The other day my wife told me a couple of suggestions that one of her blog readers made about saving energy and resources while computing. I hadn’t heard of these recommended products before but was so intrigued with the novelty of the ideas (the first two in the following list) that I decided to make them the theme of this post - ten ways to reduce your office’s carbon footprint. Not all of us can have as green an office as the one shown in the picture, but implementing a few of these actions will put you on the right track:

Use Blackle search engine (if you have CRT monitors)

The Blackle search engine was developed with a black interface to reduce the energy use associated with displaying lighter colors on computer monitors. Blackle’s founders have been criticized for overstating the energy savings associated with their product. In a test comparing the energy use of Blackle and Google search engines, the difference with LCD monitors was negligible. However, the Blackle search engine used an impressive 13% less energy than Google on old cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors. Since a lot of offices and schools still use these old clunkers, Blackle should be promoted as an energy-saving option for them.

Ecofont

This font is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The Econfont uses up to 20% less toner ink by embedding small circles within the characters, which they claim is virtually unnoticeable on a standard printed page. This font is free to download and free to use, so there is nothing to lose from giving it a try.

Use a green web host

Computer servers and web-hosting facilities are incredibly energy-intensive. Switch to a green web host that will invest in renewable energy or carbon offsets to counterbalance the energy used on your website. CO2stats is one of the largest providers of green web hosting services, but dozens of other companies are available to choose from.

Turn off computers, monitors, and printers at night

A lot of people are under the impression that screen savers are energy-saving - they are not. Screen savers use as much energy as normal computer use. Use your computer’s ’sleep mode’ during the day when you are away from your desk for more than a few minutes. At night be sure to TURN OFF your monitor, hard drive, and other accessories (printer, scanner, etc.).

Increase the use of teleconferencing and video conferencing

A lot of business trips could probably be avoided through the use of video conferences and teleconferences. Re-think the necessity of each business trip, and if travel is necessary try to make it as efficient as possible by incorporating multiple tasks into the same trip.

Use paper efficiently

An incredible amount of paper can be saved by being more efficient in how it is used, including double-sided printing, reduced margin size, and using less space between lines.

Implement a corporate environmental or sustainability policy

Make energy reduction and carbon awareness a corporate policy so that it becomes engrained in the culture of the company. Over time sustainability will become second nature to your employees and your carbon footprint will decrease substantially.

Provide locally-grown and sustainably-made foods in your cafeteria

Maximize the use of natural daylight or energy-efficient lighting

Use recycled paper that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

Image courtesy of Nicolas Sauvage (Flickr Creative Commons license)

NOTE: This is a reprint of a post that I wrote for the blog Red Green and Blue (http://redgreenandblue.org) on March 5, 2009.

Given that overall US consumer spending in the fourth quarter of 2008 fell by its largest margin in almost 30 years, one has to wonder how the market for ‘green products’ will be impacted by this recession. Leading up to the economic downturn the momentum of the green economy was chugging along splendidly. The consumer demand for environmentally-friendly products was at an all-time high, even if the products were priced at a premium over standard options.

A recent survey by the consumer research firm Mintel explored the green buying preferences of Americans during this recession. The results should serve as a wake-up call to producers and retailers of green products. Read the rest of this entry »

Like many North Americans I have a morning vice called coffee. Although I am not as bad as some, my day is thrown out of sorts if I don’t start it with about three big cups of strong joe. Most of the coffee I drink is self-brewed - I try to avoid going to Tim Hortons, Starbucks, or Dunkin. Part of the reason I self-brew is cost - it adds up to buy one or two coffees a day from the name brand stores.

Another reason I self-brew is time. I live in a country that is obsessed with Tim Hortons for reasons that I can’t figure. Canadians are so determined to get their coffee from this company that in the morning it is impossible to get a coffee without having to wait at least 10 minutes in your car or in the store. I honestly think Canada’s carbon footprint would be significantly reduced if just a fraction of Tim’s customers actually gave up their morning ritual and brewed their own coffee at home. I am being a bit facetious here, but not entirely. Not only are the drive-thru lineups wasteful in terms of fuel use,  they can actually be dangerous as well. I have witnessed several near car accidents from the drive-thru line snaking out into the city streets.

But the most important reason why I self-brew is because I like to know where my coffee comes from. One of my favorite companies is Vermont-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR). They have an awesome selection of Fair Trade and Organic coffees to choose from. They are not green bandwagon jumpers either - they have been leaders in the sustainability movement for many years now.

Recently GMCR announced a competitive grant program called Changing Climate Change. They are going to award $200,000 to each of four projects ($800,000 US total) that address climate change mitigation. In an era of corporate cost-cutting and mass layoffs, GMCR is actually initiating a funding program to address one of society’s critical issues. Funding of projects targeting climate change is an area that is typically dominated by government agencies - it is very refreshing and encouraging to see a member of the corporate community take some leadership in this area and hopefully others will follow.

GMCR coffees are competitively priced against other premium whole bean and ground brands. Even here in Canada GMCR products are worth a look. Canadian consumers are frequently overcharged for food products compared to their American neighbors. Because of this, GMCR coffee is actually competitive with store-bought organic and Fair Trade brands in Canada even after the exchange rate and shipping charges are added in. A trick that I use to bring down the per-bag cost is to order several bags at one time - this way the shipping charges per bag are much less than with a smaller order.

Do yourself a favor and give them a try - and sip with satisfaction knowing that you are supporting a true sustainability champion. And if you are one of the few brave souls still playing the stock market, click on the graph below to see how GMCR has performed on Nasdaq over the last six months compared to the rest of the index! And GMCR is not compensating me in any way to write this post - I just wanted to spread the word about the great things that they are doing.

Graph courtesy of NASDAQ