment. As companies and employees develop methods and habits of conservation, simple practices like emailing memos or printing in smaller fonts can bring instant results. Additionally, policies like telecommuting or teleconferences pose additional benefits by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced by travel.
Green IT is quickly emerging as the most effective means of utilizing technology. No matter whether your organization's needs are big or small, green IT can reduce costs, increase productivity, and even do something good for the environment.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Meet your Green Printing needs in eco friendly way

All across the globe, offset printing Sydney has a reputed and prominent name known for its eco friendly green printing services, and adherence to the international norms and standards in printing. In fact, almost each and every benchmark has been duly affirmed with the Forest Stewardship council which boosts green printing, along with the preservation of forests. The advent of recycled paper printing technology has emerged the aspect of printing industry.
Post printing subprograms, printing techniques, inks etc. have transformed to eco friendly green printing services and techniques. Innovation and globalization has paved a road path of new dimensions for recycled paper printing. In traditional times, major printing groups make use of petroleum inks that are extremely corrosive volatile organic wastes, often results in asthma or cancer in the long run. During the entire procedure, traditional printing gives rise to inks, chemicals, solvents, filters, dirty rags, waste paper, lubricating fluids, absorbents, and empty product containers.
Eco friendly green printing service providers are good replacements of traditional petroleum inks, which make use of vegetable or soy inks and recycled papers. The uttermost need and concerns related to pollution levels, greenhouse gases and vulnerability to carcinogens or toxic materials makes print houses to shift and go for more green and print green. Nowadays, most of the publishing companies and printing houses have bended and turned to recycled paper printing. Printing company Australia has been reckoned as a trailblazer in adopting waste minimization methodologies in printing. Eco friendly green printing services costs less and saves waste disposal as well as operating costs. Along with preserving environmental quality, green printing techniques also lower down long term liability towards environment.
Eco friendly green printing services use 100% post consumer waste processed chlorine free uncoated, certified by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), made up from several renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind, vegetable or soy ink. In a nutshell, green printing techniques are highly urged nowadays by several corporate houses, print houses and social activists, as they opt to go with printers, who mainly rely on eco friendly green printing services.

Going Green: Green Living is Easier Than We Think

When we discuss the environment, as with any topic, there are as many opinions as people and some will take their points to the extreme- either extreme.
The true need is for each of us to understand that we are borrowing the space we have here on earth for but a short time. When we borrow something, should we not be responsible and do our best to return it in the same or better condition in which we received it? We would expect that of a neighbor who borrowed a tool would we not?
The solution is in learning how to coexist with and "re"learn how to take care of and respect the things of this earth. Let us find ways to teach each other alternative methods for working with nature.
My grandpa was a farmer and my grandma, being part American Indian, was inherently a naturalist. When I was a young girl it was their guidance that taught me things like; garlic and marigolds planted with the crops kept the bugs from "eatin' everything 'afore we get it to the kitchen". And of course Grandma would insist that it was the peppermint she had planted 'round the outside that kept the bugs from goin' in the house. There were no pesticides to be found on the farm but the vegetables and the flower gardens always produced in abundance.
She always said: God didn't put anything here by accident. He gave us everything we need. My grandmother knew how to use almost every plant or weed that grew in the Midwest. It's those little bits of knowledge that I treasure most, like; 'If you find poison ivy you can also grab the cure right from the ground (Spotted forget-me-not) normally not too far off', or that steaming your head in bayberry leaves will kick out the nastiest of colds, or that vanilla is a good insect repellent, and the list goes on. Today, I realize I should have paid much closer attention.
I am not an extremist and I am not the greenest. I do respect the land and space that I borrow and try to be conscious of my behavior. There are things I don't do because of cost, there I things I don't do because of necessity (like trying to earn a living) or because I do enjoy some of the little luxuries of modern day like watching a little TV before bed, but I am mindful of what I do.
We DO compost our kitchen scraps, we DO plan vehicle trips to make every trip as effective and efficient as possible, we DO turn off the water while we brush our teeth and lots of other little things. We look for ways to do a better job of living green because it is the right thing to do. Most often living greener does not require a lot of effort, and frequently it even saves us some money; like the rain barrels we have used for years to water our vegetable garden and flowers.
I know barely a tenth of what my Grandma knew and she always was trying to learn more. Perhaps what we all need is a good teacher...